Celebrity/Influencer driven society

[GB72]

What annoys me is that without even looking I know who some of these people are. Even more annoying is how much money is showered on them without doing what seems to be much more than just existing. Am I jealous? Absolutely.

It is an easy assumption to make. Some who have the backing of famous families or a TV show do get things a bit easier but then there are all sorts of people employed by them to create and maintain the brand, produce content, edit content etc, almost like a smaller scale marketing agency. For individuals without that, it is much harder. Just getting to the level where people are interested in sending you products takes months of producing free content and buying what you promote just to get the view count up. Irrespective of real world commitments, you need to be producing fresh content every couple of days to keep people comin back. Many people call themselves influencers to try and scam free stuff but to actually make a living and be any good at it can take a massive amount of time and commitment and success can be as much down to luck as anything else.

 

[IanM]

It only bothers you if you let it.

It is nothing new. Will Shakespeare set some pretty racy fashion statements in his day and folk copied him to the extent his tailor gave him samples to wear! I also hear that Ben Hur didn't pay for that chariot!

 

[Mudball]

out of interest, how many times can you make the same joke before it does become political?

i guess it is all about context

 

[BiMGuy]

Maybe i am the only one... but everytime i see headlines (incl in the BBC) like 'Willow Smith opens up about being polyamorous' or 'Catlyn Jenner that.. ' or another two-bit Instagram influencer talking about climate change... the first thing i have to do is to google them to find who they are.
Are we now in an influencer driven society where opinions of golf forum is more important than that of a 16 yr old 'TikTok star'? i find it mildly irritating to say the least

Same as we ever were. Just using different media formats.

 

[sunshine]

As others have commented, the idea of using pretty people to market products has been around for a long time, it's just the platforms which have evolved.

Also, let's be clear: these vacuous celebrities are not running their own instagram accounts. Shows like Love Island are carefully constructed advertisements with teams of branding and marketing people maximising advertising revenue through product placement.

The photos and videos may look like they are the amateur snaps of the account owner but they are carefully managed. There have been several examples this season of sportsmen making misleading posts on instagram and later backtracking by saying they weren't aware of the post / one of their agents had posted it. Gareth Bale for example.

 

[Hobbit]

There are so many facets to social media and how its used by celebs/politicians/sports people and the general populace.

First of all, a good influencer? If a celeb chef tells you how to cook a great meal = good result. But if a celeb chef tells you that you should use public transport instead of driving the length of the country they are speaking about something that is outside the field of expertise. It might be an intelligent 'post,' but should we put as much store in listening to someone speaking authoritatively about something they are not an expert in - probably a poor example but hopefully you catch my drift.

Then you get hero worship and copying. Nothing wrong with copying good examples but there are air heads out there who've achieved their 5 mins of fame and feel they can speak out about anything and everything and, unfortunately, because of hero worship from their followers they get copied.

Trolls and abusers have always been around, and will always be there. Once upon a time their influence didn't extend much beyond the playground or workplace but social media platforms have given them new outlets. However, those platforms can and should be policed better. We have a number of local, community Facebook pages. Some are strictly moderated, and are an absolute boon, but others are left to run wild...

Celebrity driven society.... perhaps the very best example was Bob Geldolf and Live Aid - more recently, Captain Moore. It can be a force for great good but, equally, it will always be prone to idiots too - its an amplifier of all that is good and bad in society.

 

[Deleted Member 1156]

We live in a world full of Z list 'celebrities' and 'influencers' that think they are important. Give them air time and it feeds their egos.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

...and for many we can guess who is celebrity #1 and their main influencer...sadly...but as discussed that is the nature of society today.

 

[Doon frae Troon]

I somehow have to stifle a laugh at a post for golfers critical about 'celebrity influencers'.

Golfers, the most easily influenced social group I know of.
Many still wear only one glove and even to this day some tuck their one glove into their back pocket when they putt.

 

[Beedee]

I somehow have to stifle a laugh at a post for golfers critical about 'celebrity influencers'.

Golfers, the most easily influenced social group I know of.
Many still wear only one glove and even to this day some tuck their one glove into their back pocket when they putt.

Who doesn't love that "one tanned hand" look at the end of the summer

 

[SocketRocket]

I detest the mind mashing circus this has become, these talentless overpaid influencers are only the front for the clever manipulating marketeers who use them as a tool to pray on the general publics gullibility. It intrudes into people's lives by harvesting their shopping and browsing and social habits, Google is now the mastermind of this practice.

They put out a continuous flow of trivia in the guise that it's news when it's nothing of the sorts.

"Holly Willoughby enjoyed the sunshine in a skimpy outfit after she revealed she wouldn't be returning to This Morning week (Image: M&S)"

"Let's get started!': Stacey Solomon proudly showcases her sons' freshly-painted bedrooms and sleek new beds as she continues renovating her £1.2million Essex mansion"

Unfortunately it's only going to get worse and I have concerns for the way it is, and will, mess with people's minds, we have always had marketeers try to influence our purchasing decisions but I honestly believe these new trends really are brainwashing people.

 

[Pathetic Shark]

It's absolutely nothing new. Celebrities have been the stock in trade of the gutter press for 200 years or more and have been influencing people's consumer choices that long too.

All too true - when Charles Dickens came out with all those comments about Gladstone's leadership of the country, it turned a lot of voters away from reading Great Expectations

 

[GreiginFife]

Maybe it's "always been like this" but one thing has changed and changed dramatically in the last 5-10 years. Ease of reach.

The internet and its availability has created a perfect storm for brand marketing. Social media isn't the cause, its just a symptom of the ever increasing accessibility to data. OUR DATA!

Before, marketeers had to be clever. Pick the right channel whether that be radio, TV or print. Then pick the message, create the buzz, pick the right combination of channel and time to reach the maximum of its target audience.

All gone now, time and channel no longer matter with 24/7 access to people via phones, tablets, laptops and smart devices.

The world has never been smaller and more intrusive.

So, it might have "always been like this" but one thing is for sure, it's never "been like this" before.

 

[BiMGuy]

Maybe it's "always been like this" but one thing has changed and changed dramatically in the last 5-10 years. Ease of reach.

The internet and its availability has created a perfect storm for brand marketing. Social media isn't the cause, its just a symptom of the ever increasing accessibility to data. OUR DATA!

Before, marketeers had to be clever. Pick the right channel whether that be radio, TV or print. Then pick the message, create the buzz, pick the right combination of channel and time to reach the maximum of its target audience.

All gone now, time and channel no longer matter with 24/7 access to people via phones, tablets, laptops and smart devices.

The world has never been smaller and more intrusive.

So, it might have "always been like this" but one thing is for sure, it's never "been like this" before.

Its alway been like this is accurate, in that methods of marketing and advertising habe changed constantly since people began to trade and sell things.

Our data becomes their data when you sign your rights away when agreeing to terms and conditions you don't read.

 

[SocketRocket]

Its alway been like this is accurate, in that methods of marketing and advertising habe changed constantly since people began to trade and sell things.

Our data becomes their data when you sign your rights away when agreeing to terms and conditions you don't read.

It's never been like this, the amount of intrusion into people's lives has increased massively during the internet age.

 

[Pathetic Shark]

There is a great site that shows some of the pathetic request "influencers" have made trying to snag free stuff and how they have been dealt with. It's along the lines of "give me a free night in your hotel and dinner and I'll all my followers how great you are".

Actually got an idea here. I'll ask Wentworth for a free fourball on the West Course and in return, I'll start a thread here about how nice it was.

 

[Rooter]

There is a great site that shows some of the pathetic request "influencers" have made trying to snag free stuff and how they have been dealt with. It's along the lines of "give me a free night in your hotel and dinner and I'll all my followers how great you are".

I was going to comment on the same lines, a few got torn to shreds recently by some decent chefs after they were asking for free meals a week after the industry had been shut for 4 months! Idiots.