Instagram Influencers Using CA Fire for Free Promotion

Whenever catastrophic tragedy hits the human race, there’s usually some inconsiderate jerk trying to make a quick buck off of it.

Multiple high-profile Instagram users have been tagging their posts with hashtags related to the ongoing fire relief efforts in California. These posts have little-to-nothing to do with the fires themselves, instead merely using the soapbox provided by the hashtags to promote themselves and/or sell products. Notable examples of this include @destinationvine, a company that offers wine country tours, skincare company @veridattacollection, and @_earn_with_emily, a bitcoin mining account.

Buzzfeed researcher Joan Donovan has nicknamed this phenomenon “keyword squatting,” a new term for the old pastime of milking tragedy for free exposure. “[It] in a sense is free marketing,” Donovan said. “If you’re selling a product beyond just yourself, it could translate into cash.” Business Insider has contacted Instagram for a statement on these keyword squatters, but they have not yet responded.

Forgive me for editorializing, but if you’re seeing dollar signs when someone else is seeing their home collapse in a pile of ash, you really ought to re-evaluate yourself and your morals.

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5 years ago
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