५ एप्रिल, २०२०

"Influencers have been a source of ire long before the pandemic, rightly or wrongly."

"These people are usually women, usually young, and have usually built their business on their own persona, which requires a sort of self-aggrandizement to work. But it’s the last bit that doesn’t sit well at a time when survival depends on a group effort... As even some A-list celebrities have shown, this may just be a time for quiet reflection on the part of those we usually love to watch. But unlike A-listers, who tend to have an infrastructure of resources to fall back on, if influencers go quiet, their livelihoods could collapse around them.... Influencing is a massive industry, one that almost feels too big, too ingrained as an advertising mechanism to just go away. But like so many industries right now, it’s hard to tell how much and how permanently this pause will effect [sic] business as usual...."

From "Is This the End of Influencing as We Knew It?/Social media celebrities came under fire for bad pandemic behavior this week" (Vanity Fair).

Is there much of a chance that after this thing is over, we'll be more serious, more aware of what really matters in life, and we'll be done with the "influencers"?

It's a nice distraction to try to think of some of the good things that could come of this. We were just talking yesterday about whether the Coronavirus Era will spell the end of "wokeism." I said, I thought wokeism would survive, but maybe snowflakeism would succumb.

५५ टिप्पण्या:

Lurker21 म्हणाले...

Is This the End of Influencing as We Knew It?

Sure. Like 9/11 was the end of irony.

I mean that seriously.

Irony has been so over for the last 20 years.

David Begley म्हणाले...

Thanks for that sic. Vanity Fair sucks.

These models and predictions are going to be proven wildly wrong. I’m on record that Nebraska will have about 50 deaths; 8 right now. The so-called experts say 442.

Sebastian म्हणाले...

Is their behavior worse than the bad pandemic behavior of the sensationalizing MSM and the other promoters of panic and economic devastation?

Big Mike म्हणाले...

Is there much of a chance that after this thing is over, we'll be more serious, more aware of what really matters in life, and we'll be done with the "influencers"?

None whatsoever.

We were just talking yesterday about whether the Coronavirus Era will spell the end of "wokeism." I said, I thought wokeism would survive, but maybe snowflakeism would succumb.

Also no. From afar it seems to me that it's just too damned much fun being a snowflake and making a mess out of someone else's life, especially when that someone else, by dint of greater talent and/or better work ethic, has been more successful in life than the snowflake. See crabs in a stew pot mentality.

chickelit म्हणाले...

I think the influencers are missing a golden opportunity to influence the types of mask people -- especially women -- wear. Think of a mask as a few square inches of adversitizing space. The opportunituies are endless. You can speak any message just by wearing it.

Yancey Ward म्हणाले...

Snowflakeism, as I understand the term, is ascendant today, not in decline. Perhaps Althouse should offer her definition?

Shouting Thomas म्हणाले...

My church biz is booming. I’ve been creating videos of preludes, postludes and hymns for streaming services.

My primary client is keeping it together with online services. The pastor is recommending me as a consultant to other churches that don’t know how to make it happen.

Plenty of people think that church services are somewhere between evil and of no purpose.

I haven’t seen much of the influencer stuff, although I’ve read about it. Most of it seems incredibly frivolous to me. And, I think that for every influencer who’s making some serious money there must be hundreds who are earning pennies.

Everybody makes a living in the way that they can.

Big Mike म्हणाले...

The "influencer" mentality was captured in a scene from the old "Ally McBeal." An older female lawyer from a different firm comments on the length of Ally's skirt.

"Next year everyone will be wearing their skirt this length."

"Why do you think that?"

"Because I'm wearing it this length this year."

I remember the scene vividly because it captured something very basic about women (speaking as a whole, of course). My wife, a female scientist when universities resisted awarding doctorates to women in the hard sciences, being a major exception.

Otto म्हणाले...

"I said, I thought wokeism would survive" Not surprised,it was one of the cornerstones of 60s liberalism. Back then it was called deconstruction.

Lurker21 म्हणाले...

Is there much of a chance that after this thing is over, we'll be more serious, more aware of what really matters in life, and we'll be done with the "influencers"?

One reason we are serious and aware now is because the media are all about coronavirus. When this is over, and they still have hundreds of channels to fill, it will be back to the fluff. That is assuming there won't be a major economic catastrophe. Then all bets are off.

Jupiter म्हणाले...

It does seem like this should be a wonderful time to be a mask designer.

Ann Althouse म्हणाले...

The wokeism/snowflakeism distinction is not obvious to you?!

LakeLevel म्हणाले...

And it's high time. Influence needs to be back where it belongs, centered on Madison Avenue, which is, not coincidentally I think, 2 blocks from Vanity Fair headquarters.

gilbar म्हणाले...

It's a nice distraction to try to think of some of the good things that could come of this

serious question: What Ever happened to Vaxers? Remember Vaxers? where'd They Go?

Fernandinande म्हणाले...

Influencing = marketing and advertising.
Influencer = someone who does marketing and advertising.

Marketing and advertising aren't going away because some celebrities came under fire for whatever.

Zach म्हणाले...

I'm no fan of influencers, but the incidents in the article just sound like cyber bullying.

But Charnas didn’t stop there. She posted photos and stories of herself cuddling her children instead of keeping them at a distance.

Cuddling your children is not breaking quarantine.

Bay Area Guy म्हणाले...

I wish I was an influencer. How does one apply for the job?

Yancey Ward म्हणाले...

My understanding of snowflakes is that they are people who wrongly believe they are special, and that stance makes them extremely sensitive to criticism and opposing opinions. I see this ascendant the last month, not in decline. In short, it has gotten worse, not better in the age of Tru.....Covid-19.

Zach म्हणाले...

My guess is that influencing will survive the Pandemic, because it's a natural extension of what pretty young girls already do on Instagram: advertise their lifestyle. And if the lifestyle on the Internet is a little nicer than the lifestyle in the real world, isn't that always the way it was?

Influencers will have some trouble during the Pandemic, because nobody's lifestyle is all that envious right now.

Cyber bullies will be present during and after, because people like being bullies. Wokeism is the hook, bullying is the chorus.

gilbar म्हणाले...

David Begley said...
These models and predictions are going to be proven wildly wrong. I’m on record that Nebraska will have about 50 deaths; 8 right now. The so-called experts say 442.

If we count Omaha, Bellevue, and Lincoln, as One Metro (which will Piss Off David), we're looking at 34 murders so far this year (22+6+6); which are (i think) Most of the murders in Nebraska

Fun Game!
predict When (IF?) more people die in Nebraska from Covid-19, than from murders
(but don't forget! Social distancing ain't gonna stop Omaha folk from being So Pissed that they can't live in Council Bluffs, that they are FORCED to shot each other : )
https://www.roadsnacks.net/these-are-the-10-murder-capitals-of-nebraska/

Big Mike म्हणाले...

The wokeism/snowflakeism distinction is not obvious to you?!

It's the sort of hairs liberals enjoy wasting their time splitting. The two support each other; get rid of either and the other must disappear.

Bob Smith म्हणाले...

I’d settle for disposing of the layers upon layers of empty suits that inhabit government.

Shouting Thomas म्हणाले...

Selling your cute kids on YouTube has been an exceptionally successful strategy for a few parents.

See Gaby & Alex, and Ryan’s Toy Review for the most successful practitioners of this.

tim maguire म्हणाले...

There will be no long-term changes. Human nature will inevitably reassert itself.

Caligula म्हणाले...

"Influencing is a massive industry, one that almost feels too big, too ingrained as an advertising mechanism to just go away."

Influencing is an industry that you either just "get," or you don't. Those who don't see a carefully manufactured "authenticity" that appears to be about 100% phony. Those who do see glamour, style, "I could be that" if only, if only I just bought these things already.

The old-school version of this was the athlete presenting some product on TV who, one suspects, had to be carefully coached to point the product label toward the camera. Those who didn't "get it" wondered if the athlete had even used the product, and couldn't understand how anyone could possibly be influenced by such nonsense. Those who did admired the athlete and lined up to buy a piece of that reflected athletic glory.

SO, no, no matter how dumb the influencers acts become, it's not going away. Because, there will always be those who want to believe badly enough to buy it.

Ken B म्हणाले...

I think wokeism will survive too unless the epidemic is really really bad.

Ken B म्हणाले...

I think wokeism will survive too unless the epidemic is really really bad.

Original Mike म्हणाले...

"The wokeism/snowflakeism distinction is not obvious to you?!"

They seem like pretty much the same people to me. I think a lot of snowflake behavior is an affect used by wokers in an attempt to get their way.

Kevin म्हणाले...

Yep, everyone said the same crap after 9/11, and then went right back to doing what they did before, but harder.

Temujin म्हणाले...

It's all I can do to influence my wife.

CJinPA म्हणाले...

"Influencers" used to be called "media whores." Now that they get paid better, they're "media sex workers."

CJinPA म्हणाले...

Not to be cynical, but I don't think attitudes will change too much.

Snowflakeism, like all socially created traits, go away when it no longer provides a benefit. Will there no longer be an audience for that, or after a pandemic will there be a greater audience for hyper-sensitivity to potential threats?

Jack Klompus म्हणाले...

Influencers seem slightly more useful than directors of diversity, equity, and inclusion.

dreams म्हणाले...

I don't consider "Woke" mature, just trendy so I think it's snowflake like.

Achilles म्हणाले...

Is there much of a chance that after this thing is over, we'll be more serious, more aware of what really matters in life, and we'll be done with the "influencers"?

We are a police state now.

I think it is funny watching many Americans talk about being serious or what really matters in life.

Time for a bunch of you all to move to China or Afghanistan and find out what really matters.

You have been given too much and did too little to earn it.

William म्हणाले...

I don't know the name of a single social media celebrity. I'm vaguely aware of a few rap stars. I know who Hailey Baldwin and Justin Bieber are. I hope they find happiness together.

MadTownGuy म्हणाले...

Ann Althouse said...
"The wokeism/snowflakeism distinction is not obvious to you?!"

They're both of a piece. Wokeism is used to lecture; snowflakeism is used to censor.

Greg the class traitor म्हणाले...

Is there much of a chance that after this thing is over, we'll be more serious, more aware of what really matters in life, and we'll be done with the "influencers"?

Well, I expect most of us will be done with "influencers" who's sole source of influence is that they make video of themselves acting like a shallowly worthless moron.

OTOH, I expect that there will be a bunch of people for whom "shallowly worthless" is just what they're looking for

Earnest Prole म्हणाले...

Old media with small audience fantasizes that new media with enormous audience will somehow just go away and things will be just like they were before.

Clayton Hennesey म्हणाले...

Coronavirus compliance is but the latest, wokiest wokeness.

Your woke ranking right now depends secondarily upon how fastidiously you submit to every possible directive conceivable, primarily upon how loudly you scold everyone else for possibly falling short.

How loathesome to be the slightest bit less selfless than you.

Freeman Hunt म्हणाले...

My impression of influencers has been that they have little interaction with actual, regular consumers and mostly project the appearance of influence by interacting with each other and click farms. I could be wrong.

Lurker21 म्हणाले...

I don't know about this "snowflake" business. People object to things for a variety of reasons. My guess is that few of them are seeking "safe spaces" because they are "triggered" by "microaggressions." Some people get pleasure from getting things cancelled and people banned. Others like to complain. Sometimes complaining brings real advantages. Sometimes there are legitimate things to complain about or criticize.

Complaining seems to be our common culture nowadays - though the things complained about vary. It's a little ironic that people who are always complaining about something assume that other people who are always complaining about something are somehow sensitive and gentle flowers, when they are often old bats as tough as those who are labeling them.

You could ban all the snowflake talk about "triggering" and "microaggressions" and "safe spaces" and cancel culture will still prevail at universities, because when young people try to be serious nowadays they don't have that much to work with but race, gender, sexual preference and identity. So woke culture and cancel culture won't be disappearing anytime soon.

cubanbob म्हणाले...

Is there much of a chance that after this thing is over, we'll be more serious, more aware of what really matters in life, and we'll be done with the "influencers"?

No. Next. Apparently the people at Vanity Fair ( the name of the magazine alone says it all) are completely devoid of self-awareness. That magazine is nothing a showcase of influencing people to spend buckets of money. I suppose they hate upstart competition.

MadTownGuy म्हणाले...

Ann Althouse said...
"The wokeism/snowflakeism distinction is not obvious to you?!"

They're both of a piece. Wokeism is used to lecture; snowflakeism is used to censor. There's the distinction.

Michael म्हणाले...

Laugh in woke faces. Be not influenced by children.

bagoh20 म्हणाले...

One clue that this pandemic is not all that terrible is that we still mostly use it as a way to criticize, blame, mock, bully and silence the people we already disagree with. That proves that it's not so much of a disaster that "we are all in together". We have higher priorities.

JAORE म्हणाले...

I have several influencers in my life. Most notably my wife. But others too. You know people that can actually DO stuff.

bagoh20 म्हणाले...

I dived deep into the Youtube world over the last couple years in specific areas like firearms, mobile living, metal working, and others. Each category is a community in itself with it's own jargon, memes, conflicts, dramas, and personalities. Most of it is friendly and cooperative, but there are rivalries and enemies in each one too. It's a rich world with lots of information to learn, since having good info is one of the best ways to get popular. I've learned so much from these people, and I'm glad it's out there.

On the other hand, there are ones like the Kardashian types that are mind numbing and trivial, but make tons of money off of young girls. I guess those are just another form of entertainment, but some of these influencers have far too much influence.

Wince म्हणाले...

...if influencers go quiet, their livelihoods could collapse around them.

One group I wouldn't mind saying, "learn to code" or "there's always barber college."

SGT Ted म्हणाले...

"These people are usually women, usually young, and have usually built their business on their own persona, which requires a sort of self-aggrandizement to work. "

It's built primarily on their photogenic attractiveness from what I've seen.

bagoh20 म्हणाले...

I agree, Achillies.

BUMBLE BEE म्हणाले...

Tiger Beat stuff for the kids. Achillies +100

Howard म्हणाले...

Achilles cry's Police State from the rooftops, his fans cheer.

Paranoia strikes deep
Into your life it will creep
It starts when you're always afraid
You step out of line, the man come and take you away


It's like you people are worried the authorities will start treating middle class Whites like African Americans and Honduran refugees.


Achilles म्हणाले...

It is that time of month for Howard.

That or his boyfriend dumped him.

It will be OK Howard.

Martin म्हणाले...

"Is there much of a chance that after this thing is over, we'll be more serious, more aware of what really matters in life, and we'll be done with the "influencers"?"

Sure, and it will last between 1 week and 2 months, tops.