Today I’m going to talk about something very controversial, something that is getting a lot of run on social media. And that, my friends, is the #narcos of Mexico and their relentless pushing of their lavish lifestyles on social media.
All Eyes on the “Narco Lifestyle” Thanks to Social Media
When I read about the crazy social media battle going on in Mexico in the DailyMail, I had mixed emotions. In all honesty, one side of me loves to be entertained by the lavish lifestyle featuring scantily clad beautiful women, rare animals, and gold plated guns. It’s intriguing to see just how far some people have made it financially in life to be able to have luxuries some people only see in movies based on fiction.
My favorite photo from the Daily Mail story.
The parenting side of me has a bit of outrage at how a lifestyle that’s obviously frowned upon is becoming a trending topic thanks in part to social media.
While it’s not a proven fact, the social media account that is glamorizing the Cartel member’s lifestyle is thought to be the children of “El Chapo” Guzman.
If you want to do some searching for just how virall this lifestyle has gone, simply search for #narcostyle, or simply #narcos. You’ll find plenty of content to keep yourself busy that will range from people praising their financial success to many comments of dissent and expressing hatred.
In the social media circuit, there really is no stopping the spreading of photos that highlight the perks of the narco lifestyle. When a gold plated AK-47 is photographed inside a Ferrari, it’s something we just don’t see every day. “Likes, retweets, and shares,” happen instantaneously.
One photo even shows famous American icon Paris Hilton among the fold with El Chapo’s son Joaquin.
But it doesn’t stop there. There are many photos of well-equipped known associates showing off the most powerful weapons known to man., even more powerful than arms owned by the Mexican military. Criminal activity such as shot up police vehicles are also posted on social media.
In the United States, imagine all the comments professional athletes on social media would get if they started highlighting their lives. Sure, there are men out there who post photos of their celebrity girlfriends, their yachts, cars, and other material items, but guns and police violence have never entered the fray.
To put the magnitude of this in perspective, imagine the public reaction if a well paid lawyer, fresh off a controversial victory in the court room, were to post celebratory photos of himself with similar signs of wealth?
Whether you enjoy the glamorizing of the narco lifestyle, or are disgusted by it, this is certainly one time in our society where social media is NOT helping the situation. Instead, it’s giving further life to the operations and acting as a free recruiting board to any narco organization looking for supporters.