Influencers are being blamed for a rise in shark attacks

Influencers get a lot of stick these days. The latest thing they’re being blamed for: shark attacks.

Scientists have noted a recent rise in shark attacks, and according to new research published in the journal Frontiers in Conservation Science, of the 74 recorded bites in the seas around French Polynesia, 5% were assessed as acts of self-defense.

Professor Eric Clua of PSL University in France, who led the research, holds social media responsible. “I don’t encourage, as many influencers do on social networks...