Music videos

Couple Dodges Concert Camera, Sparks Online Speculation and Company Investigation

Internet sleuths have identified a U.S.-based company’s chief executive officer and chief people officer as the couple who conspicuously avoided being filmed at a recent concert. While a spokesman for the company declined to confirm their identities, he stated that a circulating statement attributed to the CEO was a “fake from a clearly labeled parody account.” The company has as launched an investigation into the incident, though it has not publicly named the employees involved.

The woman has not responded to requests for comment on LinkedIn. The man’s LinkedIn profile appears to have been deactivated, and other attempts to contact him have been unsuccessful. A representative for the band Coldplay offered no comment on the matter.

Concert venues frequently enough display signs informing attendees that they might potentially be filmed, a common practice for bands using performances in music videos or concert films.Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, where the event took place, has a privacy policy stating that images, voice, and likeness might potentially be captured through CCTV or filming in public areas.

The video of the couple avoiding the camera quickly gained traction on social media, fueling widespread speculation about their reasons. Public reaction ranged from empathy for the couple and their families to snarky commentary and numerous memes. The fabricated CEO statement, in particular, generated notable backlash, reportedly leading to the disabling of the CEO’s LinkedIn account due to an influx of comments.

Mary Angela Bock, an associate professor at the University of Texas at Austin’s School of journalism and Media, commented on the ease with which individuals can be identified and tracked online. She noted the shift of the internet from a space for interaction to a “gigantic surveillance system,” where social media platforms track users in exchange for entertainment.

AP Buisness Writer Wyatte grantham-Philips contributed to this report from New York.