Fake News, How a coffee-loving construction worker who became an internet sensation…

If it seems too good to be real, it probably is. That old adage seems particularly sound in our era of social media and oversharing. For a brief window earlier this year, a construction worker in the U.S. became an internet sensation for mocking “influencer” culture. A Tweet purportedly from the man’s daughter said, “My dad asked me what an influencer was, and after I explained he said, ‘Pssh, I could do that.’ Well…he did.”

The post featured images of a man in a hard hat, work gloves, and a hi-vis vest sipping coffee, riding and e-bike, and in other influencer-style poses. Almost as quickly as the thread became an internet sensation it was revealed that the post was a fake: it was actually a marketing stunt for an Austin, Texas-based coffee shop.