For the majority of 2018, Instagram call-out page Bloggers Unveiled has been the online watch dog for influencers involved in shady practices.
Gaining over 130,000 followers during that time, Bloggers Unveiled carved out a space online as 'Ireland's Gossip Girl,' as she continued to reveal insider information and identify issues within the influencer industry.
This morning, followers of the page were dismayed to find that the Bloggers Unveiled account on Instagram no longer exists.
The page was a sounding board where followers of bloggers would give their two cents without being blocked.
Because of the freedom of thought expressed on the page by it's followers and owner, it was often accused by bloggers as being a 'hate campaign' or 'bullying' or generally inciting nastiness towards people in the industry.
Despite months of being online, the question has always remained – who is Bloggers Unveiled?
Many people seem to think that it is a journalist, due to her insider knowledge and the fact that she uploaded a story from a journalists table at Friday's VIP Style Awards. In fact, journalists sitting at that table were hounded after the story went up, as people quizzed them on whether or not they we were Bloggers Unveiled.
However, BU uploaded a new story yesterday saying that she categorically is not a journalist.
People also speculate that she is in PR, and was sick of the underhanded tactics used by some bloggers (some, not all).
Some speculate that she is an influencer herself, who felt she could no longer stand idly by and not comment on what she saw occurring in the industry.
Regardless, the page is now deactivated, and I'm left wondering – could it be because her anonymity was jeopardised?
Many bloggers were hurt by the page, so it's not unfeasible to consider that perhaps someone has been making notes on the page which ultimately added up to a guess at who it is, and if that guess was right, perhaps that was enough to scare BU into deleting the page. After all, if they do work in the industry, they probably don't want their personal or professional reputations marred by being outed as the owner of the page.
I think that everyone probably has a short list in their mind as to who they think Bloggers Unveiled is, and many people have been accused of being behind the page, myself included.
While the general consensus is that it is someone within the industry – making the pool of potential candidates smaller- others believe that it's all a smoke screen, and isn't someone who works in media at all.
'I don’t believe for a second that BU was at the Image or VIP Awards,' Dani Mahoney, Editor of Missy.ie said on Twitter.
'They are events for a certain group of people, mainly those nominated. It’s not really the type of thing that just anyone would go it. Even people in the industry are kinda not bothered to go.'
'The images and videos from the awards were really bad quality. Which leads me to believe that they were screen grabs of other people’s snaps.'
If Bloggers Unveiled actually wasn't at either of these events, then it's much less likely that someone could have guessed who they are.
The other conspiracy is simple – perhaps Bloggers Unveiled just got sick of running the page, much like Bullshitcallerouter before her.
Running a massive internet forum with over 130,000 followers is essentially a full time job, and perhaps BU felt that her job was done, she had kicked up enough fuss and drawn enough attention to the industry issues to retire – safe in the knowledge that the conversation would continue without her.
The other option is that maybe, after months of her page being reported by bloggers, Instagram could have taken the whole thing down.
If Bloggers Unveiled is gone for good, we're certain another page will spring up in her place, after all it's clear that people want an outlet to vent their frustration at the influencer industry.
However, I'm inclined to feel that she will be back, perhaps unveiling herself in the process of her return.
Bloggers Unveiled has been contacted for comment on her absence.
Feature image: Instagram / / debarradesign
