Influencers are posing in fake private jets, we’re questioning reality

It’s no secret that influencers are always on the lookout for a backdrop that will boost their Instagram likes, and that these backdrops – from Chernobyl, to California wildfires, to Black Lives Matter demonstrations – can cause their fair share of controversy. One of the latest trends, involving a private jet, however, is causing people to question the very nature of reality.

The private jet in question can be seen in a variety of Instagram posts and TikTok videos, but in and of itself that’s nothing new: as early as 2017, influencers were booking grounded jets for photoshoots. The difference, in this case, is that the jet doesn’t exist at all.

Pictures posted to Twitter yesterday highlight the fact that the private jet is actually just a studio based in California, with backlit windows and a plush interior that abruptly ends just out of shot. An online listing provides further information, describing the set as the first of its kind in Los Angeles.

Inevitably, the Twitter post has subsequently been flooded with comments and screenshots calling out influencers that have taken advantage of the backdrop, with Lil Nas X – never one to miss out on a viral internet moment – also sharing his take.

Admittedly, in many cases it’s unclear whether the influencers were trying to pull it off as the real thing, or just playing around with the fantasy of travelling in a private jet (Instagram captions have been edited since the tweet went up, to clarify that it’s just a set). Either way the facade probably won’t hold up much longer, but it does serve as a handy reminder that everything you see on social media may not be as it seems.