4 ms·
I used to work in the social influencer space, and often attended conventions in which top influencers were treated like A-list movie stars by legions of (mostl
by bryananderson 9y ago
I used to work in the social influencer space, and often attended conventions in which top influencers were treated like A-list movie stars by legions of (mostly young) fans. The last few years, the Musical.ly kids were the ones causing all the crowd control nightmares.
One kid’s performance on a stage in the convention hall was canceled by security because the crowd was dangerously large and packed-in (as they all fought to get as close as possible).
Another kid caused a major stampede by walking through the public lobby of the convention center (something they were very much not supposed to do). Literally hundreds of fans ran after them, to the woe of anyone trying to walk through the lobby.
You and I have never heard of these kids, and we don’t understand the appeal, but this is a huge business. The engagement and brand loyalty that Musical.ly stars get is like nothing I’ve ever seen.
- noir_lord 9y agoI can believe it, my stepson is addicted to (what I think) are crappy YouTube channels. I guess I'm getting old.
- stuffedBelly 9y agoMeanwhile they think nowadays TV channels are boring and crappy, generation gap at its working :)
- stanleydrew 9y agoNot sure how much "traditional" TV you've watched recently, but they are very not wrong.
- smacktoward 9y agoAre you kidding? Television over the last 10-15 years has been in a golden age of scripted drama. There's still a lot of crap on the tube, but there's also more good stuff than there's been at any time in history.
- T2_t2 9y agoNot the "traditional" TV of free-to-air stations. That is all reality shows and pandering to the lowest denominator.
- smacktoward 9y agoYour definition of "traditional" TV is extremely traditional. A majority of US households had subscribed to cable TV as far back as 1990 (see https://www.ncta.com/cables-story https://www.ncta.com/cables-story). Cable penetration has fallen off in recent years as additional options (satellite, phone-company fiber, streaming) have proliferated, but it's been a long, long time since most Americans' universe of TV options were limited to the original "big three" broadcast networks.
- deleted 9y ago[deleted]
- rhizome 9y agoBut knowing that means you're 10-15 years behind the attention spans and tastes that new television (and mass media in general) caters to and is increasingly produced by. It's a, if not the, generational shift.
- cylinder 9y agoBut kids this age have always been crazy fans of pop stars. Now they're choosing their content and engaging more directly rather than having (often skeezy) middlemen such as agents, producers, music labels, etc manufacture and force stars onto them (and then keep most of the money for themselves)
- bartozone 9y agoI'm 100% sure that any of these influencers making money most definitely have agents, producers and most likely deals with record labels (or similar). The entertainment machine is way too powerful. The large agencies have entire departments dedicated to finding these influencers and boosting their visibility through deals/partnerships/etc. While the path to fame may be changing, or has changed, the people controlling them are, and will, continue to be the same.