– I think that many people speculate that more excitement leads to more traffic and publish content accordingly, says Mariann Johansen. On her own initiative, she has taken on the role of influencer-critic. – I have a sincere desire to make people aware of how the influencer industry works. We are being manipulated and misled, she claims. Johansen believes, among other things, that influencers make a lot of money by provoking criticism in the comments section because debate or arguing attracts followers. Johansen blogged about her own everyday life as a mother of young children in 2009. In Aftenposten in 2016, she wrote about her experiences after posting about everyday things, personality tests and pictures of the children: “I was shocked by everything I had published, and deleted it because hard life, embarrassingly affected by my lack of judgment,” she wrote then. Mariann Johansen likes to give constructive criticism to influencers. Influencers react Johansen’s opinions cause well-known Norwegian influencers to react. – I never speculate on getting as much heat and crap as possible in the comments section. It’s the last thing on my mind, says “plus-size” influencer Helene Drage. She has previously told news that she gets a lot of harassment in connection with what she posts. Her comment section often explodes in connection with her “get ready with me” videos, in which she dresses from the inside out. – I certainly don’t post scantily clad videos to provoke, says Drage. She says her motivation for sharing is to make a difference by being open and talking about topics many people don’t dare themselves. – Cute children sell Johansen also criticizes influencers for using children when they post posts. She believes they show off the children to make money from advertisements. – Cute children sell. It generates far more likes than other content. High activity on posts means money in the coffers for the account owner, who is often a mother, she writes on her blog. She singles out Monica Nyhus from Kristiansand as an example. – All the children and the husband are involved, says Johansen. Monica Nyhus likes to share pictures of her family and children on her social media. Photo: Screenshot – The mother police must calm down Monica Nyhus reigns high in social media with over 200,000 followers. She reacts to being referred to in this way. – I am so tired of being criticized by the mother police. I have a son who has been visible on my social media for ten years, and he thinks that as long as the pictures of him are nice, it’s ok. I think it’s nice to see families on social media, because family happiness is close to my heart, says Nyhus. – Do you get advertising revenue for posting pictures with the children? – I account for 95 percent of my income myself. She says that she sells make-up, clothes and fitness equipment aimed at women on her Instagram account. – Do you often get offers to do advertising with the children as the main characters? – It often happens, but I say no. But basically I have nothing against using the children in advertising, she says. Influencer Monica Nyhus from Kristiansand denies that she provokes incitement to gain more followers. Influences Helene Drage in Fredrikstad is married and has one child. She says she and her daughter are desirable advertising objects, but that she has chosen to set limitations. She does not show her daughter’s face. – I choose not to show off my child because she will be allowed to create her own identity. She has the right to a private life, says Drage. Helene Drage does not show her child’s face on social media. Photo: Screen dump – An ethical dilemma Mariann Johansen says that making money on a family backdrop is big in the US. She thinks it’s terrifying to think that it’s coming our way. Psychologist Vidar Kristiansen is himself active on Instagram with the account @psykolog.pappa. He says the use of children in social media is a growing phenomenon, both abroad and here. He thinks it is an ethical dilemma. – Many of the children are young and do not know what it means to say yes or no, he says. He also points out which digital footprints are left behind. – When the influencer children become young people, there are still children’s pictures of them outside with their names. In the pictures, there may be products or the like that they no longer want to be linked to, and that could be problematic, says Kristiansen. But on a general basis, he believes we should check ourselves before we hammer away at the keyboard. – Giving constructive criticism must be allowed. Then the challenge lies in finding out what is criticism and what is incitement, he says.
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Mariann Johansen spends her free time criticizing influencers – news Sørlandet – Local news, TV and radio
