Influencer Life Shows Its Dark Side in New Trailer for The Age of Influence

As social media continuously grows and capitalizes more and more upon itself, it’s single-handedly proven itself to be one of the most powerful tools in the modern world, for better or worse. All you really need is a smartphone and an account with the platform of your choice, and where you go from there is the million-dollar question that, in some very uncouth and immoral ways, has made certain people far more than that amount of money. The darker side of social media influence, and its profound impact particularly on the younger generations is the focal point of ABC’s newest upcoming docu-series The Age of Influence. Per a report from Collider, a trailer has dropped to give a firsthand look at the fascinating yet unsettling stories of several infamous influencers who took the entirely wrong path with social media for the sake of fame and a brief taste of wealth, even at the cost of friends and family.

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The Age of Influence is the latest project on the docket of ABC’s collaboration with Hulu. Previous true crime hits from the network include Web of Death, Killing Country, Death in the Dorms, and The Randall Scandal, which chronicled the chaotic downfall of reality show Vanderpump Rules‘ Lala Kent’s Ex-Fiance and disgraced producer Randall Emmet. This latest docu-series focuses on how the ability for anyone to seamlessly connect to virtually everyone around the world on social media, and create visually attractive personas that often mask reality and truth, has gone beyond innovation to attract all manner of scam and scandal. The series will be six episodes that each pertain to a scandalous social media figure, including Russian con artist Anna Delvey (real name Anna Sorokin), “Swiffer Girl” Danielle Miller, religious bitcoin scammer Jay Manzini, fashion influencer Emily Gellis, steroid pusher Tyler Bauman, reality star Tracii Hutsona, and of course Machelle Hobson, the “momfluencer” who has faced scathing accusations of child abuse for the sake of views. Sit-down interviews with the influencers themselves give unsettling insight into their side of the story, and those close to them that were caught in some manner of crossfire from their actions have their voices heard as well.

“It’s All About Being Famous”

The trailer for the series opens up with an introduction from false-socialite fraudster Anna Delvey, who sits down for her interview primmed up with an ankle monitor visible, surrounded by abstract artwork. After a few years in prison for grand larceny she was released on bond, but is subjected to 24-hour home confinement with no access to social media. She says “nobody should be calling themselves an influencer”, while planning to film a reality show inside her own home called Delvey’s Dinner Club. The trailer leads into an illusory barrage of grandiose imagery, the life of luxury sought and ultimately projected by all of these influencers, and their audiences who live vicariously through their filtered visuals. Teases of each of these dramatic, hair-raising stories culminate into the underlying message of what social media has wrought in the worst ways. A family member of one of the influencers alludes that “the prettier something is on the outside, the more rot there is on the inside”.

The six-part docu-series Age of Influence premieres exclusively on Hulu on June 5. The trailer can be viewed below.