You Can’t Take An Influencer Anywhere These Days

There’s a new disruption at concerts: Influencers trying to create viral content.

It appears that individuals looking for social media fame and glory are becoming a nuisance at concerts by engaging in wild shenanigans, annoying noises, and demands on artists to play unusual songs.
Check out this article from the Wall Street Journal: Why People Are Getting More Disruptive at Concerts.
Some of them are holding up massive signs to disrupt the other concert-goers.
Some of them are screaming out at inappropriate moments to get the artist’s attention.

Whatever happened to tossing a beach ball around?

Platforms like TikTok and Instagram have contributed to this trend by making it possible for any moment of a concert to go viral.
The behavior of these “influencers” is hurting the concert experience for others.
As if the prices of tickets and artists using a ton of backing tracks weren’t painful enough.

It goes beyond concerts.

We’re hearing about patients who are concerned that their therapists are trying to create content more than help.
We’ve already seen comedians force smartphones into a locked bag prior to entry.

Do these creators and influencers have a right to film and act as they choose?

It seems like the desire to create a quick piece of content to share online has become a buzzkill for everybody else at the show, obstructing views, causing early exits, and creating unruly audiences.
Now, artists are starting to respond to the misbehavior they’re witnessing from the stage, reminding fans that they are there to hear the music, not to make noise and distract from the performances.
Does the debate boils down to this: Are you attending the concert to enjoy live music with like-minded fans, or are you just there to get something for your TikTok channel?

What do you think?

This is what Ken Connors and I discussed on CJAD 800 AM this week. Listen in right here.

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