Leticia Sardá, a 43-year-old former model from Tenerife, has been the centre of a viral search on the internet for the past four years. But according to the story she published, she had no idea New York Times.

This case demonstrates the power of online communities organizing to solve a mystery, as well as the unexpected effects of digital celebrity in the age of social media.

What happenedThousands of Reddit users have spent years trying to identify Leticia Sardá, seeing her photo on a piece of fabric where she appeared alongside celebrities like Adriana Lima and Orlando Bloom.

• The search began in 2020 when someone shared a photo of this fabric on Reddit and asked who these celebrities were.
• The identities of other celebrities featured in the film were soon established, but Sarda’s image remained an enigma.
• A subreddit dedicated to finding him has grown to 43,000 members.
• The search ended this month thanks to facial recognition technology and the confirmation of photographer Leandro Escorsell.

Voice of the heroIn an interview with . Show off FairLeticia said she was the first person to be surprised when she learned that 40,000 people were trying to identify her.

“I still can’t believe it… And without knowing anything, until two days ago I had no idea about all this. I’m still working on it because I said I didn’t even have time to research it. On Santa Claus In Cruz de Tenerife, where I live, two people stopped me on the street and offered to take my social networks. I was leaving work and I had slippers, shorts and a bad bun on, so I told them I’m not prepared for this.”

contextSardá has been completely out of the modeling world since 2009, but until then had a career in the industry working for brands such as Burberry and L’Oreal.

The photo that sparked the search came from a Woman magazine editorial in 2006. By her own admission, it wasn’t even her best photo in the study, but it sparked the fire.

And now whatSardá works in the hospitality industry in Santa Cruz de Tenerife and is still trying to digest her sudden fame.

It’s a fascinating example of how the internet can propel a virtually anonymous individual into the global spotlight. Along the way, I’ll also explain how facial recognition technology challenges our understanding of privacy.

Featured image | Leticia Sarda on Instagram

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