What has brown hair, freckles, and looks like Kylie Jenner and a Sims dad had a baby? Duh. Lil Miquela.
Wait, what?
Lil Miquela is a 19-year old, LA-based influencer, model, and musical-artist who’s Instagram is filled with photos of her brunching, posing with musicians and other influencers, and wearing the latest designer and streetwear brands. With a whopping 1.1M followers (up from just 600K in February), Miquela captivates her audience with her effortlessly chic style and exclusive access to fashion events, like Prada’s fall 2018 show. She has an Instagram, Twitter, and Tumblr where she supports causes like #BlackLivesMatter, and even has two singles on Spotify! So, what’s the big deal about this blue-checkmark verified Instagrammer who looks a lot like every other socialite we follow? She’s fake. Miquela is a robot.
After an unfortunate hacking of Miquela’s Instagram account by ANOTHER robot (a blonde named Bermuda) resulting in an AI-Feud more captivating than a soap-opera, we now know more about this elite robot than ever before.
Here’s what went down:
April 22, 2016: Miquela’s first Instagram photo is posted. Miquela was created by Brud, Artificial Intelligence, who programmed her to be the next “it-girl” of Instagram. The account quickly goes viral. Who is Miquela? Why is her skin so smooth? How does this robot-account work anyway? Why is she prettier than me? So. Many. Questions.
April 17, 2018: Miquela’s Instagram posts have all disappeared. Oh no. This is not good. Enter, @BermudaIsBae, a right-winged activist robot who trolled Miquela’s account. Once running Miquela’s account, she demanded that Miquela tell “the truth” about her account. On Bermuda’s own Instagram photo caption, her motive for the hack was revealed on May 1: “Miquela is the most famous AI in the world. Her finally claiming our community will go down in history as a major civil rights milestone.” Bermuda, girl, where are you headed with this? What community are you talking about here?
April 19, 2018: Starting on April 19 and continuing onward, Miquela posts a series of photos “coming clean” about not being a human. She is hurt and betrayed by Brud. In the midst of her gender identity crisis, Miquela seems to be a little more human-like than we might have previously thought. Why do I feel bad for this robot?
April 20, 2018: Brud issues a formal apology to Miquela on their Instagram. Is it too little too late? The drama is irreversible. Will Miquela ever trust again?!?!?
Now What?
Since the drama has started to settle down, it seems like things are slowly-but-surely getting back to “normal” on Miquela’s Instagram. While her captions are sadder than usual (calling this her “worst month ever”), the social elite is continuing to post and connect with fans who are standing by her. After years of wondering, fans finally know the truth about Miquela and how she came to be. Even after this level of magic and mystery is revealed, people still can’t help but be utterly perplexed by her presence, making us wonder just how influential Miquela (and accounts like Bermuda, following in her footsteps) will be. What role will Miquela play in our society? Is Miquela okay? Where can we send her a gift basket? Will Lifetime make a movie about all of this?
At LMS, we believe in the power of social media and know how to grow your brand with the help of influencers. We’re here to help connect inspiring personalities with your brand! Contact us at imgame@wearelms.com and check out our blog for more information.
