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Around the Internet => Antimustachian Wall of Shame and Comedy => Topic started by: OtherJen on January 21, 2019, 10:48:56 AM

Title: The Empty Mason Jar of the Influencer Economy
Post by: OtherJen on January 21, 2019, 10:48:56 AM
This link popped up on a blog shortly after I finished watching one of those bananas Fyre Festival documentaries. Maybe it's because I was a working class Gen X kid, but I really don't understand any of this. Con artistry for the new millennium, I guess.

The Empty Mason Jar of the Influencer Economy: The Case of Caroline Calloway and her Creativity Workshop Tour (http://www.pajiba.com/web_culture/the-case-of-caroline-calloway-and-her-creativity-workshop-tour.php)
Title: Re: The Empty Mason Jar of the Influencer Economy
Post by: Piglet on January 21, 2019, 11:48:15 AM
This link popped up on a blog shortly after I finished watching one of those bananas Fyre Festival documentaries. Maybe it's because I was a working class Gen X kid, but I really don't understand any of this. Con artistry for the new millennium, I guess.

The Empty Mason Jar of the Influencer Economy: The Case of Caroline Calloway and her Creativity Workshop Tour (http://www.pajiba.com/web_culture/the-case-of-caroline-calloway-and-her-creativity-workshop-tour.php)

Wow... I wanted to Purell my eyes after reading that article...
Title: Re: The Empty Mason Jar of the Influencer Economy
Post by: OtherJen on January 21, 2019, 12:00:24 PM
This link popped up on a blog shortly after I finished watching one of those bananas Fyre Festival documentaries. Maybe it's because I was a working class Gen X kid, but I really don't understand any of this. Con artistry for the new millennium, I guess.

The Empty Mason Jar of the Influencer Economy: The Case of Caroline Calloway and her Creativity Workshop Tour (http://www.pajiba.com/web_culture/the-case-of-caroline-calloway-and-her-creativity-workshop-tour.php)

Wow... I wanted to Purell my eyes after reading that article...

Yes. And I'm still not sure what I read. It doesn't make sense!
Title: Re: The Empty Mason Jar of the Influencer Economy
Post by: LifeHappens on January 21, 2019, 12:01:35 PM
Quote
Caroline Calloway is merely the sloppiest and most obviously incompetent version of the influencer economy run amok. She has had every opportunity handed to her, including a book deal that would be life-changing for most, but she had no intention of following through. The workshop tour merely exposes how unprepared and unwilling to learn she is for such experiences. Calloway’s main problem is that she doesn’t want to be an artist or a storyteller or a writer: she wants to have made art, to have told stories, to have been a writer, to have taught, and so on. But that requires work, research, planning, sacrifice, and an acute understanding that not everything you do will be successful or worthy of celebration. She has nothing to offer but is selling everything.

This paragraph, and especially the bolded sentence, sums up the so-called Influencer Economy perfectly. I don't know when the whole thing is going to collapse on itself, but it is a house of cards heading for a tumble.
Title: Re: The Empty Mason Jar of the Influencer Economy
Post by: honeybbq on January 21, 2019, 12:04:54 PM
I hate to say it but i couldn't finish that article. Is there a TL;DR version??
Title: Re: The Empty Mason Jar of the Influencer Economy
Post by: OtherJen on January 21, 2019, 12:15:37 PM
This one is less rambling:
How Instagram influencer Caroline Calloway's world tour fell apart (https://www.cbsnews.com/news/how-instagram-influencer-caroline-calloways-world-tour-fell-apart/)

I think my favorite part is below. If I never heard the term "brand" applied to a person again, it would be too soon.

Quote
Some fans supported her efforts, but many more have begun to question their loyalty to Calloway, who has a history of backing out of commitments. Two of Calloway's many dedicated fan accounts changed their handles and said they no longer wanted to affiliate themselves with "a brand we do not trust or believe in."

"Sitting here I began starting to question that. Am I stupid for trusting you? Are we the real punchlines who spent our hourly wages to support you and see your 'workshop'? Is this an instance of blind faith? AM I IN A CULT?" one fan, Abigail Scott, wrote in an open letter to Calloway Sunday.
Title: Re: The Empty Mason Jar of the Influencer Economy
Post by: Miss Piggy on January 21, 2019, 12:23:23 PM
What the hell did I just pretend to read?
Title: Re: The Empty Mason Jar of the Influencer Economy
Post by: dang1 on January 21, 2019, 12:37:34 PM
thanks for reading it- i didnt bother clicking on the article, apparently it would have been a complete waste of time, lol
Title: Re: The Empty Mason Jar of the Influencer Economy
Post by: Not There Yet on January 21, 2019, 12:38:16 PM
Quote
I think my favorite part is below. If I never heard the term "brand" applied to a person again, it would be too soon.

Ditto!  I've always hated that!
Title: Re: The Empty Mason Jar of the Influencer Economy
Post by: tralfamadorian on January 21, 2019, 12:54:47 PM
I'm not sure I would go so far as to call her a con artist. A lazy, entitled, trust fund baby with the world handed to her on a silver platter? Definitely. And still managing to fuck it up? Yup!

She get a $500k book deal while in/straight out of college with a $100k advance. Then, surprise!, discovers writing a book takes more work than long form IG captions. She gives up halfway through and the publisher lets her keep the advance.

Next she decides to tour the US doing seminars where she talks about herself and takes pictures with her fan girls for a few hours. But that pesky work part keep getting in the way. Logistics? Programming? Venue? Too hard- better to just cancel the whole thing.

An Anna Delvey she is not.
Title: Re: The Empty Mason Jar of the Influencer Economy
Post by: prudent_one on January 22, 2019, 03:14:44 PM
What I learned:
- Some people crave attention and use social media + a boatload of the hot cliches-du-jour to get it
- Others will spend time reading and looking at anything the above people post
- When the attention-cravers do stupid stuff, their fanbase ignores it because those who screwed up are being "authentic" and allows the fanbase to avoid entertaining the notion that investing all that time was not that smart
- Two parts to a fanbase: (1) real fans who endorse everything the attention-craver says/does; (2) those who might criticize the attention-craver are labeled stalkers
- "Authentic" is a get-out-of-jail-free pass for any misdeeds

What I have yet to learn:
- Why do so many people spend so much time reading about so-called internet "celebrities" who don't seem to actually sport any reason to be "celebrities"

I remember a friend talking about some girl named Lia a couple years ago who was apparently a super-popular internet celebrity at the time.  I asked him a couple weeks ago what Lia was up to and he said "nobody cares any more". Easy come, easy go. But when it's gone, what happens then. Do the Lias spend the rest of their lives in regular jobs with people  saying "Hey, didn't you used to be somebody? EPIC FAIL!"
Title: Re: The Empty Mason Jar of the Influencer Economy
Post by: Just Joe on January 23, 2019, 07:45:27 AM
Hopefully Lia saved some money so she can FIRE! Or - at least keep the lights on until she finds a traditional job.
Title: Re: The Empty Mason Jar of the Influencer Economy
Post by: smileyface on January 23, 2019, 07:51:30 AM
Quote
Caroline Calloway is merely the sloppiest and most obviously incompetent version of the influencer economy run amok. She has had every opportunity handed to her, including a book deal that would be life-changing for most, but she had no intention of following through. The workshop tour merely exposes how unprepared and unwilling to learn she is for such experiences. Calloway’s main problem is that she doesn’t want to be an artist or a storyteller or a writer: she wants to have made art, to have told stories, to have been a writer, to have taught, and so on. But that requires work, research, planning, sacrifice, and an acute understanding that not everything you do will be successful or worthy of celebration. She has nothing to offer but is selling everything.

This paragraph, and especially the bolded sentence, sums up the so-called Influencer Economy perfectly. I don't know when the whole thing is going to collapse on itself, but it is a house of cards heading for a tumble.

The bolded part is the key to all of her failures.  Everyone wants to be the noun (an author, an event organizer, etc) without actually doing the verb (writing, organizing, planning, etc)
Title: Re: The Empty Mason Jar of the Influencer Economy
Post by: NonprofitER on January 23, 2019, 07:56:30 AM
I don't know who this Caroline person is, but I heard a super interesting story on NPR about how some brands are now hiring companies to make bots (computer generated fake accounts) as influencers. Apparently bots are easier to control, more malleable to specific subgroups/audiences, and obviously less likely to stay something inflammatory on Twitter or get a DUI and tank the whole brand association investment.

So essentially, Doritos or Coke or whoever can hire a bot-maker to have (just making up a number) 25 pre-fab Instagram bots -- each with a specific Target audience and existing following ("we need a black gay man who likes beaches, a redhead who lives in the city, maybe an environmentally friendly millennial mom...") to eat their chips or drink their Coke and the Instagram audience is none the wiser.  A spokesman from one the bot-companies implied it was the future of marketing.

Who needs real life influencers when we can have cyborgs to emulate? 
Title: Re: The Empty Mason Jar of the Influencer Economy
Post by: Psychstache on January 23, 2019, 08:23:05 AM
I don't know who this Caroline person is, but I heard a super interesting story on NPR about how some brands are now hiring companies to make bots (computer generated fake accounts) as influencers. Apparently bots are easier to control, more malleable to specific subgroups/audiences, and obviously less likely to stay something inflammatory on Twitter or get a DUI and tank the whole brand association investment.

Are there still bots out there that are drinking and driving? So shameful.  :)
Title: Re: The Empty Mason Jar of the Influencer Economy
Post by: Just Joe on January 23, 2019, 08:49:00 AM
Yet another reason to avoid social media. Who wants a fake celebrity to define what's cool and hip? Oh wait...
Title: Re: The Empty Mason Jar of the Influencer Economy
Post by: AMandM on January 23, 2019, 09:28:48 AM
What I learned:
- Some people crave attention and use social media + a boatload of the hot cliches-du-jour to get it
- Others will spend time reading and looking at anything the above people post

The bolded part is what baffles me.  What does a person like this Caroline woman do that made so many people follow her and then become her fans? I mean, I click on clickbait sometimes, but I don't subscribe to it!
Title: Re: The Empty Mason Jar of the Influencer Economy
Post by: calimom on January 23, 2019, 07:11:02 PM
In the olden days, of oh say 1999 or so, smart, accomplished people, you know who actually were accomplished speakers, writers who actually wrote books, artists and thinkers were advised to take part in the online world and ended up on the emerging platforms if Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and the like. Now, people start out by inventing themselves online and hoping they'll become famous that way. Much easier.
Title: Re: The Empty Mason Jar of the Influencer Economy
Post by: Bloop Bloop on January 23, 2019, 08:10:02 PM
The rule of thumb now is to not believe anything you see 'published' online whether on Instagram or LinkedIn, because usually it's being published with an ulterior motive - it's no more trustworthy than a Revlon ad, or a leaflet for Herbalife. This includes the awful smarmy "Congrats" posts you see on LinkedIn.

In my industry advertising/marketing is frowned upon (in fact it used to be illegal to market yourself), and the most successful trial lawyers in my industry generally don't post their direct contact details anywhere, and have no online profile. I wish everyone remained as genteel - if your product/service is good, people will find you!
Title: Re: The Empty Mason Jar of the Influencer Economy
Post by: patrickza on January 24, 2019, 03:10:03 AM
That was the oddest read. From a few of the long instagram posts she did, it seemed like she could actually write. The book would have been interesting, and likely her best chance at a successful life.

If you get lucky in life, you should make the most of it. She  threw it away.
Title: Re: The Empty Mason Jar of the Influencer Economy
Post by: Just Joe on January 24, 2019, 07:01:30 AM
Maybe the pressure of continuing "greatness" got to her. She was on a roll and then ran out of material or she had too many things up in the air at once (juggling metaphor).
Title: Re: The Empty Mason Jar of the Influencer Economy
Post by: NonprofitER on January 24, 2019, 07:36:21 AM
I don't know who this Caroline person is, but I heard a super interesting story on NPR about how some brands are now hiring companies to make bots (computer generated fake accounts) as influencers. Apparently bots are easier to control, more malleable to specific subgroups/audiences, and obviously less likely to stay something inflammatory on Twitter or get a DUI and tank the whole brand association investment.

Are there still bots out there that are drinking and driving? So shameful.  :)

Ha! Touche.
Title: Re: The Empty Mason Jar of the Influencer Economy
Post by: Cool Friend on January 24, 2019, 11:20:54 AM
Quote
Caroline Calloway is merely the sloppiest and most obviously incompetent version of the influencer economy run amok. She has had every opportunity handed to her, including a book deal that would be life-changing for most, but she had no intention of following through. The workshop tour merely exposes how unprepared and unwilling to learn she is for such experiences. Calloway’s main problem is that she doesn’t want to be an artist or a storyteller or a writer: she wants to have made art, to have told stories, to have been a writer, to have taught, and so on. But that requires work, research, planning, sacrifice, and an acute understanding that not everything you do will be successful or worthy of celebration. She has nothing to offer but is selling everything.

This paragraph, and especially the bolded sentence, sums up the so-called Influencer Economy perfectly. I don't know when the whole thing is going to collapse on itself, but it is a house of cards heading for a tumble.

The bolded part is the key to all of her failures.  Everyone wants to be the noun (an author, an event organizer, etc) without actually doing the verb (writing, organizing, planning, etc)

It reminds me of this lady (late 20s or early 30s) I met at a friend's birthday get-together.  She was writing her "memoir,"  and had even contacted publishers, but didn't know what in her life she would write about.  I probed her a little and she couldn't indicate anything about her life that was interesting enough to necessitate a memoir.  I think she wanted to be interesting without having done or experienced anything of interesting, and probably wanted to have written without actually writing.

Title: Re: The Empty Mason Jar of the Influencer Economy
Post by: dcheesi on January 24, 2019, 11:34:51 AM
I remember a friend talking about some girl named Lia a couple years ago who was apparently a super-popular internet celebrity at the time.  I asked him a couple weeks ago what Lia was up to and he said "nobody cares any more". Easy come, easy go. But when it's gone, what happens then. Do the Lias spend the rest of their lives in regular jobs with people  saying "Hey, didn't you used to be somebody? EPIC FAIL!"
Andy Warhol was right, just a little ahead of his time.

What I learned:
- Some people crave attention and use social media + a boatload of the hot cliches-du-jour to get it
- Others will spend time reading and looking at anything the above people post

The bolded part is what baffles me.  What does a person like this Caroline woman do that made so many people follow her and then become her fans? I mean, I click on clickbait sometimes, but I don't subscribe to it!
At least some of them aspire to the same "celebrity" lifestyle that (they think that) their IG idols live. There's a recent-ish "dramedy" film, Ingrid Goes West (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5962210/), that revolves around this.

Title: Re: The Empty Mason Jar of the Influencer Economy
Post by: mckaylabaloney on January 24, 2019, 12:13:04 PM
She get a $500k book deal while in/straight out of college with a $100k advance. Then, surprise!, discovers writing a book takes more work than long form IG captions. She gives up halfway through and the publisher lets her keep the advance.

This is relevant only to the extent that it further fits the wall of shame and comedy, but the publisher did NOT let her keep the advance (which she had already spent entirely) -- they just decided not to sue her over it (yet), and are allowing her to pay it back over time. So she has six figures of debt because of her own laziness -- no wonder she thought this "workshop" venture was a good idea.
Title: Re: The Empty Mason Jar of the Influencer Economy
Post by: Proud Foot on January 24, 2019, 01:57:01 PM
Quote
Caroline Calloway is merely the sloppiest and most obviously incompetent version of the influencer economy run amok. She has had every opportunity handed to her, including a book deal that would be life-changing for most, but she had no intention of following through. The workshop tour merely exposes how unprepared and unwilling to learn she is for such experiences. Calloway’s main problem is that she doesn’t want to be an artist or a storyteller or a writer: she wants to have made art, to have told stories, to have been a writer, to have taught, and so on. But that requires work, research, planning, sacrifice, and an acute understanding that not everything you do will be successful or worthy of celebration. She has nothing to offer but is selling everything.

This paragraph, and especially the bolded sentence, sums up the so-called Influencer Economy perfectly. I don't know when the whole thing is going to collapse on itself, but it is a house of cards heading for a tumble.

The bolded part is the key to all of her failures.  Everyone wants to be the noun (an author, an event organizer, etc) without actually doing the verb (writing, organizing, planning, etc)

It reminds me of this lady (late 20s or early 30s) I met at a friend's birthday get-together.  She was writing her "memoir,"  and had even contacted publishers, but didn't know what in her life she would write about.  I probed her a little and she couldn't indicate anything about her life that was interesting enough to necessitate a memoir.  I think she wanted to be interesting without having done or experienced anything of interesting, and probably wanted to have written without actually writing.

And this is why there is a whole subset of publishers called "Vanity Press" (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vanity_press). People paying publishers just so they can have their book published.
Title: Re: The Empty Mason Jar of the Influencer Economy
Post by: aasdfadsf on January 27, 2019, 05:23:45 PM
I don't get it. How did this woman become a celebrity? I'm not going to waste time going through her entire oeuvre, but what little I did see wasn't particularly well written or interesting. She does not seem possessed of anything resembling creativity (Homemade salads! Hand-written letters! Jesus, if you get excited by that stuff you need to get out more.)
Title: Re: The Empty Mason Jar of the Influencer Economy
Post by: Bloop Bloop on January 27, 2019, 06:29:08 PM
I suggest that social media "influencers", like multi-level marketing schemes, do no overall harm to society because they simply get stupid people to spend money on harmless enterprises. Easier for them to be distracted by that, than to turn to drugs or gambling or something that would tax the public purse.
Title: Re: The Empty Mason Jar of the Influencer Economy
Post by: Fish Sweet on January 28, 2019, 10:50:59 AM
One of the things I find most obnoxious about ~influencer~ culture is the way it's shaped expectations, goals, a sense of entitlement for a lot of younger folks.  Now I'm not here to bash on millenials/Gen Z or what have you, and I'm still a young'un myself, but the rise of e-celebrities around media presences on Youtube, Instagram, Twitch, etc. and fame and the approval and idolation of their peers based on likes and followers, has created some really toxic ideas of what success and wealth look like, and the kinds of behaviors aligned with people with that kind of success.  I feel like I'm seeing it already with certain podcasters and costumers that I follow-- the kind of fame that generates loyal followers who are happy to hurl money at you and indulge your off-the-cuff requests, and instead of taking a mental step back like "alright, I've got a semi-celebrity persona that I need to cultivate and also grow like a particularly needy plant for the success of my brand and my work," it's "hey guys, i really need this expensive stand mixer, just like REALLY NEED IT" one day and "ohhhh I know I mentioned this beautiful cashmere sweater I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU GUYS SENT ME THREE OF THEM WOWWW" the next.  The semi-begging expectation that their followers will just produce whatever they ask for on demand is really a turn-off, and it does worry me that they're going to come to expect that kind of indulgence and entitlement all through life.

Another example: I was selling at a media convention a couple of weeks ago, and saw a pair of teenagers making their way around to all the artists' tables.  When they got to mine, the conversation opened with "do you know what a social media influencer is?" and then went straight into, essentially, asking me to give them free stuff so they can "showcase" it on their social media feed and give me "exposure." 

Even more annoying than the two of them treating this as if their offer was some kind of equivalent transaction (my hard work & cost for supplies for two seconds of their time taking a picture and uploading it to instagram or whatever) was the way they acted like it was already a done deal-- talking between themselves about how "oh yeah, I can totally review soap," (I'm a soap-seller) and telling me that I should take them up on their "offer" now, so that I don't have to spend extra on shipping stuff to them later down the line (that's not going to be a problem) and their clear surprise and disappointment when I told them I would pass.  I hope none of the artists at the convention actually took them up on it, but who knows... maybe some of them have also bought into shitty social media influencer culture and think it's actually going to help their sales.
Title: Re: The Empty Mason Jar of the Influencer Economy
Post by: Linea_Norway on January 29, 2019, 07:45:00 AM
I suggest that social media "influencers", like multi-level marketing schemes, do no overall harm to society because they simply get stupid people to spend money on harmless enterprises. Easier for them to be distracted by that, than to turn to drugs or gambling or something that would tax the public purse.

Some influencers have strong influence over people to not vaccinate their children. They do harm those children, although indirectly.
Title: Re: The Empty Mason Jar of the Influencer Economy
Post by: letsdoit on January 30, 2019, 10:18:17 AM
i wonder if that colloway girl grew up in an emotionally abusive household.  she is a gaslighter . 
Title: Re: The Empty Mason Jar of the Influencer Economy
Post by: I'm a red panda on January 30, 2019, 11:31:01 AM
I don't get it. How did this woman become a celebrity? I'm not going to waste time going through her entire oeuvre, but what little I did see wasn't particularly well written or interesting. She does not seem possessed of anything resembling creativity (Homemade salads! Hand-written letters! Jesus, if you get excited by that stuff you need to get out more.)

It sounds like her posts while she was at Cambridge were interesting; selling Americans on the idea of a fairy tale life abroad. 

Title: Re: The Empty Mason Jar of the Influencer Economy
Post by: JoJo on January 30, 2019, 04:49:34 PM
I found this article about fake "engagement" quite interesting...

https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/alexkantrowitz/people-are-turning-their-accounts-into-bots-on-instagram

Title: Re: The Empty Mason Jar of the Influencer Economy
Post by: letsdoit on February 04, 2019, 01:46:01 PM
I don't get it. How did this woman become a celebrity? I'm not going to waste time going through her entire oeuvre, but what little I did see wasn't particularly well written or interesting. She does not seem possessed of anything resembling creativity (Homemade salads! Hand-written letters! Jesus, if you get excited by that stuff you need to get out more.)

It sounds like her posts while she was at Cambridge were interesting; selling Americans on the idea of a fairy tale life abroad.

the little i could stand reading was about making out.
you can say a lot about americans but we know about making out 
Title: Re: The Empty Mason Jar of the Influencer Economy
Post by: wild forest on February 05, 2019, 02:07:57 PM
"Influencer" on the net is another word for lazy, lousy, and spoils rotten people have nothing else better to do. Wasting their time becoming someone who they're not.

And the people who followed this Caroline woman probably looking for something to fulfill their fantasy dreams, and so they've lost their common sense during the process.
Title: Re: The Empty Mason Jar of the Influencer Economy
Post by: libertarian4321 on February 06, 2019, 11:47:07 AM
A world where one Tweet from anyone even remotely associated with the vapid twits of the Kardashian/Jenner clan send tweens and millennials into hysteria is empty indeed.
Title: Re: The Empty Mason Jar of the Influencer Economy
Post by: mm1970 on February 06, 2019, 12:48:14 PM
Quote
No, Calloway is not the worst scammer on the internet. Plenty of people have been quick to tell me they don’t think she’s a real scammer, just an incompetent dolt who got in way over her head. But I’m not sure that option is much better. All the warning signs were there and she powered through because there was money to be made. She harnessed that fan devotion for profit based on skills she did not possess and services she could not provide, and anyone who dissented from that loyalty was ‘inauthentic’.

I skimmed that.  Sad for the 10 minutes I won't get back.  But this is the part that spoke to me.

She seems completely incompetent.  One thing for sure, she doesn't have a future in event planning!
Title: Re: The Empty Mason Jar of the Influencer Economy
Post by: swearwolf on February 21, 2019, 03:07:19 PM
Lord, what a cringe-fest.

In an attempt to approach my fellow human beings with empathy, I think perhaps the people who idolize "influencers" and take their classes with the dream of being influencers themselves are ultimately after the same thing we're after: being free from a lifetime of 9-5 desk jobs.

Now, if only we could teach them all how to cook their own food, sell their SUVs, and pay themselves, then maybe the whole influencer economy would collapse... Anybody wanna host a workshop with me? We can charge $165 for tickets and I'll overpromise about it on my Insta. ;)
Title: Re: The Empty Mason Jar of the Influencer Economy
Post by: Just Joe on February 22, 2019, 08:49:54 AM
I guess there are groups of idolizers every generation. Music stars and movie stars. Not sure how these You Tube personalities measure up enough to send anyone into a tizzy but okay, whatever.
Title: Re: The Empty Mason Jar of the Influencer Economy
Post by: Psychstache on February 22, 2019, 09:19:24 AM
I guess there are groups of idolizers every generation. Music stars and movie stars. Not sure how these You Tube personalities measure up enough to send anyone into a tizzy but okay, whatever.

I think it just makes the dream seem more attainable to them. Most people know the don't have the looks/skill/talent/whatever qualities to be the movie or music star, but the YouTube personality seems like a possible dream.

I remember reading an article a few years ago where they talked about this idea as it relates to Steph Curry of the NBA. It hypothesized that kids found it more fun to emulate Curry, a scrawny beanpole type (relative to other NBA players anyways) than LeBron James, a genetic and physical freak. You could grow up to be a Curry, but couldn't rewrite your genes to be like LeBron.
Title: Re: The Empty Mason Jar of the Influencer Economy
Post by: prudent_one on July 03, 2019, 06:51:04 PM
Ran across two different stories today about so-called "influencers", thought I could piggyback on this thread.

https://www.foxnews.com/lifestyle/influencers-surprise-engagement-blasted-leaked-sponsorship-pitch
"Social media starlet" allegedly has a surprise engagement, conveniently documented every step of the way on social media. But then it came out: ""We're pleased to offer your brand the opportunity to align with his momentous occasion and the beautiful cities she will be visiting along the way," She claims ignorance.

And https://people.com/food/ice-cream-truck-owner-vows-to-charge-social-influencers-double-the-price/
This ice cream truck owner posts a sign that social media influencers are charged double the regular price "after becoming fed up with being bombarded with requests for free cones in exchange for exposure."  And free cones generally meant free cones for everyone at an event.  For exposure.
Title: Re: The Empty Mason Jar of the Influencer Economy
Post by: SwordGuy on July 04, 2019, 10:05:37 AM
And https://people.com/food/ice-cream-truck-owner-vows-to-charge-social-influencers-double-the-price/
This ice cream truck owner posts a sign that social media influencers are charged double the regular price "after becoming fed up with being bombarded with requests for free cones in exchange for exposure."  And free cones generally meant free cones for everyone at an event.  For exposure.

SwordGuy's take on this:

"If I wanted exposure I would become a streaker.  Pay for the product or take a hike!"
Title: Re: The Empty Mason Jar of the Influencer Economy
Post by: TheGrimSqueaker on July 04, 2019, 12:36:32 PM
Isn't the whole social media influencer trend just an extension of the "popular" clique in high school?
Title: Re: The Empty Mason Jar of the Influencer Economy
Post by: SunnyDays on July 04, 2019, 02:16:40 PM
This whole topic makes my head explode.  Don't people just live ordinary lives anymore?  Why does everyone need to feel like a "celebrity?"  Most are just famous for being famous but haven't actually done anything worthwhile.  How shallow can you get?
Title: Re: The Empty Mason Jar of the Influencer Economy
Post by: prudent_one on July 04, 2019, 04:26:08 PM
I think what might be happening is that there are very many young adults who live out everything online - talking with "friends", so-called "dating", etc. They don't interact with people in person.  So the people who get talked about online become their celebrities, and they can talk about those celebrities with other people online and have something in common with other online-only people. What those celebrities talk about, is what influences their followers. Like the "job" Lori Loughlin's daughter had before the college admission scandal. Film yourself gushing about certain products, get paid for shilling.

In radio/tv/print ads when you see a celebrity pushing a product, you know they were paid to do it. Online you don't know. Therefore "influencers", not "endorsers".
Title: Re: The Empty Mason Jar of the Influencer Economy
Post by: Bloop Bloop on July 04, 2019, 08:38:42 PM
This whole topic makes my head explode.  Don't people just live ordinary lives anymore?  Why does everyone need to feel like a "celebrity?"  Most are just famous for being famous but haven't actually done anything worthwhile.  How shallow can you get?

My younger sibling asked me the other day who uses Instagram. I said: "Celebrities, and poor people who want to be celebrities."

Instagram is the new Myspace/Facebook. It's gone from being a nice place to share photos with a small group of friends, to a tremendously crass, vulgar, and cheap lifestyle knockoff magazine.
Title: Re: The Empty Mason Jar of the Influencer Economy
Post by: ChickenStash on July 06, 2019, 01:04:51 PM
The whole ordeal in the article was pretty cringe-worthy. She seemed to have a decent following but just couldn't do the work to capitalize on it - the book deal, the meetups, etc. Seems to mimic many failed small businesses - a potentially profitable idea, poorly executed.

On the other side, I'm not sure how down on "influencers," in general, we can all be given the site we're posting on revolves around someone who turned a blog combining frugality, financial wisdom, and facial hair into a significant revenue stream and online community of followers.
Title: Re: The Empty Mason Jar of the Influencer Economy
Post by: WGH on July 08, 2019, 03:11:59 PM
What I learned:
- Some people crave attention and use social media + a boatload of the hot cliches-du-jour to get it
- Others will spend time reading and looking at anything the above people post

The bolded part is what baffles me.  What does a person like this Caroline woman do that made so many people follow her and then become her fans? I mean, I click on clickbait sometimes, but I don't subscribe to it!

She's become famous which is what her fanbase also wants to become and so they want to emulate her example. How did she become famous? Fame begets fame begets fortune. All it takes is going viral for any reason and when people are looking at you, talking about you, the money starts rolling in without really doing any work at all. People keep seeing your face and your name and huh you must be famous, you must be important. After that just slap your name on say cosmetics like Kylie Jenner and they sell. It's amazing how it can perpetuate with having little to no talent or doing any work other than posing. 
Title: Re: The Empty Mason Jar of the Influencer Economy
Post by: ohsnap on July 09, 2019, 01:07:11 PM
I have story that perfectly demonstrates this quote from the article: "This is the Instagram curse in many ways: The hunger to be an influencer without doing the work of real influencing."
A couple of weeks ago someone posted on my community's FB page asking how she could become an internet influencer.  She literally was starting with *nothing* as far as any skills or celebrity status and asked what she should get involved with job-wise or volunteer-wise to start her "brand".  I thought it was a joke!  But about 20 people offered helpful suggestions for high-profile volunteer work, MLMs (haha), and developing social media skills.  I still thought she was playing them until finally one person replied, "Wait, you mean you just want to be famous for something and you don't care what?" and the OP got very offended and they had a long back & forth cat fight.  She kept repeating "It's for my DAUGHTER!  I want to stay home with my DAUGHTER!"  Best thing I'd seen online all week. :D.
Title: Re: The Empty Mason Jar of the Influencer Economy
Post by: dangersquid on July 09, 2019, 02:06:55 PM
Marketing has long had a problem with not being able to quantitatively demonstrate that their activities are useful to the people who pay them. There is a famous quote along the lines of "Half of the marketing budget is wasted, the problem is that you don't know which half."

My point here is that before we get to baffled about why anyone pays attention to "influemcers," we should consider the possibility that maybe consumers aren't actually paying much attention to them, and the marketers are mostly just wasting money.
Title: Re: The Empty Mason Jar of the Influencer Economy
Post by: Travis on July 09, 2019, 03:00:26 PM
Marketing has long had a problem with not being able to quantitatively demonstrate that their activities are useful to the people who pay them. There is a famous quote along the lines of "Half of the marketing budget is wasted, the problem is that you don't know which half."

My point here is that before we get to baffled about why anyone pays attention to "influemcers," we should consider the possibility that maybe consumers aren't actually paying much attention to them, and the marketers are mostly just wasting money.

It's not as much a concern about whether "influencers" actually have an effect on consumption, but rather the concept that it's possible to make a career out of tweeting about some random product.  I find the idea that being famous for being famous as an occupation and others wanting to pursue the same path to be disgusting.  My 9 year old has been asking me how to monetize Youtube.  He watches people get advertising income from doing any random number of things - most of which have no impact on society.
Title: Re: The Empty Mason Jar of the Influencer Economy
Post by: Just Joe on July 10, 2019, 09:24:56 AM
I'd be interested in reading what you've told your little one. I have a young teen with the same idea - YT videos for money. We've watched a huge number of videos together and it looks like all fun and games to my teen.

https://www.youtube.com/user/edgarmcsteelpotco

Perfect example of videos that hold my teen's attention.
Title: Re: The Empty Mason Jar of the Influencer Economy
Post by: Psychstache on July 10, 2019, 10:46:15 AM
Marketing has long had a problem with not being able to quantitatively demonstrate that their activities are useful to the people who pay them. There is a famous quote along the lines of "Half of the marketing budget is wasted, the problem is that you don't know which half."

My point here is that before we get to baffled about why anyone pays attention to "influemcers," we should consider the possibility that maybe consumers aren't actually paying much attention to them, and the marketers are mostly just wasting money.

It's like the story from Freakonomics (At least i'm pretty sure it was from one of the Dubner books) where they were working with a company who it turned out accidently forgot to place an ad buy in the newspaper in one of their markets (part of their strategy). When the team looked and compared it to other markets where they were buying the ads, there was no noticeable difference in sales. Presented with this, the company sent out an order for the newspaper ad buy, because they liked the ads and that's what they did. People are dumb.
Title: Re: The Empty Mason Jar of the Influencer Economy
Post by: catorbe on July 10, 2019, 12:30:01 PM
Anyone else notice her middle name or first of two last names??? is Gotschall? Basically to me it sounds like it says got you all (scammed you all) LOL
Title: Re: The Empty Mason Jar of the Influencer Economy
Post by: mckaylabaloney on July 10, 2019, 03:51:50 PM
Anyone else notice her middle name or first of two last names??? is Gotschall? Basically to me it sounds like it says got you all (scammed you all) LOL

Fun fact! Gotschall was her surname at birth; she swapped her middle and last names when she turned 18 (so Gotschall is now her middle name) because she liked Calloway better.
Title: Re: The Empty Mason Jar of the Influencer Economy
Post by: sapphail on July 10, 2019, 08:33:38 PM
Anyone else notice her middle name or first of two last names??? is Gotschall? Basically to me it sounds like it says got you all (scammed you all) LOL

She's currently selling crappy home-made artwork for like $80 a pop, and recently was e-begging fans to Venmo her money. I'm amazed she still has followers.
Title: Re: The Empty Mason Jar of the Influencer Economy
Post by: Just Joe on July 11, 2019, 08:52:54 AM
That's a sad way to live life.
Title: Re: The Empty Mason Jar of the Influencer Economy
Post by: SerenaDarrin on July 12, 2019, 08:50:12 AM
O "do you know what a social media influencer is?" and then went straight into, essentially, asking me to give them free stuff so they can "showcase" it on their social media feed and give me "exposure." 

Yep.  Ugh.  I've had -so- many social media folks who offer to pay me in 'exposure'  When I ask what else, and tell them I can't pay my rent with 'exposure',  the blank stare usually is a dead giveaway.   (Don't get me wrong, I'm happy to do a social media -collaboration- with someone where there's no direct monetary gain, but that's where we've sat down and actually figure out what both of us get out of this!]
Title: Re: The Empty Mason Jar of the Influencer Economy
Post by: SerenaDarrin on July 12, 2019, 08:55:07 AM
Also, it reminds me of this: "If I wanted exposure I'd get my Tits out."

https://www.countessablaze.com/blogs/news/shit-tea-and-tray-bake

Title: Re: The Empty Mason Jar of the Influencer Economy
Post by: Bloop Bloop on July 12, 2019, 05:34:52 PM
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2019/jul/13/couscousforcomment-the-hashtag-shaming-instagrammers-who-demand-free-food

When your platform (Instagram) is as vulgar and ubiquitous as Myspace used to be, but even more commercially focussed, then what value are the posts?

I mean, what are Influencers (and their fans) trying to accomplish? Pave the way for everyone to have incredibly boring, yet simultaneously pretentious and over-priced, meals and consumer items?

I'm not a huge consumer myself, but if I were, I wouldn't exactly be gunning for the latest and greatest from my Instagram feed. That seems to me to be the 2019 equivalent of getting your news from the TV Guide.
Title: Re: The Empty Mason Jar of the Influencer Economy
Post by: prudent_one on July 13, 2019, 11:11:41 AM
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2019/jul/13/couscousforcomment-the-hashtag-shaming-instagrammers-who-demand-free-food

When your platform (Instagram) is as vulgar and ubiquitous as Myspace used to be, but even more commercially focussed, then what value are the posts?

I mean, what are Influencers (and their fans) trying to accomplish? Pave the way for everyone to have incredibly boring, yet simultaneously pretentious and over-priced, meals and consumer items?

I'm not a huge consumer myself, but if I were, I wouldn't exactly be gunning for the latest and greatest from my Instagram feed. That seems to me to be the 2019 equivalent of getting your news from the TV Guide.

I think the difference is that the target market for "influencers" consists of people who consume nothing but social media. They see/hear/read nothing else. When all the people one follows are raving about something, it sounds like it must be awesome. And you end up shaking your head when you hear about things like the "Tide Pod challenge" thinking who could be that stupid.
Title: Re: The Empty Mason Jar of the Influencer Economy
Post by: iris lily on July 20, 2019, 10:25:00 AM
I hate-follow a couple of influencers. The word in the world of social media snark is that influencer dollars are drying up like my unwatered Impatiens in this heat wave.

Does anyone else know The Freckled Fox? A once boring but beautiful  Morman blogger now embroiled in family soap opera (her young husband dies of cancer, 5 kids, she remarries in 90 days, new husband appears as an a**, legal challenges from grandparents for child custody....etc.) only with the drama does she get interesting.
Title: Re: The Empty Mason Jar of the Influencer Economy
Post by: iris lily on July 20, 2019, 10:26:17 AM
Let me also say that Carolyn Calloway just cannot possibly be cutting edge because mason jars have been around for years. I wouldn't give a dime toward someone with such backwards vision.
Title: Re: The Empty Mason Jar of the Influencer Economy
Post by: Freedom2016 on July 25, 2019, 09:01:22 AM
Quote
I think my favorite part is below. If I never heard the term "brand" applied to a person again, it would be too soon.

Ditto!  I've always hated that!

I teach leadership to tech folks and one of my students one year wrote about building his personal "brand." I reprimanded him for talking about himself as though he were a product. I automatically distrust someone using this kind of stupid language.
Title: Re: The Empty Mason Jar of the Influencer Economy
Post by: Kris on July 25, 2019, 09:05:15 AM
Quote
I think my favorite part is below. If I never heard the term "brand" applied to a person again, it would be too soon.

Ditto!  I've always hated that!

I teach leadership to tech folks and one of my students one year wrote about building his personal "brand." I reprimanded him for talking about himself as though he were a product. I automatically distrust someone using this kind of stupid language.

Every time I hear a person talk about their brand, I think of Fat Bastard.

https://youtu.be/WqURlQkFJKU
Title: Re: The Empty Mason Jar of the Influencer Economy
Post by: fuzzy math on July 31, 2019, 10:24:02 AM
Quote
I think my favorite part is below. If I never heard the term "brand" applied to a person again, it would be too soon.

Ditto!  I've always hated that!

I teach leadership to tech folks and one of my students one year wrote about building his personal "brand." I reprimanded him for talking about himself as though he were a product. I automatically distrust someone using this kind of stupid language.

If corporations are people, can't people be products?? We all just move down one notch on the humanity scale
Title: Re: The Empty Mason Jar of the Influencer Economy
Post by: fuzzy math on July 31, 2019, 10:28:30 AM
Based off the collective vomiting from the original article, I did not read it.
I always knew that people like the Kardashians were influencers, but naively assumed it was limited to that small of a segment of people in the industry.

When the whole college admissions scandal came out, Lori Laughlin's kids were thrust into the spotlight. I was surprised to learn there are so many trust fund babies becoming filthy rich on their own at such a young age who aren't exactly in the mainstream and yet are making some serious bank. One of the daughters was in influencer in college. I think her whole dorm room was sponsored. She might have makeup tutorials too. I think her whole world came crashing down, but I can't be bothered to google it again honestly because its like the commenter above who mentions "hate following" someone. LOL
Title: Re: The Empty Mason Jar of the Influencer Economy
Post by: jinga nation on August 01, 2019, 07:19:19 AM
Quote
I think my favorite part is below. If I never heard the term "brand" applied to a person again, it would be too soon.

Ditto!  I've always hated that!

I teach leadership to tech folks and one of my students one year wrote about building his personal "brand." I reprimanded him for talking about himself as though he were a product. I automatically distrust someone using this kind of stupid language.

If corporations are people, can't people be products?? We all just move down one notch on the humanity scale
People are already products. Data collected on you is packaged and sold aka "monetized" in Silicon Valley parlance.
Social Media, shopping loyalty cards, online shopping, etc. This is what happens when you transition from cash-based anonymous shopping.
And your smartphones... "tracking for your safety". Lulz.
Amazon Echo, Google Home etc...
I say all this but y'all love getting tracked and do jack shit about it but kvetch.
Having a pi-hole in your house is a start to prevent trackers.
Google the basics on making your smartphone stop leaking data to manufacturer/OS vendor/app developers.
Title: Re: The Empty Mason Jar of the Influencer Economy
Post by: Just Joe on August 01, 2019, 04:08:30 PM
Good podcast:

https://www.npr.org/programs/fresh-air/2019/07/31/746878315/fresh-air-for-july-31-2019-how-tech-companies-track-your-every-move?showDate=2019-07-31
Title: Re: The Empty Mason Jar of the Influencer Economy
Post by: Miss Piggy on August 06, 2019, 03:59:18 PM
And you end up shaking your head when you hear about things like the "Tide Pod challenge" thinking who could be that stupid.

You just haven't tried the right flavors.
Title: Re: The Empty Mason Jar of the Influencer Economy
Post by: Wrenchturner on August 06, 2019, 04:28:09 PM
Some people are making a good living and also doing some great things with their exposure.  But I'd be careful about relying on it, that type of work experience might not get you a job!
Title: Re: The Empty Mason Jar of the Influencer Economy
Post by: Davnasty on August 06, 2019, 08:34:05 PM
Good podcast:

https://www.npr.org/programs/fresh-air/2019/07/31/746878315/fresh-air-for-july-31-2019-how-tech-companies-track-your-every-move?showDate=2019-07-31

And another:

https://www.revealnews.org/episodes/harpooned-by-facebook/

Facebook is targeting children and addicts. They refer to people who get addicted to virtual gambling (As in, they can spend real money but only win virtual money) as whales.