4 ms·

What a strange world. Whatever about the cake shop, being an aspiring "micro-influencer" sounds awful.

• btrask 6y ago
  Yeah, really. I don't think young people are really doing this for free food, I think the main reason is that they want to feel appreciated and treated well for once in their lives. Edit to add: Walking into a store and asking for free stuff because you're So Important is a power trip. It's a small chance to act like a celebrity. But just think of all the kids pinning their hopes on the slim chance of being Influencers because they don't have more promising opportunities. It's sad.
  • thinkingemote 6y ago
    > they want to feel appreciated and treated well for once in their lives. If being internet famous is the same as being irl famous, then you would probably have to say the same about actors, TV presenters , musicians, street performers, radio djs etc. I don't think it's a cry.
    • btrask 6y ago
      If someone pretended to be a famous actor (etc) in public, I would say they probably weren't very happy with their own life. Somehow with influencers, this has actually become a "trend." I think it ties in with Instagram travel posts, hiring grounded private jets for 10 minutes to take selfies in, etc. For Gen-Y/Z, it's like you have to pretend to be rich and famous, or else you're nothing. And from the other end, their parents see them as daycare units while they go about their jobs. There's no on-ramp to society anymore, just fake it til you make it. How is a young person who isn't in tech or finance supposed to be appreciated these days? I'll tell you how: they offer to advertise for local businesses to their friends ("followers"). There isn't even a major war for them to die in.
• MrDresden 6y ago
  It honestly scares me to hear my nieces and nephews, all around the 10 year old mark, talking about aspiring for internet fame more (and in some cases exclusively) than any other actual profession or healthy aspiration. And the education and affluency of the family has no bearing on this, which scares me even more. That this need for wide audience social acceptance is so ingrained in humans that no matter the nurturing environment that the kids grow up in, they will still heavily latch onto this as anything worth aspiring for. Obviously they will not all (or even any) attempt to go this route when they grow up, yet I can't help wonder if this is closing off some part of their minds to all the other paths in life which wont get them direct public audience appreciation.
  • wgerard 6y ago
    > It honestly scares me to hear my nieces and nephews, all around the 10 year old mark, talking about aspiring for internet fame more (and in some cases exclusively) than any other actual profession or healthy aspiration. Er, isn't this a common childhood cliche? Aspiring to be a pop/rock star, pro athlete, famous actor/actress, etc.? I guess I fail to see how this is meaningfully different from any of those things.
    • rurban 6y ago
      Except that the aspiring pro athlete is doing esports now. They are trying to get World of Warcraft or Fortnite pros. The meaningful difference is the changed morality. The main goal seems to be shifting. Before it was: principled, ethical, decent, proper, just, honorable, honest, good. The goal would be to serve your team as a principled, ethical, decent, proper, just, honorable, honest, good leader always raising the bar, first for yourself and then others. Now the main goals seem to be exploitation, spammy link building, dishonest marketing, the me-first principle.
      • StavrosK 6y ago
        I don't know many principled, ethical, decent, proper, just, honorable, honest, good rockstars.