First there were the Rich Kids of Instagram, and now the
privileged youth have taken their shameless oversharing to another popular app
- Snapchat.
Launched by a 17-year-old boy from the UK, Rich Kids of Snapchat is a Facebook page offering a glimpse into the luxurious lifestyles of a group of teens and 20-somethings.
The pictures on the site are of sports cars, private jets, luxury goods and lavish homes, all with captions revealing the kids' nonchalant attitude to money.
Launched by a 17-year-old boy from the UK, Rich Kids of Snapchat is a Facebook page offering a glimpse into the luxurious lifestyles of a group of teens and 20-somethings.
The pictures on the site are of sports cars, private jets, luxury goods and lavish homes, all with captions revealing the kids' nonchalant attitude to money.
The page was started by an anonymous teen who, according to his spokesperson, began trading equities and commodities at the age of 12, and now is enormously wealthy.
He invites people to add his handle, RIchKidSnaps, on Snapchat so that he can send them pictures from his own lavish lifestyle, and he also accepts snaps from the equally rich, which then go on his Facebook and Instagram pages.
To get their pictures online, people send their snaps to the RichKidSnaps. The manager of the account then filters through them and posts the best ones on the internet.
Some of the images make fun of the less wealthy, referring to them as 'peasants'. One such snap shows a person drawing the Chanel logo onto a pair of well-worn espadrilles. 'How scholarship kids fit in,' reads the caption
In another picture, a Louis Vuitton shoe bag is stuck onto
the ceiling, covering a smoke alarm. The caption says: 'How to smoke safely in
your dorm'.
A number of the photos show just how expendable pricy products are to these youths. An iPhone, for instance, is used to stabilize a chair with uneven legs, and an iPad is used to slice a chocolate cake.
Rich Kids of Snapchat was launched in the UK last fall, catering to boarding school and university students with a penchant for compulsive spending.
Now, after infiltrating the UK private school system and amassing nearly 250,000 'likes', the account apparently has set its sights on the U.S., starting with the students at University of Southern California in Los Angeles.
According to the Daily Trojan, Rich Kids recently sent out a message on Snapchat claiming they were coming to the private university in the fall, and the news was not taken very well.
'This could be a potential black mark for the university,' says student writer Charlotte Chang.
Charlotte goes onto to explain that the school has recently been trying to distance itself from its reputation of being the 'University of Spoiled Children'.
A number of the photos show just how expendable pricy products are to these youths. An iPhone, for instance, is used to stabilize a chair with uneven legs, and an iPad is used to slice a chocolate cake.
Rich Kids of Snapchat was launched in the UK last fall, catering to boarding school and university students with a penchant for compulsive spending.
Now, after infiltrating the UK private school system and amassing nearly 250,000 'likes', the account apparently has set its sights on the U.S., starting with the students at University of Southern California in Los Angeles.
According to the Daily Trojan, Rich Kids recently sent out a message on Snapchat claiming they were coming to the private university in the fall, and the news was not taken very well.
'This could be a potential black mark for the university,' says student writer Charlotte Chang.
Charlotte goes onto to explain that the school has recently been trying to distance itself from its reputation of being the 'University of Spoiled Children'.
She concludes the piece: 'The blow-up of this Rich Kids
phenomenon is not only an indication of growing materialism, but also a rise in
hypocrisy in society's standard ethical values.'
A representative for Rich Kids has denied that there are any plans to come to California.
Nevertheless, our fascination with how the other half lives is undeniable. In 2012, a Tumblr page called Rich Kids of Instagram took the internet by storm.
The page even inspired a reality TV show called Rich Kids of Beverly Hills, starring five of the uber-wealthy 20-somethings who gained notoriety from shamelessly flaunting their luxury lifestyles.The E! show is returning for a second season on August 3.
Today, in response to criticism he has faced, the Rich Kids of Snapchat founder wrote a post defending the Facebook page.
'It is important to note that I would never, ever, judge someone based on their wealth,' he stated. 'I created this page for entertainment purposes only. I meant no offence whatsoever.'
A representative for Rich Kids has denied that there are any plans to come to California.
Nevertheless, our fascination with how the other half lives is undeniable. In 2012, a Tumblr page called Rich Kids of Instagram took the internet by storm.
The page even inspired a reality TV show called Rich Kids of Beverly Hills, starring five of the uber-wealthy 20-somethings who gained notoriety from shamelessly flaunting their luxury lifestyles.The E! show is returning for a second season on August 3.
Today, in response to criticism he has faced, the Rich Kids of Snapchat founder wrote a post defending the Facebook page.
'It is important to note that I would never, ever, judge someone based on their wealth,' he stated. 'I created this page for entertainment purposes only. I meant no offence whatsoever.'
He added: 'My Snapchat's sole purpose is to inspire other
young people to go out and achieve what they want to achieve. I show my extreme
lifestyle so that people can see that even me: someone who isn't especially
intelligent, and started with only £500 (when I was 12, I am now 17) is able to
achieve great things.'
He also wrote in an email to BuzzFeed that despite appearances, he is generous with his money, too.
'Understandably it upsets people that I am spending money on unnecessary things, and more importantly bragging about it,' reads the email.
'However I donate over 80% of my income to charity. In fact my bank automatically sends 80% of any payment going into my account directly to my charity holding account, which then gets distributed to around 100 charities of my choose at the end of every month.'
He also wrote in an email to BuzzFeed that despite appearances, he is generous with his money, too.
'Understandably it upsets people that I am spending money on unnecessary things, and more importantly bragging about it,' reads the email.
'However I donate over 80% of my income to charity. In fact my bank automatically sends 80% of any payment going into my account directly to my charity holding account, which then gets distributed to around 100 charities of my choose at the end of every month.'
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