Bizarre Korean Reality Show Enjoys Rabid Popularity on Netflix

A weird Korean reality show, the Influencer, which aims to find the ultimate online influencer in the country and features Korea’s famous social media sensations, is trending on Netflix.

The winner of the show will rake in nearly $219,000 in prize money and has to knock out other online creators with the help of their followers.

The show starts with 77 influencers who create content on different online channels such as YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram. Every contender has to wear a digital collar band that displays their number of followers and, at times, their total marketing worth. All of the participants have a total marketing value of a whopping $293 million.

Famous Korean Youtuber, including Risabae, who has over 2.26 million followers on her fashion channel, is also participating in the show, while smaller TikTok creators like Needmorecash with nearly 490,000 followers are also trying to “prove their influence” and win the ultimate influencer title.

Other participants include 37-year-old veteran Korean actor Jang Keun-suk, whose participation has also raised concerns among other influencers who believe that such a seasoned TV personality like him can knock everyone else down with his loyal and decades-old followers.

The show consists of five rounds, and 47 of the 77 total participants would be eliminated after the first round. This has urged creators to form alliances in order to survive the competition, as a significant rift has emerged between YouTube and TikTok creators. Every participant is awarded 15 likes and 15 dislikes that they can use against their competitors and advance to the next round.

Critics argue that the show is trying to paint a hypothetical picture of the digital world, and the creator with the deepest connection with their audience would clinch the title and the hefty prize money. They believe that the show completely ignores the way creators are trying to attract the audience towards them, which essentially means that they can propagate white lies or, for that matter, anything they want to get their hands on the glory.

Netizens have slammed the show for its “human-auction-style” nature and for “dehumanising” people by displaying their net marketing value on their collar bands.