Is there a extra inventive technique to clout-chase than to tag an alleged assassin in your Instagram photograph dump? For some aspiring influencers, each view counts, it appears.
After 26-year-old Luigi Mangione was named a “particular person of curiosity” within the homicide of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, it was solely a matter of minutes earlier than his X, Instagram, and even Goodreads accounts have been recognized and dissected by online sleuths.
Regardless of final posting in 2021, the Instagram account @luigi.from.fiji rapidly skyrocketed from 1,300 followers to greater than 74,000. Mangione’s posts present him touring to varied areas, together with Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and Mexico, mountaineering round volcanoes, and posing in bars. He additionally shared photographs from his fraternity when attending the College of Pennsylvania. However whereas some have been busy commenting on Mangione’s bodily look and potential motives, others noticed a possibility and ran with it.
The account’s tagged photographs, initially made up of snaps posted by household and pals, have been rapidly clogged by folks attempting to push their photograph dump or reel in entrance of hundreds of curious eyes. One influencer tagged the account in a thirst entice from a boudoir shoot, according to The Cut. One other influencer tagged a reel documenting his “Euro summer time,” crammed with match checks, flashy watches, and membership dance flooring (they solely ended up getting 4,886 views). A 3rd tagged Mangione in a number of selfies, one on the seaside, one other that includes pumpkins. Mangione’s Instagram account has since been suspended, in case any influencers have been contemplating leaping on that bandwagon.
After Mangione was charged with homicide on Monday, the public interest in him and people round him exhibits no indicators of slowing down. The taking pictures has captured the web’s consideration, with many individuals making mild of the killing, even outright applauding it. The concentrating on of Thompson and the shooter’s message has dropped at the fore a dialog concerning the injustices within the American healthcare system.
However whereas some are responding to the information protection by sharing their very own private tales of protection denial, mistreatment, and monetary hardship they’ve confronted by the hands of the system, different’s are merely in it for the clout.