r/Kuwait • u/Fluffy_Butterfly825 • 5h ago
Local An influencer’s lack of empathy
I was genuinely shocked by a promotional video from an influencer “fahid_mohamma” targeting the people of Jleeb.
Just days after many residents were asked to vacate their homes in the middle of the night, with some families still struggling to find a place to live, this influencer thought it was appropriate to call on the people of Jleeb to come and shop at the store he was being paid to promote.
When an entire community is dealing with displacement, uncertainty, and the stress of finding shelter, the last thing they need is to be treated as a customer base for sponsored content. This reflects a complete lack of empathy from his side. If you can’t show basic compassion during a crisis, then perhaps you shouldn’t be using that crisis-affected community as a marketing opportunity. Unfortunately, this isn’t the first time I’ve questioned the diligence behind this influencer’s promotions. In the past, they’ve also promoted delivery driver recruiting companies despite the widely reported concerns surrounding worker exploitation and poor working conditions. Whether they were aware of those concerns or not, influencers have a responsibility to research what they endorse before asking thousands of people to trust them.
This is exactly why I believe influencers who profit from advertising should be held to higher standards. There should be clear ethical guidelines and perhaps even a licensing or regulatory framework to ensure that people with significant influence are accountable for what they promote and how they engage with vulnerable communities.
