Author Topic: The Empty Mason Jar of the Influencer Economy  (Read 20091 times)

Travis

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Re: The Empty Mason Jar of the Influencer Economy
« Reply #50 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.

Just Joe

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Re: The Empty Mason Jar of the Influencer Economy
« Reply #51 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.

Psychstache

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Re: The Empty Mason Jar of the Influencer Economy
« Reply #52 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.

catorbe

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Re: The Empty Mason Jar of the Influencer Economy
« Reply #53 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

mckaylabaloney

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Re: The Empty Mason Jar of the Influencer Economy
« Reply #54 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.

sapphail

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Re: The Empty Mason Jar of the Influencer Economy
« Reply #55 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.

Just Joe

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Re: The Empty Mason Jar of the Influencer Economy
« Reply #56 on: July 11, 2019, 08:52:54 AM »
That's a sad way to live life.

SerenaDarrin

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Re: The Empty Mason Jar of the Influencer Economy
« Reply #57 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!]

SerenaDarrin

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Re: The Empty Mason Jar of the Influencer Economy
« Reply #58 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


Bloop Bloop

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Re: The Empty Mason Jar of the Influencer Economy
« Reply #59 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.

prudent_one

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Re: The Empty Mason Jar of the Influencer Economy
« Reply #60 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.

iris lily

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Re: The Empty Mason Jar of the Influencer Economy
« Reply #61 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.

iris lily

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Re: The Empty Mason Jar of the Influencer Economy
« Reply #62 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.

Freedom2016

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Re: The Empty Mason Jar of the Influencer Economy
« Reply #63 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.

Kris

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Re: The Empty Mason Jar of the Influencer Economy
« Reply #64 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

fuzzy math

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Re: The Empty Mason Jar of the Influencer Economy
« Reply #65 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

fuzzy math

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Re: The Empty Mason Jar of the Influencer Economy
« Reply #66 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

jinga nation

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Re: The Empty Mason Jar of the Influencer Economy
« Reply #67 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.
« Last Edit: August 01, 2019, 07:22:20 AM by jinga nation »

Just Joe

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Miss Piggy

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Re: The Empty Mason Jar of the Influencer Economy
« Reply #69 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.

Wrenchturner

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Re: The Empty Mason Jar of the Influencer Economy
« Reply #70 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!

Davnasty

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Re: The Empty Mason Jar of the Influencer Economy
« Reply #71 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.