New Caroline Calloway Documentary Takes A Sobering Look At Influencer Culture

Was fame a 'scam' for influencer Caroline Calloway?

For those chronically online, Calloway's story might sound familiar.

In our current era of social media where TikTok and Instagram influencers reign supreme, it's difficult to imagine an era where we did not know countless intimate aspects of the lives of complete strangers. The now-30-year-old Calloway was a pioneer in turning the mundane aspects of our lives into content.

When Calloway was in college attending England's Cambridge University, she documented her life on Instagram.

She would share intimate details about herself and the lives of her friends and lovers with the world through long Instagram captions. Calloway's life as she depicted it over Instagram seemed reminiscent of "Gossip Girl" or the "Magnolia Parks" book series; there was lots of glitz, glamor, and lots and tons of fancy buildings.

Two years after Calloway began documenting her life on Instagram in a then-cutting-edge long-form caption writing style, Calloway secured a book deal to bring her Instagram captions to the page. However, Calloway's book was not to be; she would face enormous personal struggles affecting her ability to see the project through.

Calloway's identity would reach new heights by December of 2018.

Her attempt to offer her followers a "creativity workshop" caught the attention of the freelance writer, Kayleigh Donaldson; according to Vox, Donaldson would express her disbelief over the components of Calloway's workshop; Donaldson would start her Twitter thread by including a "Schitt's Creek" gif featuring Catherine O'Hara's Moira Rose.

"That Instagram influencer I occasionally check in on because she is The Worst is now charging $165 for a 4-hour seminar on how to be yourself," Donaldson's first tweet read.

The plan for Calloway's workshop was definitely reminiscent of an aesthetically pleasing Instagram photo. The guests were promised a 'high-end' lunch and high-quality writing supplies, including a "personalized" journal. And yes, there would be flower crowns involved.

Some would say Calloway completely 'jumped the gun' with her vision for the workshop.

The outlet also shared she had not finalized any of the concrete details before she began selling the workshop tickets. There was also a sudden location change (which lead to canceled events altogether) that would further derail the workshops from coming to fruition.

Calloway would eventually be able to hold some workshops, but attendees would be given a 'lite' version of many of the elements they were promised, including "a single flower" to wear for a photo opportunity in lieu of flower crowns, food options were limited to only salad, and the promised "mason jar gardens" originally intended to be a care package component would end up being a packet of sunflower seeds, and empty mason jars; Calloway would also document her anxiety over the overwhelming number of mason jars and their size.

By this point, Calloway had become a viral sensation on Twitter, thanks in part to the exposure she received as a result of Donaldson's thread. Many users would tweet about the workshops, propelling Calloway into a second wave of internet fame.

Calloway would soon begin to generate headlines after her former friend and frequent Instagram photo fixture, Natalie Beach, would share her perspective on their now-former friendship in an essay for The Cut; Beach played a vital part in Calloway's story.

The duo would collaborate on Calloway's book proposal together, and Beach was also responsible for co-crafting many of Calloway's famous Instagram captions.

Four years after the publication of Beach's essay and devastating events in Calloway's personal life- she would lose her father to suicide- Calloway has stepped away from the Insta-grid. Earlier this week, she gave the internet an update in Vice's short video essay, on her extremely low-key life.

In the documentary, Calloway shares her perspective on her notoriety in a matter-of-fact fashion, in place of her planned memoir, which was never completed or published.

The intimate glimpse into her life has naturally generated a lot of commentary online.

Viewers would take to the comment section of Vice's official YouTube video, to express their thoughts.

"Condolenses to all of the therapists out there," a viewer commented.

"I feel for the younger generations who will struggle to know themselves in a social media world," another wrote.

"This is a great example of wasted media," another viewer wrote. "It's like watching the lowest form of soap opera."

"She could've just paid someone to write the da*n book," a viewer weighed in.

"SHE STILL CAN'T TAKE OWNERSHIP LOL. She literally just said she paid her friend to write for her, and a minute later she says she was 'devastated' when her friend 'tried to steal the credit for HER writing ???," another fan commented.

"people are so cruel! hope she's doing okay and has people who can support her," another commenter wrote.

Vice's Caroline Calloway documentary is available for free on YouTube.