During a Q1 earnings call on Wednesday, Meta revealed it lost 20 million users across its family of apps.

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In April 2011, content creator Julia Berolzheimer launched her Instagram account and blog. More than 15 years later, she occupies a prominent place in a saturated and competitive world. She boasts nearly 1.5 million followers on Instagram and is recognized on Substack as one of the 10 most influential authors in the fashion and beauty category with her “Trade Offs” posts. Therefore, her voice carries weight. That’s why, when she published a lengthy post on Substack last February titled “Instagram Is Stealing Our Content to Sell Knockoffs — and Yours Could Be Next,” it quickly went viral. According to Berolzheimer, the social network had used images of her posted on the platform to sell products associated with her name. Through the “Shop the look” button, the app recommended products similar to those featured in the image. The problem is that these products, linked to the influencer’s image, weren’t recommended by her at all, but by the social network itself. “When followers click on it Instagram serves them product suggestions generated by AI. Not my affiliate links. Not brands I chose. Not products I’d recommend,” she writes. She adds that, while her look consisted of “pieces I’d carefully selected from designers I love and personally support,” the purchase suggestions provided by the social network were “cheap knockoffs and random items from brands I’ve never heard of, attached to my image, under my name.” Berolzheimer, according to her account, was unaware of this until one of her followers alerted her. And she discovered that it wasn’t an isolated incident, but a new feature in testing mode, implemented only for some users. The influencer also points out that if that purchase button generated any sales and any profit, she received nothing: “They’re using my images to sell products for their own profit.”

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It all starts in front of a screen, in the most innocent way possible. Accepting a friend request on Facebook. Following an influencer. Signing up for a study skills course about investing in cryptocurrencies. Entering a Roblox minigame. These are all gateways into a labyrinth of psychological manipulation that, in just a matter of months, can end with the innocent internet user trapped in a cult-like community, isolated and ruined. This mental and physical kidnapping occurs — and this is the worst part — voluntarily.

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