Technically, no one, I suppose. But I think of it as a scam when they post nothing but positive statements about everything Disney is doing and in return they get all sorts of free things. It's so stupidly simple that I wish I could lie to myself each day and sleep soundly at night if I were to do the same.
1. "Consumers" of their published content. People know that the Disney Parks Blog and other official Disney media are going to be absolutely pro-Disney so they seek the opinions of third parties. These "independent" bloggers and such write reviews with the veneer of objectivity and impartiality when, in reality, they're just as likely to spin the "company line" as the official outlets are.
See above. There's a difference between a career and extortion. Kingdom Konsultants, the administrators of this site, the folks behind The Unofficial Guide and others have used their love of Disney to make money. Threatening Disney with bad press if you don't get what you want doesn't feel quite as legitimate to me.
I never knew they were there to complain about until now. Looking back on ig, it's obvious I'm following a couple. I also didn't know the "other side" of some lifestylers, being mean and acting "entitled". if it helps them sleep at night, whatever. I'm just kinda blown away some people seem to make it their driving force in life, but, then, love is a powerful and dangerous drug. And I think we all Love disney. I just think how we feel disney should reciprocate that love back to each of us is different...I guess.
How strangely will the tools of a tyrant pervert the plain meaning of words.
And yet all of those positive views and opinions could be based on the freebies, instead of being objective and unbiased....
The numbers just are not there for it to be a profitable enterprise for all but a few. It's more the people who change careers, take less pay and move to Orlando solely to be near Walt Disney World. It's the fan "dream" that the lifestyle blogs tend to encourage but is not really a wise choice. Like actual other addictions, Walt Disney World is being used as a high, an "escape," that will burn out.If you really enjoy the brand and the experience and you are meaningfully connecting it to your life (such as professionally, career track-wise like running a site like this, a travel agent or working for the company), then all the more power to you! That is following your passion/dream - few people get to live their passion.
Now... If you're spending Mommy & Daddy's $ "living" in the parks when you should be working or in college and instead living in their basement blogging to get "free stuff," by posting drivel - such as (examples I've seen floating around WDW FB groups and IG):
- Endless selfies around WDW.
- Your 1,000th stalker-qualifying visit to (insert WDW character-hottie here). Seriously, you must be creeping out "the friends" by now.
- Your 1-millionth "kooky n quirky" pose of the Trolley cast (I followed an IG WDW photog account recently because I wanted to see the Dapper Day fashions - those Trolley pics ate up my IG newsfeed!).
- The "hidden Mickey-poo" that someone left in the toilet in the new NFL bathroom. Ewww.
That's not providing a service to anyone and it's sad that you want to be a celebrity because of it.
Then you sound like a stand-up fellow, but, sadly, not everyone is. People being pro-Disney on social media seems perfectly reasonable to me. The problems arise from being pro-Disney on social media coupled with the exploitation of your* status on social media to manipulate Disney into treating you in a way outside of the scope of the experience that can or should be reasonably experienced by the average guest.
