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Internet itself isn't the problem. You could organize all of those IRL get-togethers using email. Influencer culture isn't a problem that effects email. Si
by robonerd 4y ago
Internet itself isn't the problem. You could organize all of those IRL get-togethers using email. Influencer culture isn't a problem that effects email. Similarly, you can use discord, zoom, skype, IRC, SMS... all of these are broadly free of influencer culture.
Influencer culture is something that emerges on a particular sort of internet communication; mostly on the commercial platforms that specialize in asymmetric communication (where a few people produce and the majority consume.) To keep the consuming majority engaged, these platforms constantly recommend they follow the producing minority. Influencer culture is an inevitable consequence of this dynamic.
- munificent 4y agoGood observation! I suspect that we ourselves are partially to blame here. Influencer culture isn't a problem on email, IRC, etc. because when we use those we expect ourselves to be active participants. We take for granted that we have to show up and provide something of interest to the others in the forum. But when we go on Twitter, YouTube, etc. we expect to just mindlessly consume content without giving anything back. That creates an attentional vacuum where everyone wants to consume and no one wants to produce. Influencers fill that vacuum because no one else does. In other words, email is like a potluck dinner and we would feel rude walking in without a dish. Other asymmetric social media is like a free picnic where everyone shows up empty handed and ends up eating from the giant tub of fries that McDonald's brought as a marketing campaign because, well, what else is there? So maybe the trick is to avoid communities that you don't contribute to.