6 ms·

Perpetuating hollowness, disingenuousness, and products people don’t need. The future is bleak.

jwilber 4y ago
Maybe the current bleak situation of expensive education, unaffordable housing, medical debt, etc. is pushing many in gen z to go for what they see (whether it’s true or not) as their only option?
zbird 4y ago
Not to mention all of the surveillance/targeted advertising that happens on these platforms while the "influencers" are busy influencing each other.
jrumbut 4y ago
I don't know that it's any bleaker than being an actor, musician, athlete, or any other type of entertainer. It perhaps involves more skills since they might their own sets, photography, cosmetics, scripts, etc plus I think it's easier to achieve a little success compared to trying to make it into the movies. You can generate a following and make a little money to supplement your day job. Not a bad idea and it shows an entrepreneurial spirit.
- belugacat 4y ago
  Those are questionable parallels. Music, acting, sports, writing, etc are human practices many millenia old, recognized as such by universities, labor unions, etc. Influencing on the other hand is primarily about being an intermediary for platform/advertiser relationships. If one were to stretch things a bit, I guess you could say they're performers deriving their income from private companies. But even then there's probably still a little bit of a difference between a theater actor performing a role in MacBeth and a teen getting a commission off sneakers they advertise on Tiktok.
  - jrumbut 4y ago
    Why do people watch them? Because they're acting, singing, performing stunts, telling jokes, modeling, etc. The guy who will play Macbeth in 2042 is doing TikTok dances now (or he was a couple years ago I'm behind on the trends).
  - wiseowise 4y ago
    > Those are questionable parallels. Music, acting, sports, writing, etc are human practices many millenia old, recognized as such by universities, labor unions, etc. We’re they delivered to us by aliens? Of course not, people thought the same of those at the time of their inception.
  - bawolff 4y ago
    Do you really think over produced pop idols of yesteryear actually had talent? They also shilled like nothing else. Hell, late night shows were basically exercises in shilling with some jokes stuffed between.
- nibbleshifter 4y ago
  Usually if you are intending to even remotely succeed as a musician, athlete, actor, etc these days - you basically have to become an "influencer" by default to succeed today. I know a few coaches for certain sports for whom Instagram and Tiktok are now far superior ways to acquiring new clients than word of mouth or similar - all their competition has adopted influencer marketing tactics (with themselves marketing themselves), so its evolve or die.
bsder 4y ago
Did you not note the "only" in that sentence? When 1 in 5 of your males and 1 in 10 of your females believe that being a parasite is the only available career choice, something is very wrong. This isn't on the influencers. This is on a whole lot of people in the US who have continuously trampled on those less fortunate than them to the point where there is nothing left at the bottom but despair.
- wiseowise 4y ago
  > When 1 in 5 of your males and 1 in 10 of your females believe that being a parasite is the only available career choice, something is very wrong. They provide entertainment to people, what makes you consider them parasites?
  - bsder 4y ago
    Those simply providing entertainment to people do not refer to themselves as "influencers".
    - 0xChain 4y ago
      Exactly. The reason they’re called “influencers” at all is because their purpose is to influence you, whether with an idea and/or purchase decision. Any part that’s entertainment is just an add on. The entire trend originated from Instagram where people would show products they “use” as part of sponsored posts. This level of hollowness is part of the cause of the downfall of streamer Ninja. The originality and audience were neglected for profit.
wiseowise 4y ago
> Perpetuating hollowness, disingenuousness And you don’t?

Maybe the current bleak situation of expensive education, unaffordable housing, medical debt, etc. is pushing many in gen z to go for what they see (whether it’s true or not) as their only option?

zbird 4y ago

Not to mention all of the surveillance/targeted advertising that happens on these platforms while the "influencers" are busy influencing each other.

jrumbut 4y ago

I don't know that it's any bleaker than being an actor, musician, athlete, or any other type of entertainer. It perhaps involves more skills since they might their own sets, photography, cosmetics, scripts, etc plus I think it's easier to achieve a little success compared to trying to make it into the movies. You can generate a following and make a little money to supplement your day job. Not a bad idea and it shows an entrepreneurial spirit.

belugacat 4y ago
Those are questionable parallels. Music, acting, sports, writing, etc are human practices many millenia old, recognized as such by universities, labor unions, etc. Influencing on the other hand is primarily about being an intermediary for platform/advertiser relationships. If one were to stretch things a bit, I guess you could say they're performers deriving their income from private companies. But even then there's probably still a little bit of a difference between a theater actor performing a role in MacBeth and a teen getting a commission off sneakers they advertise on Tiktok.
- jrumbut 4y ago
  Why do people watch them? Because they're acting, singing, performing stunts, telling jokes, modeling, etc. The guy who will play Macbeth in 2042 is doing TikTok dances now (or he was a couple years ago I'm behind on the trends).
- wiseowise 4y ago
  > Those are questionable parallels. Music, acting, sports, writing, etc are human practices many millenia old, recognized as such by universities, labor unions, etc. We’re they delivered to us by aliens? Of course not, people thought the same of those at the time of their inception.
- bawolff 4y ago
  Do you really think over produced pop idols of yesteryear actually had talent? They also shilled like nothing else. Hell, late night shows were basically exercises in shilling with some jokes stuffed between.
nibbleshifter 4y ago
Usually if you are intending to even remotely succeed as a musician, athlete, actor, etc these days - you basically have to become an "influencer" by default to succeed today. I know a few coaches for certain sports for whom Instagram and Tiktok are now far superior ways to acquiring new clients than word of mouth or similar - all their competition has adopted influencer marketing tactics (with themselves marketing themselves), so its evolve or die.

bsder 4y ago

Did you not note the "only" in that sentence? When 1 in 5 of your males and 1 in 10 of your females believe that being a parasite is the only available career choice, something is very wrong. This isn't on the influencers. This is on a whole lot of people in the US who have continuously trampled on those less fortunate than them to the point where there is nothing left at the bottom but despair.

wiseowise 4y ago
> When 1 in 5 of your males and 1 in 10 of your females believe that being a parasite is the only available career choice, something is very wrong. They provide entertainment to people, what makes you consider them parasites?
- bsder 4y ago
  Those simply providing entertainment to people do not refer to themselves as "influencers".
  - 0xChain 4y ago
    Exactly. The reason they’re called “influencers” at all is because their purpose is to influence you, whether with an idea and/or purchase decision. Any part that’s entertainment is just an add on. The entire trend originated from Instagram where people would show products they “use” as part of sponsored posts. This level of hollowness is part of the cause of the downfall of streamer Ninja. The originality and audience were neglected for profit.

wiseowise 4y ago

> Perpetuating hollowness, disingenuousness And you don’t?