Cutting Edge: Rich Kids of Instagram, Channel 4 - TV review: Too many subjects and not enough depth

Those who agreed to this documentary were more concerned with having followers than real friends

The Rich Kids of Instagram (Channel 4)

From the camer-shy to a species that lives its life through a filtered lens: the Instafamous. You might remember coverage of The Rich Kids of Instagram in the press a few years back. They were the children of the super-wealthy one per cent who documented their lives of private jets, gin palaces and Rolexes on the photo-sharing site.

Since then, Instagram has spawned an online tribe for whom where they're seen, what they own and how they style it is the currency that counts. Going on this bleak documentary, that includes posing in a bath with wads of cash, surrounding yourself with bikini-clad strangers and bottles of champers on yachts and arranging pie and mash on the bonnet of a Rolls-Royce (that was “keeping it real”, apparently).

Given that most of the subjects admitted they were trolled by “haters” on a daily basis, it was hard to see why anyone would want to go on the programme. All who agreed seemed to have a motive that producers tried to disguise: promoting jewellery ranges and their personal “brands”. None appeared to have any mates.

Entrepreneur Evan Luthra (120,000 followers), relied on strangers to populate his yacht and his snaps. Another got so nervous preparing to meet his real-life idol (Miss Universe) that he kept having to mop his sweaty brow. There were too many subjects and not enough depth. It felt like we weren't getting the whole story, just like in their Insta feeds, really.