11 ms·

Anyone with more knowledge know how much of this is BS? She has 60k followers on Instagram which (even if all real) isn't that much. Certainly not anywhere big

Anyone with more knowledge know how much of this is BS? She has 60k followers on Instagram which (even if all real) isn't that much. Certainly not anywhere big enough to make 800k a year that the creator claims he plans on making. They say they have 100 sponsorships but this seems like a marketing statement...influencers all the time talk about how popular they are and I don't see why we should trust the creator of AI influencer more. I don't see any major brands on her Instagram though I'm not South Korean so maybe I'm missing something - but more likely explanation seems to be that he has partnered with a few companies for a pittance and is overhyping his creation to get more money in.

sanxiyn 5y ago
South Korean here. Shinhan Life ran a TV commercial of Rozy. It's not BS.
- seoulmetro 5y ago
  If you were South Korean, you'd realise how much the marketing sphere of Korea is influenced by passing fads and memes. There's never a single thing that hasn't been picked up by at least one larger person to try run their luck at a new trend. TV commercial does not make it not BS. There are lots of things in Korea that are utter BS but get a lot of attention, and people are generally fearful of missing out.
  - sanxiyn 5y ago
    WTF if you were South Korean? I was born in South Korea and lived here for 35 years. I am saying creators are probably not lying when they project $800k yearly revenue. Yes, you can earn $800k in South Korea entirely by fads, but that was not the question.
    - seoulmetro 5y ago
      Yes. You're the one bringing up the fact that you're South Korean for some reason. I'm rebutting your comment with more information that actually suits Korea. I know what you're saying, I'm not sure what being Korean has to do with that. And no, no one said you could not earn money in Korea through fads. What does that have to do with what I wrote? I'm saying they are most definitely capable of lying, especially in cases where lying grants you a huge boost to future results. Are you replying to the right comment here?
      - sanxiyn 5y ago
        handmodel mentioned "I'm not South Korean", that's why I mentioned it. That's all.
        seoulmetro 5y ago
        Yes. You mentioned that you were South Korean, so I mentioned it. That's all. So I don't quite understand what warrants a WTF. I backed up why I disagree that a single spark determines whether it's not BS. I assumed, being in Korea for so long, it'd be a given first thing to bring up when someone asks if hype is actually genuine. So I brought it up. Every fad with even the slightest traction will be overvalued more in Korea, and it will also fall out of favour much faster too. The cycle is very much filled with BS that hasn't started to stink yet. You should see the investment funded startup scene in Korea. It's very close to throwing anything at the wall and waiting for the one that sticks. Which is a shame given how technologically empowered Koreans are. I'm still unsure why it made anyone upset. But then again, this is the internet. p.s: Post is rate limited now, so there was a delay in this reply.
        robocat 5y ago
        FYI perhaps your misunderstanding of the WTF is because you didn't realise what you said in English? "If you were South Korean" is exactly saying "You are not South Korean", which sanxiyn rightly took offense to. As a native English speaker from the colonies, I have zero idea whether "If you were" in this usage is the subjunctive, or if it is a conditional clause, or something else. Maybe I need to take an ESOL course to learn English grammar.
        seoulmetro 5y ago
        No. It is exactly what it is written as. "If you were at the beach, you would have seen the shark." It's not saying you were there or not, it's saying that you probably should maintain knowledge of the following clause. I suppose it could also mean you were not there. But not always. I can see why they'd get upset if I was assuming they're not Korean. But that's not what I said or meant. It would be considered directly saying that if I were to say "You can't be Korean because ____" or "You would be Korean if you ______".
- esjeon 5y ago
  She does make money, but that's not the only part of the equation. Rather, people are becoming more and more annoyed by the repeating news articles trying to hype this thing. Also, young people around me gives absolute-zero-f** about this thing. I should put it this way: boomers don't realize that influencer marketing is the most boomer thing to do these days.
  - ihatethissite 5y ago
    I don't agree with you. I have seen it first hand. Girls find makeup artists they like on youtube that do looks they like and then they follow their recommendations. There are so many options out there. How do you choose? Follow the advice of an influencer. It repeats across the entire market, across all demographics. Building a relationship and then leveraging it. Doing (buying, in this case) something based on the recommendation of another person is basic human behavior. I don't think you should write it off as a boomer thing so easily.
    - esjeon 5y ago
      > There are so many options out there. How do you choose? Follow the advice of an influencer. That's the boomer perspective that I wanted to point out. Where's the internet in this flow? Where's the community? Where's google? I know the above statement is simplified, but what matter is the linking logic, which can be radically different b/w generations. One thing boomers don't recognize is that, unlike the celebrities from the last generation, influencers are contributors, not rulers or leaders. They make practical contributions to their communities, and, in return, they earn trust, which then can be utilized for monetization. It's not like someone great bam comes in and become a star (which is the exact strategy of this artificial influencer. So boomer, eh?) Also it's worth noting that the internet community is that it offers more information and raw data than the sum of influencers can ever offer. Follow the recommendation of an influencer? Pf, it's just mere a drop in the vast ocean. A proper digital-literate - and MZs are the first digital native generation - will search other sources, cross check the information, and, naturally, expand it even further. As more effort goes in to these steps, the significance of influencers drops rapidly. So, I want to say that the influencer marketing can't be a key strategy these days. Rather, it's just an element in the usual advertisement campaign. The most critical part is the community engagement.
deleted 5y ago
[deleted]
seoulmetro 5y ago
It's all BS. "Influencing" is a ponzy scheme. If you can convince people you are trending, you'll trend. If you can convince people you are influencing, you'll influence. Sadly, like all trends, the biggest players are all big fish trying to get in before it dies. This doesn't legitimise it though. This is just an art project that is trending. They're real photos, with real girls and then the creator will place a flavour (ala thispersondoesnotexist.com) through the use of AI. It's akin to automating your photoshop meme pipeline, but way less creative. It's marketing all the way down. Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, etc. are all just marketing spirals that occasionally spit out unique content that was made with real hard work. The rest is just cycling through other people's work with faux congrats and advertising for your own "channel".
- notanzaiiswear 5y ago
  I think you use a different definition of bullshit than the discussion here.
  - seoulmetro 5y ago
    I'll never know. My definition of bullshit follows every definition of the people I've ever discussed with though. That is: Something that does not actually have substance, but may be propped up to be perceived as so.
    - mmahemoff 5y ago
      OP wasn't making any value judgement like this. They were simply questioning if there is actually a story here. The media tends to notice little phenomena like this and paint them as if it's a cultural megatrend.
      - howaboutnope 5y ago
        Even then, the misunderstanding is in reading the question "is this story BS?" as "is influencing BS?", not in the definition of bullshit.
ravel-bar-foo 5y ago
Shinhan (mentioned in the article) is a pretty big financial conglomerate. Twosome Place (in the second picture) is a well-known luxury coffee chain. Financial chains in South Korea do not usually do influencer marketing. I would guess that the companies are buying not because of the influencer's reach, but because of the novelty of AI and the quality of the art. Presumably their goal is using the character and derived artwork in more traditional advertisements. Edit: sanxyin confims that Shinhan used the character in a TV ad. I don't watch TV, so I guess I missed it.
dncornholio 5y ago
I think I don't even believe she's AI generated.
tiborsaas 5y ago
60k followers isn't low either especially if it's organic. I have 976 posts and 343 followers :)
- handmodel 5y ago
  I suppose my point, knowing a few people with online followings, is that 60k followers does not translate to 800,000 marketing dollars as the article claims - or even 80k. Even if your had a really profitable niche (which she doesn't). That being said I see the AI was in TV ads (is this influencer based? or just actor?) so 800k is possible.
kjaftaedi 5y ago
"I looked around western social media and don't understand why I don't see what is popular in asia"

sanxiyn 5y ago

South Korean here. Shinhan Life ran a TV commercial of Rozy. It's not BS.

seoulmetro 5y ago
If you were South Korean, you'd realise how much the marketing sphere of Korea is influenced by passing fads and memes. There's never a single thing that hasn't been picked up by at least one larger person to try run their luck at a new trend. TV commercial does not make it not BS. There are lots of things in Korea that are utter BS but get a lot of attention, and people are generally fearful of missing out.
- sanxiyn 5y ago
  WTF if you were South Korean? I was born in South Korea and lived here for 35 years. I am saying creators are probably not lying when they project $800k yearly revenue. Yes, you can earn $800k in South Korea entirely by fads, but that was not the question.
  - seoulmetro 5y ago
    Yes. You're the one bringing up the fact that you're South Korean for some reason. I'm rebutting your comment with more information that actually suits Korea. I know what you're saying, I'm not sure what being Korean has to do with that. And no, no one said you could not earn money in Korea through fads. What does that have to do with what I wrote? I'm saying they are most definitely capable of lying, especially in cases where lying grants you a huge boost to future results. Are you replying to the right comment here?
    - sanxiyn 5y ago
      handmodel mentioned "I'm not South Korean", that's why I mentioned it. That's all.
      - seoulmetro 5y ago
        Yes. You mentioned that you were South Korean, so I mentioned it. That's all. So I don't quite understand what warrants a WTF. I backed up why I disagree that a single spark determines whether it's not BS. I assumed, being in Korea for so long, it'd be a given first thing to bring up when someone asks if hype is actually genuine. So I brought it up. Every fad with even the slightest traction will be overvalued more in Korea, and it will also fall out of favour much faster too. The cycle is very much filled with BS that hasn't started to stink yet. You should see the investment funded startup scene in Korea. It's very close to throwing anything at the wall and waiting for the one that sticks. Which is a shame given how technologically empowered Koreans are. I'm still unsure why it made anyone upset. But then again, this is the internet. p.s: Post is rate limited now, so there was a delay in this reply.
        robocat 5y ago
        FYI perhaps your misunderstanding of the WTF is because you didn't realise what you said in English? "If you were South Korean" is exactly saying "You are not South Korean", which sanxiyn rightly took offense to. As a native English speaker from the colonies, I have zero idea whether "If you were" in this usage is the subjunctive, or if it is a conditional clause, or something else. Maybe I need to take an ESOL course to learn English grammar.
        seoulmetro 5y ago
        No. It is exactly what it is written as. "If you were at the beach, you would have seen the shark." It's not saying you were there or not, it's saying that you probably should maintain knowledge of the following clause. I suppose it could also mean you were not there. But not always. I can see why they'd get upset if I was assuming they're not Korean. But that's not what I said or meant. It would be considered directly saying that if I were to say "You can't be Korean because ____" or "You would be Korean if you ______".
esjeon 5y ago
She does make money, but that's not the only part of the equation. Rather, people are becoming more and more annoyed by the repeating news articles trying to hype this thing. Also, young people around me gives absolute-zero-f** about this thing. I should put it this way: boomers don't realize that influencer marketing is the most boomer thing to do these days.
- ihatethissite 5y ago
  I don't agree with you. I have seen it first hand. Girls find makeup artists they like on youtube that do looks they like and then they follow their recommendations. There are so many options out there. How do you choose? Follow the advice of an influencer. It repeats across the entire market, across all demographics. Building a relationship and then leveraging it. Doing (buying, in this case) something based on the recommendation of another person is basic human behavior. I don't think you should write it off as a boomer thing so easily.
  - esjeon 5y ago
    > There are so many options out there. How do you choose? Follow the advice of an influencer. That's the boomer perspective that I wanted to point out. Where's the internet in this flow? Where's the community? Where's google? I know the above statement is simplified, but what matter is the linking logic, which can be radically different b/w generations. One thing boomers don't recognize is that, unlike the celebrities from the last generation, influencers are contributors, not rulers or leaders. They make practical contributions to their communities, and, in return, they earn trust, which then can be utilized for monetization. It's not like someone great bam comes in and become a star (which is the exact strategy of this artificial influencer. So boomer, eh?) Also it's worth noting that the internet community is that it offers more information and raw data than the sum of influencers can ever offer. Follow the recommendation of an influencer? Pf, it's just mere a drop in the vast ocean. A proper digital-literate - and MZs are the first digital native generation - will search other sources, cross check the information, and, naturally, expand it even further. As more effort goes in to these steps, the significance of influencers drops rapidly. So, I want to say that the influencer marketing can't be a key strategy these days. Rather, it's just an element in the usual advertisement campaign. The most critical part is the community engagement.

deleted 5y ago

[deleted]

seoulmetro 5y ago

It's all BS. "Influencing" is a ponzy scheme. If you can convince people you are trending, you'll trend. If you can convince people you are influencing, you'll influence. Sadly, like all trends, the biggest players are all big fish trying to get in before it dies. This doesn't legitimise it though. This is just an art project that is trending. They're real photos, with real girls and then the creator will place a flavour (ala thispersondoesnotexist.com) through the use of AI. It's akin to automating your photoshop meme pipeline, but way less creative. It's marketing all the way down. Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, etc. are all just marketing spirals that occasionally spit out unique content that was made with real hard work. The rest is just cycling through other people's work with faux congrats and advertising for your own "channel".

notanzaiiswear 5y ago
I think you use a different definition of bullshit than the discussion here.
- seoulmetro 5y ago
  I'll never know. My definition of bullshit follows every definition of the people I've ever discussed with though. That is: Something that does not actually have substance, but may be propped up to be perceived as so.
  - mmahemoff 5y ago
    OP wasn't making any value judgement like this. They were simply questioning if there is actually a story here. The media tends to notice little phenomena like this and paint them as if it's a cultural megatrend.
    - howaboutnope 5y ago
      Even then, the misunderstanding is in reading the question "is this story BS?" as "is influencing BS?", not in the definition of bullshit.

ravel-bar-foo 5y ago

Shinhan (mentioned in the article) is a pretty big financial conglomerate. Twosome Place (in the second picture) is a well-known luxury coffee chain. Financial chains in South Korea do not usually do influencer marketing. I would guess that the companies are buying not because of the influencer's reach, but because of the novelty of AI and the quality of the art. Presumably their goal is using the character and derived artwork in more traditional advertisements. Edit: sanxyin confims that Shinhan used the character in a TV ad. I don't watch TV, so I guess I missed it.

dncornholio 5y ago

I think I don't even believe she's AI generated.

tiborsaas 5y ago

60k followers isn't low either especially if it's organic. I have 976 posts and 343 followers :)

handmodel 5y ago
I suppose my point, knowing a few people with online followings, is that 60k followers does not translate to 800,000 marketing dollars as the article claims - or even 80k. Even if your had a really profitable niche (which she doesn't). That being said I see the AI was in TV ads (is this influencer based? or just actor?) so 800k is possible.

kjaftaedi 5y ago

"I looked around western social media and don't understand why I don't see what is popular in asia"