03 January 2023 , 17:34
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YouTube star KSI has been accused of "brainwashing" fans by model Leilani Dowling just days out from his return to the ring against Dillon Danis.
Fans were shocked when video emerged showing crushes in Aldi stores as KSI's new drink Prime was released on shelves last week. The Brit joined forces with his old rival Logan Paul last year to launch the beverage, which is constantly sold out across the UK within minutes of its release.
Usually, the drink is only stocked in Asda, but there was a limited release around the country in Aldi stores which drove fans into a frenzy. The brief, one-time release caused massive amounts of people to queue to get into shops across the UK, with videos emerging of fighting between customers desperate to get their hands on the drink.
And Dowling believes that KSI is "brainwashing" his impressionable audience, theorising during a GB News segment: “It shows how easily society can be manipulated to follow a crowd. These influencers told young kids that they should go out and get this energy drink and show it on their instagrams and their social media.
“To me, if there was ever going to be a zombie apocalypse, it doesn't have to be a bunch of dead people. It's these people who literally look mind controlled. So there's been a famine in there.
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"I think there's a wider consideration here and that's that adults like us look at our leaders, our politicians, our policy makers, but young people are looking at pop culture, music, sport and social media and that's where they're seeing this influence."
KSI was generally flippant of the Aldi release, but has previously insisted that the brand are not artificially increasing demand by deliberately providing less stock. He told fans in a tweet last year "We’re not even trying to do that. We’re making loads of prime daily, the demand is literally too high man."
YouTube mega stars KSI and Logan Paul have driven fans wild with their new drink (INSTAGRAM)
But model Leilani Dowling is concerned about the impact they're having on their audience (Getty Images)What do you make of the demand for KSI's Prime drink? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!
But Dowing believes that this sort of demand for a product released by two influencers is dangerous, adding: "They're seeing this, like, social contagion that's going on in this consumerism hypnosis that they're under. It's very scary to me that a young population can be controlled in such a manner.
“I don't think we need proper scientists behind this because it's so simple. These aren't children, these are adults. These are sheep following a social trend. How do we break people free of this mentality? This is what's worrying. I don't know how we do, because I keep saying to myself, people are going to wake up, they're going to see what's happening."
KSI generally hasn't been paying as much attention to Prime lately as he continues training towards his fight with Danis, set to take place next week at the OVO Arena in Wembley. It will be his third fight back after returning from a three-year lay-off in August and a noted step-up from his gimmicky 'two fights in one night' event.