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I think all of this is part of his appeal. He's more "scruffy" and unfiltered than most people with his prominence and responsibilities. But it's easy to confus

I think all of this is part of his appeal. He's more "scruffy" and unfiltered than most people with his prominence and responsibilities. But it's easy to confuse this lack of a filter for honesty, when the two may be entirely orthogonal. Elon's communication style is also good for forming "parasocial" relationships with his audience which explains how loyal and fervent many of his fans are.

strikelaserclaw 4y ago
i view Elon's fanbase as being equivalent to the fanbase that twitch streamers like xqc have, probably not well adjusted people who need to idolize someone in which they can see some characteristics in common (social awkwardness, thinking they are smarter than others etc...)
anigbrowl 4y ago
Elon's communication style is also good for forming "parasocial" relationships tbh I find the widespread habit of referring to him by his first name like he's a personal acquaintance to be part of this mechanism. This is something tabloid newspapers do with sport and entertainment celebrities to milk money from fans who gravitate toward others who seem to be part of 'the family.' It's a PR strategy designed to exploit human social circuitry and convert it into cash money.
edwcross 4y ago
As an outsider, this description resembles that of Trump, except with less "tiny hands", and more "tech". Has Elon Musk considered doing politics?
jonny_eh 4y ago
> I think all of this is part of his appeal. He's more "scruffy" and unfiltered than most people with his prominence and responsibilities. But it's easy to confuse this lack of a filter for honesty, when the two may be entirely orthogonal. This sounds strangely familiar to someone else that owns a Twitter-like social network.
danaris 4y ago
> it's easy to confuse this lack of a filter for honesty This is actually one of the bigger problems with discourse and politics today: the idea that "rude, crude, and unconcerned with other people's feelings" has anything to do with honesty—and, conversely, that being sensitive to those feelings and trying to take them into account when speaking is dishonest as opposed to kind.

strikelaserclaw 4y ago

i view Elon's fanbase as being equivalent to the fanbase that twitch streamers like xqc have, probably not well adjusted people who need to idolize someone in which they can see some characteristics in common (social awkwardness, thinking they are smarter than others etc...)

anigbrowl 4y ago

Elon's communication style is also good for forming "parasocial" relationships tbh I find the widespread habit of referring to him by his first name like he's a personal acquaintance to be part of this mechanism. This is something tabloid newspapers do with sport and entertainment celebrities to milk money from fans who gravitate toward others who seem to be part of 'the family.' It's a PR strategy designed to exploit human social circuitry and convert it into cash money.

edwcross 4y ago

As an outsider, this description resembles that of Trump, except with less "tiny hands", and more "tech". Has Elon Musk considered doing politics?

jonny_eh 4y ago

> I think all of this is part of his appeal. He's more "scruffy" and unfiltered than most people with his prominence and responsibilities. But it's easy to confuse this lack of a filter for honesty, when the two may be entirely orthogonal. This sounds strangely familiar to someone else that owns a Twitter-like social network.

danaris 4y ago

> it's easy to confuse this lack of a filter for honesty This is actually one of the bigger problems with discourse and politics today: the idea that "rude, crude, and unconcerned with other people's feelings" has anything to do with honesty—and, conversely, that being sensitive to those feelings and trying to take them into account when speaking is dishonest as opposed to kind.