ViralWorld

Rich Kids of Instagram

This spread through many posts rather than one canonical upload.

2012·The social era

An account that collects photographs of very rich young people showing off what they own.

At a glanceThe facts

Spread in
2012
Format
Post
Era
The social era
Made by
James Ison, a British entrepreneur, whose identity was secret until 2020
Also known as
Rich Kids of the Internet, since a legal letter from Instagram’s owner
Origin
No single original
Available
Not held by ViralWorld

What this wasThe story

A Tumblr, then a book and two television series, built entirely from posts the subjects put up voluntarily. One of the first demonstrations that a feed could be turned into an exhibit without taking anything.

TimelineIn order

  1. Made

    It begins as a hashtag, and then as a Tumblr blog.1

  2. Mainstream

    It gets an Instagram account of its own, and a novel under its name is published.1

  3. Found

    Its founder is named. By then people are paying 2,000 dollars to be featured.1

What people misrememberSet straight

Commonly remembered asIt started on Instagram.

ActuallyIt started as a hashtag and a Tumblr blog. Its own Instagram account came two years later.1

Why it is here: something the internet still knows by name · it got out of its own corner of the internet fast · still being watched and quoted years later

Where it came fromWhat we know

This spread through many posts rather than one identifiable original. No copy is held here — what it was, when it spread and what people called it is what this page can tell you.

Nothing here is claimed to be the first version of this. It spread through many posts rather than from one identifiable original.

Not established. This index only names a creator where the evidence supports it.

More from 2012You were there

More from the social eraMore of the archive

SourcesWhat was read

  1. Wikipedia — Rich Kids of the Internet

Sources last read on . That date is about the history on this page. Whether the media still plays is checked separately and can change any day. How ViralWorld documents things

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