Fake flexing: How Gen Z is buying glam digital personas
The rise of 'fake flex' on Instagram allows users to purchase fabricated stories, reflecting Gen Z's deep need for digital approval.
Social media has always offered users a platform to show off and the line between reality and fantasy is now more blurred than ever. In a trend called fake flexing, certain Instagram accounts are selling Instagram Stories that show young people attending concerts, dining at fancy cafes or going on casual drives — without actually experiencing them.
Monetising FOMO
Accounts like GetYourFlex, get.flexedd and AuraMark, create fake accounts, with Stories priced anywhere between ₹65 and ₹300. Buyers can then choose the events they want to be tagged in, and even the accounts that tag them. The founder of GetYourFlex, requesting anonymity, says, “This month, we earned about ₹35,000 over the course of a week. Gen Z cares about social media approval, so we’re fulfilling this need.”
But why are Gen Z-ers pretending to have a fun social life online? Bengaluru-based influencer Anushka C, who bought a fake tag for singer-actor Diljit Dosanjh’s concert as a “social experiment” feels: “Buying tags helps people who can’t afford such events feel closer to the experience.”
Mumbai-based accountant Shraddha B adds, “I know people who were unable to visit certain viral spots while on vacation and so just found a generic image of the place and uploaded those to Stories. The Coldplay tickets are also an example — people were ready to pay premium to scalpers. These accounts are meeting the demands of the market.”
What’s the need?
According to psychiatrist Dr Sneha Sharma. “Gen Z is in a stage of life where their identity and social media provides a platform for self-expression. Validation through likes reinforces their self-worth and confidence.”
However, she cautions: “Over-reliance and the intense pressure to maintain a ‘perfect’ online persona may lead to challenges such as depression and unrealistic comparisons with others.”
