The deadly cost of influencer fame: How criminal glorification fuels violence

Global Watch | 2025-10-14

In the glittering world of social media influencers, where luxury cars, designer clothes and extravagant lifestyles dominate feeds, a darker reality lurks beneath the surface.

Between 2017 and 2025, there have been a wave murders of influencers in Mexico, according to investigations by Univision and the Latin Times.

These killings, concentrated in states like Sinaloa, Jalisco and Baja California, reveal the deadly consequences of glorifying or associating with criminal lifestyles.

Social media platforms, particularly TikTok, have become fertile ground for criminal organizations to recruit and glorify their activities.

A study published in April by El Colegio de México's Seminario sobre Violencia y Paz documented over 100 active TikTok accounts linked to recruitment, propaganda and illicit activities.

Using hashtags, emojis, viral music and flashy visuals, groups like the Cártel Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG) and the Cártel de Sinaloa lure young people into their ranks.

These accounts often portray the criminal lifestyle as glamorous, offering promises of wealth, power and belonging. Videos feature luxury cars, armed individuals and narco-praising songs that glorify cartel leaders and their exploits.

For influencers seeking fame, aligning with this imagery can boost engagement -- but also make them targets in a world where loyalty and betrayal are matters of life and death.

Recruitment through social media

The study revealed systematic efforts by cartels to use TikTok as a recruitment tool. Accounts promoted fake job offers with promises of training, housing and high pay.

Emojis representing CJNG leader "El Mencho" and Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán's faction of the Sinaloa cartel served as coded symbols to identify criminal affiliations.

Women also were targeted, with accounts offering support to single mothers and students, presenting crime as a pathway to financial stability. These tactics exploit vulnerabilities, drawing young people into a cycle of violence and exploitation.

For influencers, the line between admiration and association with criminal groups is perilously thin.

Many of the murdered influencers had explicitly or implicitly aligned themselves with cartel imagery, whether through music, hashtags or visuals, before finding themselves caught in factional conflict. Their deaths highlight the risks of glorifying criminal lifestyles in a country where cartels wield immense power and violence is a tool of control.

The murders also underscore the broader societal impact of cartel propaganda. By normalizing violence and criminality, these online narratives erode social norms and make it easier for cartels to recruit and expand their influence.

The rise of cartel-linked content on social media demands urgent action. Platforms like TikTok must strengthen moderation to prevent the spread of criminal propaganda. At the same time, families, schools and communities must educate young people about the risks of engaging with such content.

For influencers, the allure of fame must be tempered by an understanding of the dangers that come with glorifying criminal lifestyles. The cost of such associations is not just personal. It is societal, as it perpetuates cycles of violence and exploitation.

The murders of influencers in Mexico serve as a dark reminder of the deadly cost of glorifying crime. Social media, while a powerful tool for self-expression, has also become a platform for cartels to recruit, manipulate and spread their influence.

As the lines between entertainment and criminal glorification blur, the responsibility to push back against these narratives falls on individuals, communities and platforms alike. Fame should not come at the price of safety or the normalization of violence.