#Coronavirus Challenge

Our ninth minisode of the third season of the “The Creative Influencer” podcast is available today for download on iTunes, Spotify, and premier platforms everywhere.  In minisodes, we answer questions that our listeners have emailed Jon.  In this minisode, Jon discusses the viral-seeking behavior of the recent #Coronavirus Challenge on Instagram and TikTok.

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A transcript of the episode follows:

This week’s email comes from Kelly.

Jon,
Apparently, people are licking things like toilet seats and doorknobs and tagging it as the “Coronavirus Challenge.” Do you know anything about this?
Thanks,
Kelly

Kelly, thank you for the question.

You’re right: An Instagram personality named Ava Louise recently posted a video of her licking an airplane toilet seat and called it the Coronavirus Challenge. Several other young influencers have followed suit, all of which appear to be in the same orbit as Ava.

Controversy isn’t new for Ava. She propelled herself into the limelight in 2019 by appearing on the Dr. Phil show. She went viral for the line “I'd rather die hot than live ugly.” Ava’s brand is over-the-top shenanigans. Some on the internet have gone so far as to call her a “troll” for her viral-seeking behavior.

You’ll notice that I did not call Ava an influencer. This is because, despite her viral fame, she only has five thousand YouTube subscribers and doesn’t have any sponsored content on her Instagram. She’s friends with a few Influencers, and people that call themselves influencers.

I think this is a perfect example of how far some will go to attract followers. If you ask me, it’s definitely the wrong way, since Brands are less likely to work with a person that has this type of viral-seeking image. That said, it’s all about eyeballs to many advertisers, which is how we have YouTubers like Logan Paul.

Anyway, Kelly, thanks for bringing this to my attention. Definitely don’t participate in this challenge and keep yourself safe from the coronavirus. Don’t lick toilet seats and wash your hands!