Published on
Updated
Reading 3 mins.
Dylan Thiry, a reality TV candidate accustomed to product placements, caused an uproar on the web on November 10. In a Snapchat video, the young man extolled the merits of “miracle capsules” capable of curing cancer, without any ethics or medical skills.
A “promo code” to buy capsules online that “cure” cancer”? You read correctly. This is not a parody, but the umpteenth slippage of an influencer earning his living through product placements. If the announcement was quickly withdrawn by its author, in the face of the scandal caused, reactions from outraged Internet users are now looping on social networks.
An ad deemed stupid and irresponsible
Dylan Thiry, a former candidate for Koh Lantagone through shows like The Villa of Broken Heartsand The Princes and Princesses of Love, has nothing to do with a health professional. On the other hand, he collects controversial outings. Thursday, November 10, he publishes a new Snapchat video, in the direction of his community, about capsules capable of curing “cancer cells” (sic).
“I’m going to tell you something that’s crazy, I promise I’m telling you the truth, it’s mind-blowing. Unicity, they have a uh… They have something that cures, uh… cancer cells. It is not sold in France or in Europe because it is prohibited. They don’t want! It’s much more interesting for them that you go to the hospital and pay a blind“, he adds before providing a link to a site and “offering” a promo code to his subscribers.
The announcement does not fail to shock as soon as it is released, Internet users criticizing the lack of ethics and medical skills of the influencer, for whom the lure of profit justifies everything, including doing it on the backs of people. sick. Quickly removed from the networks, the video was however recorded by other Internet users and continues to be decried. Dylan Thiry, on the other hand, has not made any comments or apologized to date.
Soon a law to frame these excesses?
The matter is more serious than a naive exit from a beauty influencer: in a few seconds, the video touches both the field of misleading commercial advertising, but also that of health and disease.
This is undoubtedly why the case has challenged the political world: the ecologist deputy Aurélien Taché, who criticized the publication on his own Twitter account, announced his intention to condemn the excesses of influencers. Six days earlier, on November 4, the deputy announced that he had tabled a bill to remedy the excesses and the observation of increasingly frequent scams on social networks.
This bill also provides for
- The obligation to explicitly mention the advertising purpose of any content distributed online that would be of a “laudatory” nature with regard to a brand;
- The obligation for online platforms to set up a system for reporting content relating to prohibited, aggressive and misleading commercial practices;
- As well as the definition of a legal framework for the activity of influencer agent.
“If my law is passed, tomorrow Dylan will have to answer!”writes the deputy in response to the problematic video.
“Public speaking around health has become a veritable jungle”
This is not the first time that influencers who are adept at product placement have made statements that are dangerous to health. In September 2021, Maeva Ghennam caused a scandal by promoting cosmetic surgery of the vagina. Last June, it was influencer Greg Yega who advocated the use of Nivea cream to get a beautiful tan despite the health risks for the skin.
“Irresponsible comments on which the College of Physicians and health authorities should have their say” adds Doctor Gérald Kierzek, medical director of Doctissimo. “Public speaking around health has become a veritable jungle in which it is difficult to find one’s way. Without falling into a form of censorship, it is becoming urgent to regulate the sector. At Doctissimo, for example, our articles are written by specialized journalists with the support of a committee of more than 50 experts”.