6 ms·

> As if these fans really know who Elon is as a person anyways. ProTip: if you haven't actually met and interacted with a person, then you really know nothing a

• lordfrito 4y ago
  It's just self promotion. Influencers are just that, influencers. They influence people. Maintaining the public face of these people is a full time job. None of the people in the media are really like what they show us on our screens. It's all entertainment. Much of it in the service of business interests, like Elon. Do his politics lean right? Sure why not. Does he also lean left? Probably. We're all not 1 dimensional. Getting us to "fill in the blank" and project our own ideas into their personality is how they hook you. The public / promotional image caters the 1-D chess crowd. The fact people let this stuff influence major purchase decisions like a car is endlessly entertaining to me. The appeal of celebrity used to be mostly confined to teenage spheres, bored housewives, and old people. But now in the digital era having a public image has become a spectator sport, and we get emotionally caught up rooting for the team we've chosen. This is how they win people. For the younger of you reading this, I'm letting you know it didn't use to be this way. Nobody cares much about what car you drive or why.
  • bdhe 4y ago
    I think you're conflating two things - positive signaling (i.e., I want a Tesla because I want to be cool) and consumer choice (i.e., I would've bought a Tesla but I don't want to anymore because of how Elon Musk has behaved).
  • clouddrover 4y ago
    > It's just self promotion. Influencers are just that, influencers. They influence people. In this case Musk is influencing people to not buy a Tesla. Fully embracing nihilism doesn't make you sophisticated. Here's how Musk wants you to think of him: - Musk likes to call people paedophiles: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2018/jul/15/elon-musk-british-diver-thai-cave-rescue-pedo-twitter https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2018/jul/15/elon-musk... - Musk says Americans are complacent and entitled, but China rocks: https://www.cnbc.com/2020/07/31/tesla-ceo-elon-musk-china-rocks-us-full-of-entitlement.html https://www.cnbc.com/2020/07/31/tesla-ceo-elon-musk-china-ro... - Musk continuously lies about full self-driving: https://jalopnik.com/elon-musk-promises-full-self-driving-next-year-for-th-1848432496 https://jalopnik.com/elon-musk-promises-full-self-driving-ne... - Musk recommends Ukraine submit to Russia: https://futurism.com/the-byte/russia-loves-elon-musk-now https://futurism.com/the-byte/russia-loves-elon-musk-now https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/oct/04/zelenskiy-hits-back-as-elon-musk-sets-up-twitter-poll-on-annexed-areas https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/oct/04/zelenskiy-hits... - Musk recommends Taiwan submit to China: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2022/oct/08/elon-musk-taiwan-china-special-administrative-zone-hong-kong https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2022/oct/08/elon-musk... - Musk wants to "Prosecute/Fauci" and now says he's going to release some kind of "Fauci Files" from Twitter: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/dr-anthony-fauci-responds-to-elon-musk-the-takeout/ https://www.cbsnews.com/news/dr-anthony-fauci-responds-to-el... - Musk called California's covid measures "fascist": https://www.cnbc.com/2020/04/29/elon-musk-slams-coronavirus-shelter-in-place-orders-as-fascist.html https://www.cnbc.com/2020/04/29/elon-musk-slams-coronavirus-... - Musk had Tesla praise Shanghai's covid measures and say that it "always strived to fulfil its epidemic prevention responsibilities and that it believed Shanghai's COVID-19 measures helped lay the foundation for the city's future development": https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/tesla-suspends-production-shanghai-factory-4-days-comply-with-covid-curbs-2022-03-28/ https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/tesla-... It's all grubby. > For the younger of you reading this, I'm letting you know it didn't use to be this way. No, it's always been this way. People are the same as they ever were.
    • lordfrito 4y ago
      I'm not saying the messaging is coherent (heck wasn't that Trumps strategy as well). But there are many reasons that people pay attention to him and then go on to buy his products. There's no such thing as bad publicity. At the end of the day we're still here talking about him. Tesla's current problems aren't due to Elon being on the political outs with the woke in-crowd, but the fact the rest of the auto industry has largely caught up, and that the irrational bubble of hype around his products has finally burst. Combine with high interest rates and the other financial problems most companies are facing in 2023. That's the only explanation needed.
      • JumpinJack_Cash 4y ago
        > > At the end of the day we're still here talking about him. By the same token the whole world was talking about Osama Bin Laden on 9/12/2001, that must have been positive for him? In reality there is bad publicity , because although even haters know your name , it would take a 1:1 face to face meeting to turn them into supporters and you will never be able to meet everyone