@@99sins Real friends, how many of us? How many of us, how many jealous? Real friends It's not many of us, we smile at each other But how many honest? Trust issues -Kanye
Is it ironic to watch them through this level of indirection through a critical lens? True, you might paradoxically be "influenced" by them either way. But while the alternative would be not watching them at all, ignoring them despite their influence seems as neglectful and dangerous as blindly following them.
It's easy to get caught up in the idea that life would be better if you were rich and famous if your life sucks. But the grass is _not_ greener on the other side
@@kookiespace Yeah. Being put on a pedestal can have isolating effects that make things pretty miserable. Not as bad as being seen as lesser, but it's pretty close. If anyone wonders how I know....
me! im lazy AF and just want to eat, sleep and watch tv all day lol and have privacy and be anonymous! the idea of random strangers recognizing you in public terrifies me
No. As a GenXer, this whole influencer thing makes no sense to me. Sure, my needs and desires have been monetised by artists, record labels and film studios, but my interest in the private life of my idols never went further than reading a biography. As a matter of fact, the more I found out about the privat lives of my favourite artists, the more I lost interest in their art. I am fascinated of youtube as a platform for people with great content who are not taking the influencer approach though and spent way too much time here:)
i've never understood the appeal of watching rich people do stupid stuff. i really don't care what luxurious appartments or lifestyle other people have and never will.
To be honest I love watching videos of apartment/houses because I'm passionate about home decor (and have always been), and I watch reactions of dermatologists/skin experts about skincare routines because I'm passionate about skincare (and have always been), but other than that I agree with you. Most times they're not even entertaining.
My mom used to love this rich people's reality shows. And always questioned why, she told me that this is the closest thing to dreaming about having a luxurious life, and that made me so sad. Like, she worked hard af, my dad work everyday and we still could't afford the cheapest item those people own, so we just watch them do the things we wanted to do if we had money. It's depressing.
I just don’t get the appeal of influencers it’s just simply shallow I’d rather watch a musician who makes original music or a filmmaker who makes short films on RUclips it’s something that has more to enjoy influencers are just social media presence and nothing else which is boring to me
Influencers are sentient ads. Their professional and personal lives are the same, as they have morphed the latter into the former. Every moment of their life is a "branding opportunity' or chance to "collab". To ask who these people really are is pointless, because they have so blurred the line between reality and spectacle as to make them indistinguishable. You might as well claim to "know" the person on a billboard.
Kpop has a huge influencer aspect to it and the Parasocial Relationships within Kpop are extreme due to how the industry presents K-Idols - perfect and attainable. None of this is a coincidence - they're after our money and they're so good at making us give to them. I honestly think Kpop's a great case study for Celebrity Influencers and Parasocial Relationships. It's fascinating but also terrifying.
@@bangtan_koreia3637 the fact the idols are not allowed to place boundaries and call out sasesags and the company profits off the sasesags is disgusting
As Bo Burnham once said "we flock to performers by the thousands ‘cause we’re the few that have found an audience, and then I’m supposed to get up here and say follow your dreams - as if this is a meritocracy? It is not, okay? I had a privileged life, and I got lucky, and I’m unhappy."
Most of your life is already written the day you see your first light. The universe decides how wealthy, attractive and intelligent you are born. And from that day you can only move inside of pre-written boundaries, boundaries that decide the probability of certain events to happen. You are exceptionally attractive and already wealthy? Chances are higher that you may end up even richer and or even famous. It's a game of luck, I can attest to that since I've been born with a lot of privileges. How many people could be good artists, musicians or have a passion that they can't pursue since life never lead them onto the path of exploring these unknown strengths? I don't believe in fate, I believe life is a path of probabilities. Probabilities you may be influencing from time to time, but mostly probabilities that you cannot control. I therefore think the way can't be a culture of narcissistic egomaniacs that couldn't care less about other people, we as a society have to stop celebrating the rich and stop discriminating the poor. We have to work together, share more and care less about personal gain but rather profit of the whole society. We have to stop competing about everything and need to start cooperating. And I will try everything in my might to add a small part of that vision to happen. One can only hope artifical intelligence will make the major part of jobs unnecessary, we will be forced to take a different path and leave the one that is going down the road of greed and jealousy.
What's tragic about it is the fact that many people who waste their money on "influencers" are actually living check to check and can't even afford to help themselves, which is why I don't get why they are making the rich richer. I would understand if a rich person decides to help strangers online but when it's the average Joe, I can't help but judge.
Because those aspiring to be an influencer, buy these products to not just fit in, but make videos/pics showing off that they're able to be just like the influencers they're emulating.
My parents would tell me that my 90s/00s childhood was so much different from their 60s childhoods, but the childhoods of people in this decade and beyond will be even more radically different and highly digital
I grew up in the 80s & 90s, starting out the original Macintosh where green was the only color on the screen! I'm now the mom of a 3 y/o and am terrified of what world he'll have to deal w/ as a tween/teen. It's even worse for girls. We're on a path unknown, but it's just making young people's social lives so much harder to navigate when you're still technically a kid. Superficial crap & popularity that I had to deal w/ in the 90s were bad enough, but now it's so much worse because of social media. It was hard enough to deal w/ being bullied for not shopping at a certain store at the local mall, but now you're being pushed to look good enough to have millions of fans, buying ridiculously expensive brands, & always posting the right thing, when you're just trying to navigate middle & high school. It must be terribly difficult to navigate through.
@@ArtisticlyAlexis so much pressure for both girls and boys to look like models, to act confident and to achieve lots of success at a young age despite the unfavourable economic landscape, and we have terrible menntal health services to compound the problem :/
@@ArtisticlyAlexis I'm a teenage boy today, and honestly, I'd say this is pretty hyperbolic. Nobody is expected to look good enough to have millions of fans that I know. Nobody. People who expect that do it to themselves and it's mostly just grand delusion, without SM they'd have a different grand delusion. I basically just treat social media as a platform to engage with content, and maybe text my friends or see whatever they're up to. It seems that's how most people I know look at it. I'm not saying there are no problems with SM, because there are, but it's not anywhere near as bad as most people over 25 think. I've seen videos of teenagers from the 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s, and they seem to be like teens today. If you raise them well enough, your kids will be fine. I'm willing to admit that it could be completely different for girls, but I haven't seen much of that much where I live.
Back then, at least you were safe when u left school and got home. Now the bullies have your social accounts and can harass you in your personal space too 😥
"It's better to live with an uncomfortable truth than a comforting lie" If only more people understood this. It's the eating your vegetables of intellectual wellbeing.
How many people are actually living by this idea though? It's one thing to say you're for the truth, but how many are actually about it? What is the truth and how does one know they've obtained it?
@@rmj8905 It's not about knowing the truth, it's about questioning the things you currently hold as truth. The idea is to avoid confirmation bias, ask yourself WHY you believe the things you do.
Being a younger millennial in influencer culture can be so disheartening sometimes. I struggle with serious mental illness issues that make it difficult for me to work, but I love to write and draw. Those hobbies are the only things that really bring me joy. In influencer culture, combined with the capitalist/Pull-Up-Your-Bootstraps mentality, I feel the need to turn my passions into profit. And that makes it incredibly difficult to actually be productive or even feel like I can give myself credit for the work I do. And I care SO MUCH about the quality of my work, which makes it even more frustrating that I don't have a lot I feel is worth showing the general public yet. But then there are people out here who can literally make a video of themselves farting, put it on TikTok and get a million dollar brand deal with Ulta or some shit. In a way, I can respect the hustle and ability to just put yourself out there. But in other ways, I feel extremely discouraged that the work I pour my heart into will never be good enough or popular enough because the media market is already so over-saturated.
That's a real shame! I've come to terms with myself in not needing to profit from my hobbies. It's something I love and if one or 10000000 people end up enjoying my content, then that's enough. I gave it my all and I have no regrets. I can only imagine how dissapointing it must be on your end! I totally resonate with needing my work to be of the top quality. I do hope you result with some profit as hard work going unrecognized is very sad to see for me. Best of luck!
I love to draw but don't ever want to make it more than a hobby. For me, trying to profit off this particular skill would suck all the joy out of it, partly for the reasons you've described. I think the thing is, in this oversaturated market, you just gotta find your niche. You'll likely never create something that has super broad appeal like these influencers and that's fine. Things that do have that appeal are boring and generic imo. You can build a loyal following based on the particular type of art you create. There are plenty of people out there who will appreciate it and be happy to support you, you just gotta find em.
Omg I feel the exact same. I have two degrees but thing I enjoy the most and am best at is painting. I'm definitely at a skill level where I could sell my paintings for a few hundred dollars but I just don't want to make it my profession because of all the soul-sucking marketing and managing that comes with it. And then you see other artists on social media who do all that and do put the effort in and its just shoved down your throat that your hobby is only of "professional quality" when you can actual profit off of it. It's so discouraging. I actually had to delete insta and tiktok because I couldn't escape the toxicity even tho I did everything I could to only engage with content that brings me geniune joy.
I've never understood the argument that you can't criticize something you're participating in, especially when it's something you have next to no choice to opt out of. It's more nonsensical to criticize something you have no experience with.
Yeah, I've always found the "But you make money!" retort to anti-capitalist ideas very confusing. Like, would you rather I starve? Actually, don't answer that... lot of people probably would rather anti-capitalist types starve than spread such dangerous ideology. But yeah, they don't seem to realise just how incredibly rich one has to be in order to effectively opt out of a capitalist system.
It's strange for me to live in a time where celebrities/influencers are so popular. I've never cared about celebrities, even when I was a kid. Celebrity crushes confused me even more. When my friends said they loved X celebrity/actor/singer I just thought to myself: "How can you love them when you haven't met them and will never meet them?" It feels almost like I'm immune to influencers at this point but hey maybe that's a good thing.
I think you might be demiromantic (like me) or grayromantic I RARELY have a crush on someone unless I've known them for a long time like my childhood friends :p
@@shirugipan2112 well you're right because I am! Though I think you can like celebrities/influencers and not be attracted to them I was just using that as an example haha
I never cared a lot for celebrities, only now I know a few actors, but only because I like their work. And I always loved some singers, but not on the having a crush meaning. Whenever I see one of those "instagram girls" shown as a ideal, I roll my eyes (metaphorically, I would never let them see how they affect me). Who needs to have "that body", anyway? Just be on a healthy weight. And those faces that look so plastic? I found them so ugly...
I never understood celebrity crushes, it always weirded me out that people have sexual fantasies for a complete stranger that doesn't know they exist and that they will never meet or have a lasting relationship
I was deep into the RUclips makeup culture a couple years ago. Luckily, I woke up one day and realized that it was making me miserable, but I can’t get back all the money and time I spent on it. This video and others like it are extremely valuable. When you’re caught up in it all, it’s hard to realize that there’s nothing stopping you from tuning out.
I was into that scene in 2012-15 and spent money I had no business spending on makeup products that I didn't need. I started to feel inadequate about my life, which pales in comparison to "influencers," (a word I hate), and I felt like a sucker when I finally snapped out of it.
@@stratavosstuff7575 I don't play MMO's but the social "free" to play games are terrible. They are literally designed by psychologists to make you addicted and keep you playing and paying. There are some pretty good articles out there outlining the way they manipulate the brain. I personally had issues with Farmville in the past. When the sequel came out they made it possible to stay off Facebook and I tried again with the determination I was not going to spent a single dime of real money.. but it still takes over your life, next thing you know you are just a robot clicking the buttons over and over, multiple times a day, planning your life around your "obligations" to the game and your fellow players.
From 2016-2018 I literally spent thousands of dollars at Sephora and thousands of dollars on clothes while I was working a minimum wage fast food job just because I watched people like Jeffree Star (🤢) and Tati, etc. And I thought that if I bought all these things they like, then I'd be better. And I look back at it and it's so fucking stupid LOL, like I could have used that money on a car. Or an apartment. But instead I'm still in my parents house with $3,000 worth of eyeshadow palettes I don't use in my bathroom. What a fucking waste.
I feel like saying "I want to be an influencer" (or youtuber/vlogger) is basically saying "I want to be acknowledged." or perhaps "I want to be liked, popular and pretty". In other times it would just be any other kind of role in society that would give a person the same things like respect and whatnot.
yup. twenty years ago, when asked this question, me & my peers wanted to be pop stars or actors, it's the same thing. all kids want whatever lifestyle that is thrown in their faces all the time.
@@pretty948 I still want to be an actress, but where I live is a game of connection and the industry is a very close business for the rich and connected or the super beautiful ( I’m from Italy). Besides, not having a supporting family and not coming from a rich background have slimmed down my chances even more.
Magazines serve the same purpose, especially fashion magazines. Their whole goal has been to make people feel inadequate so that they might want to buy what is featured, especially from the ad placements that make the magazine money.
But with social media influencers, the audience becomes more integrated into the ad itself, like shopping at IKEA: the consumer is the model in his own customized advertisement for an aesthetically clean and pure future self.
Friend of mine used to write the short fiction stories (there's usually 1 romance and 2 mystery per issue) for them and told about how much their business model is based on having weight loss tips on the cover and fattening recipes inside. "You want to be like us, but you never will" epitomized.
The difference is that starting a magazine require lots of money and connections. Anyone can be an influencer. All you need is an idea and a smartphone.
@@NJGuy1973 yeah, but anyone could start a magazine too. It’s just that only some were popular. Less start up cost but still, to be an influential influencer it’s not low cost or as easy as “I have a phone and camera”
Oh hell yeah. I miss the pre-corporate era before the normies invaded and then the geeky guys went rabid and became literal women-hating nazis. Something went super bad around the time corporations worked out how to make money out if the online space.
ehh even pre-corpo internet was filled to the brim with bigotry, predation and abuse. We just didn't get to hear about it from our favorite "lol look at these crazies" channel.
I mean, "influencer" in this context basically means "gentle manipulator". How could anyone want and like to be happily manipulated is beyond me. Oh... right. That was my engagement. Keep it up Salari.
Funny thing is, how the essential message of many influencers is to be "authentic. Yet we have the issue of heavily edited photos, flexing with actually sponsored items and obeying any trend to stay relevant.
Of course, one of my closest friends is one I've never met in the flesh. I also met my wife through friends online and had a long distance relationship for two and a half years.
@@Salari yes I have so many online friends. I have found so much solace in online communities. I have many aspie friends, nb friends, and friends in the same political and activist communities. I am surprised at how close I am with these people. In fact when I got kicked out of my house several of these people sent me money, meanwhile my "real life friends" wouldn't even let me stay one night on their couch.
Same. Although my late childhood's content consumption was weird and kinda cringy (in hindsight), I do miss it. I also miss YT recommendations being unique to each video, now it's really hard to find ANYTHING new because of the current algorithm.
As a gen z kid (now adult ig) who was introduced to social media comparatively late, the first person I watched on RUclips was Logan Paul and I watched his content for a solid year and then I had a whole personality crisis and abandoned him for good. So basically RUclips has always been cursed for me 😂💀
RUclips was bad in the early days. There was so much racism and colorism that was allowed back then on RUclips but since it doesn’t affect you of course you didn’t notice it. I will never forget seeing video after video of black people especially black women being mocked, ridiculed, and called racist names. 🤷🏿♀️
@@TheLeah2344 yeah, early RUclips was incredibly racist, sexist, and homophobic. Like, half of the people from that time period have had to apologize for black face among other serious issues.
6:13 That’s very true and I’m here to prove it. I’ve been watching RUclips since I was 6 yrs old, and around that time, RUclips just started. I had a RUclips + internet phase about 6 yrs later and wanted to be a RUclips star. Nowadays though logging onto RUclips feels like visiting a playground you used to visit as a child to see that it’s been knocked down and turned into a Starbucks, and knowing you’ll never get that playground back no matter how hard you try.
A lot of my friends and myself don't want luxury; we just want to make ends meet without needing to struggle. None of us want mansions (unless you count an apartment complex so we can all live together safely) and no one wants anything fancy. Would be nice to leave a $100 tip randomly now and then but we don't want luxury like that. Maybe it's because we're all poor and come from poor towns, maybe it's because we're one of those damn Millennials. And advertising to Millennials is easy; make a good product, do some charity stuff, help the environment, take care of your employees...oh, you stopped listening. Also, we love noncorporate things. And Gen Z lingo is fun!
But social media is changing the nature of culture so that people will be somewhat ostracized if they don't conform to the pursuit of luxury, though it is not necessarily the pursuit of luxury, just a predictable consumer path. This is how all social media influencers are connected in a meta-dialogue on the lower frequencies. Those lower frequencies end up changing the landscape on the surface that we all have to deal with. It seems to be increasingly difficult to be able to articulate the affirmative "No!"
@@pequodexpress I was a rebel before social media and I'll probably die one. Let it be difficult to say no, I'll still do as I wish and I'll still encourage people to follow their own happiness. I hated keeping up with the Jones and I refuse to follow trends unless I like them, then they'll be absorbed into my personality. Saying no is rebellious and important to learn.
@@TheCoyoteOutlaw Speaking of keeping up with the Joneses, have you seen the film _The Joneses_? It's quite good until the very end when the protagonist thinks he can just up and leave the game.
@@TheCoyoteOutlaw I like to think of myself as what the credit card industry calls a deadbeat: I take all the benefits they have to offer and give them not one cent in return by using the credit card in the same manner I would use cash. For a time, I thought this was a rebellious act but soon realized that even my meager "participation" helps keep the rickety ship of state afloat.
So, you want to be a rebel? We've got a channel for that, and a supply chain to go with it. Perhaps, you would like to live off-grid in a cargo van. We've got you covered. You, go! You be you! We'll cover you every step of the way.
Unfortunately Spotify has an awful selection of city pop, so much of it is downloaded. I'll throw together a RUclips playlist someday and make it public
when people say stuff like "it's so exhausting defending *insert influencer* all the time" I can't help to think ... just don't? if they do something bad, just don't defend them?
During quarantine, I really had to distance myself from some creators I watched on RUclips. Not because they did anything wrong, I still genuinely believe they're good people. But because I found myself getting obsessed with them. Like I'd watch their podcast and I would sit there and think about the kinds of things I would say if I was there, or if they showed themselves hanging out, I'd wonder what it would be like to hang out with their group. And of course at first I didn't think anything of it, but then I became pretty miserable thinking about them all the time. Like it's *nuts* to think about people who you don't even know, and somehow think in your head that everything would be so much better or so fun if you were friends with them. And the crazy part is they didn't even sell me anything, I just genuinely really liked who they were. So yeah I unfollowed them on all socials and I haven't watched their videos since then LOL. I decided to work on my social life with my actual friends and quit daydreaming. It's kind of embarrassing to say all of this, but I'm sure there's plenty of people out there who have done the same. It's sad, but at the same time I think some people just have trouble differentiating between "This is a person I can actually be friends with" vs "This person is only in the fun light box and I know nothing about them". Especially when circumstances in real life aren't the best. ANYWAYS, sorry for long comment, shout out to all the maladaptive daydreamers out there 👯
@@NamiNuitsuki Thank you! I really only have one friend, one that I can truly say is a friend. But being a better friend to him is way more important than watching people online! 💖
Salari is undeniably the best British RUclipsr on the platform. His videos are completely unmatched by anyone on this site, the delivery, writing and overall quality of his videos are absolutely perfect.
You don't need somebody to tell you your life isn't great, lol, you can see that for yourself. It's like, if you weren't born in a rich family, you've already started waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay behind and your only way to make money (for the overwhelming majority of people) is working, and working 5 days a week, even 8 hours shifts still means 9-11 hours lost (depends on how far away your job is) PER DAY! The most precious resource in the world is TIME, you can never get more of it, nor can you get back the time you've spent working, so just by that your life can ONLY be miserable when compared to the lucky few. And yeah, i get it, money is not the most important thing to some people, but for everyone TIME is the most important, so naturally not having to waste any second working means you're not wasting time...
under capitalism time = money. If you don't have money then you better have time to get money because there are bills to pay because you decided to get yourself in debt by being born.
People in poverish countries tend to be happier than American people capitalism made us unhappy placing that if we don't have a certain thing then we are going to be happy, but craving more stuff makes you miserable being grateful for what you already have makes you happy, our materialism is making us unhappy
@@GODSLITTLEMEOWMEOW I don't live in an impoverished country, but an area. Being poor to me only made me want an influences life more. It is so hard to be content when you are told people who are poor like you worked hard enough and overcame the struggle. Most of the time it seems like a lie though because alot of small celebs happen to actually still have alot of money to begin with.
12:09 - 12:11 The point you made about people being obsessed with their idols because they believe they’re in a relationship with them is so damn true! I used to think that was impossible to do until I started thinking back to several instances of my cringey (I mean I still am but I’m way more chill now) younger self in middle/high school *GETTING JEALOUS & LIVID* when I would see fan art of a fictional character I like being shipped with another character because: Subconsciously, I’ve “fallen in love with them” without realizing. I would un-ironically have thoughts like: “I hate [insert character] and they should be written off the show because they should be with me instead.”…..Man that was a wild time in my life. They same also applied to real life celebrities. 15 yr old me would feel just a *twinge* of irritability when I would hear news of my favorite celebs start dating/getting married. Thankfully things never escalated and I always kept these irrational feelings to myself. It’s social phenomenon like this that make the whole “K-pop idols aren’t allowed to date anyone” rule much more understandable and depressing.
That is really interesting and I understand that. In my case, instead of wanting to be with my favourite character/celeb, I wanted to be them or at least be more like them. I did not resemble them/was not similar to them in most cases and that bothered me.
I discovered your channel after the loneliness in Japan video and literally every single one afterwards has slapped hard. I'm going to sub on Patreon after I finish watching this.
This video has been very relieving. One of my biggest fear is falling into the influencer category. I write comics and publish it on Instagram. I have been previously told to adopt the influencer personality because it has more reach, but I keep my life completely private. I just want to write good stories. And i want people to enjoy my stories, not me. So far it has worked out thankfully. I never want to be an influencer, it is a sad life and it will only distract from the stories I write
Salari from a year ago: "This is a pretty interesting show, you should watch it." Modern Salari: "YOU ARE DEPRESSED AND I'M GONNA TELL YOU WHY" Btw Salari, I love your video-essay-style uploads, they are very thorough and your effort really shows!
So, fun story: I put this video in my Watch Later playlist, along with the most recent hbomberguy video, and then walked away to do other stuff while listening. I forgot which RUclipsr was covering which topic, and your voice is *just close enough* that for most of the video I thought I was listening to the single most sober hbomberguy video ever made.
Beautiful stuff right here. Classism is one of the most ironic things in America. Most of the people who think they're better than you are trying to appease people who they think are better than them.
There are guitar pedal influencers who make you feel like your overdrive isn't transparent enough. There are vinyl influencers who make you feel like you don't have enough limited run pressings of your favorite albums. I'm sure they are there for every market where there's a market.
One of the things I’ve learned is that no one lives a free life. Everyone is accountable to someone. Everyone has a boss in a way. If it’s not a supervisor it’s the share holders. It’s the partners. It’s the customers and market. And I’ve found that most bosses are more forgiving than shareholders and clients. Influencers have sponsors. They have subscribers that demand a constant stream of content. They don’t get days off. They are not as free as they appear.
I would distinguish friends who promote products to influencers. Influencers have financial incentive to promote products while many friends who promote a product genuinely believe in the product and want to spread the word... or just boost their ego. You have have to remember that influences often get products for free to include in their posts while regular friends have to spend their own money on it, implying they have at least some investment in the product. They wouldn't buy a random product just to advertise it.
I honestly don't think your content is bleak or depressing. I actually feel good to see someone else thinks the same way about these things. Thanks for making this content :)
I remember being in high school and watching when Anthony from Smosh and his ex gf/ex fiancé Kalel would vlog together and feeling so jealous. They seemed so happy and were always having fun and doing exciting things in their videos. And then they broke up and both said how neither was happy together and had a lot of harsh words to say about each other and the illusion was shattered immediately for me! Now anytime I feel anxious or feel that fomo or jealousy on social media I remember that and it grounds me and reminds me that all social media is fake and nothing to be jealous of!
I think the study at around 4 mins was actually only conducted with those limited options for the kids to choose from, just letting you know since it may have muddied the waters of that study a little :)
don't know if you'll see this but i appreciate you bringing this topic up and addressing it in a video. the naysayers may say you're being pessimistic but i feel as though a lot of the cold hard truths are necessary. it's not fun fluffy thoughts. it's reality.
The main things I try to put across in every one of my videos like this is that 1. You shouldn't feel bad for liking something you enjoy, but you should know it has problems, and 2. If you enjoy that thing, then you should want it to be better. The truth is always worth knowing, and someone saying that it's cynicism for the sake of cynicism is wrong; topics like these are inherently cynical, but they hold truth. It's like watching a documentary on climate change and saying it's cynical - of course it is, because it's about the real possibility of the world ending.
I grew up thinking i need a high paying job to be able to afford everything i need and want in life, but my view has shifted over the years and now I strive to live a life that requires as little money as possible while still being great and satisfying. A trip abroad isnt better just because you stay at a fancy hotel, a house isnt better just because its bigger. I hope I can some day reach financial independence, or something like it, not by having a lot of money but by not needing a lot of money.. I think in society we are raised to look up to those who are rich and "have it all", but thats not sustainable..
I really like your videos Salari. Yes they are bleak but they always highlight very real problems in our society : loneliness, social pressure, alienation due to the social consequences our economic system. It sure won't get people excited but sometimes a reality check is needed.
I love Salary's voice ❤. I still have to try baking with the critter flour we talked about in a previous stream. Thank you for being a positive light in my list of parasocial relationships; I hope I'll continue to be a respectful audience member.
It's hard to say, but if I was to define it, it'd probably be that I don't promote the accumulation of wealth and pursuit of status/class. Typical influencers heavily celebrate those aspects, to the point where it's part of their brand - it's like they're a celebrity friend. I may have promoted products in the past and stated how they would make your life better in some way, but I believed they offered some value, and I wouldn't promote something simply because they pay well - for example I've been offered a Raid: Shadow Legends sponsorship before, and despite the fact that they pay extremely well for sponsorships, it's a product that promotes exploitative gacha/gambling systems.
@@Salari thats a very interesting response because I was thinking the same thing. I think there is a huge gray area. In many ways influences are getting smarter and having to do some 5D chess in order to gain the trust of people in this very cynical age. But I do believe that the most successful influencers sacrifice a lot of their authenticity for more "success" while the real ones fall off or maintain a more niche audience. Its a very two-faced industry that ironically prides itself on being authentic and celebrating someone's true personality. I don't think I fall into the trap of believing in a real relationship between the audience and the creator, but I think there are creators that I really like that ARE popular and touch on this parasocial relationship in their work and its their realness in this post-post modernism age that makes them "likeable" to me and I think to many of their fans. There are many layers to it, but I just find it really interesting. One thing I refuse to do is ever call myself a stan or put up a picture of anyone on my wall. Strictly only enjoying their work is as much as I think they should be "praised".
I think the answer comes out of when we started using the term, and who it first applied to. And then contrasting with regular content creators who existed before
I think the difference has to do with aspiration. When an influencer sells something part of the appeal is that if you the buy the thing, you will be closer to having their life. Whereas non-aspirational RUclipsrs who just focus on their content instead of themselves aren't selling products as a way for you to be more like them. It feels like less of a parasocial relationship and more of an ad read you'd hear on TV or radio. but that's just my take lol
I was going through a burnout but your video and this amazing comment section really comforted me. Even I am happy with what I already have and hate being competitive but this world and the society (you guys know asian society is !) somehow forces the narrative that no matter how happy and content you are with your life, a little more money and a promotion or fame will make you even happier and prove yourself to others, make your parents proud and the list goes on. I don't even understand why do we need to show prove to anyone in the first place. Not everything you do needs to be associated with pride and ego. Calm down ! Also amazing video. Thanx a lot :)
"my videos might come off as a bit bleak" that's not because of the video alone but the topic itself is realistic, informative, relatable (an example and favourite of mine is 'Jobs are Ruining your Life') and yet they are all INCREDIBLY entertaining. i think content like this is needed , like you said not everyone can just react to tiktok compilations lol and im glad you make the content you do,it feels very 'humane" or compassionate since its struggles most people go through? . Im lucky i found your videos/channel a while ago! im sure not where i was going with this but me and a bunch of other people sincerely enjoy all the effort you put in your videos! : )
What he is saying is a reason why I hate social media. I know a family member who is guilty of this posting pictures of her vacation spots. It never bothered me but I think it would to others like her saying "You have nothing compared to me". I worked at a company where people acted this way. Great pay, but very toxic environment.
Excellent vid, friendo. I never get tired of ppl analyzing parasocial relationships. Its slowly becoming my favorite topic for video essays. This one is definitely in the top 3.
I would add to that truth phrase: "better to live with an uncomfortable truth than a comfortable or hopeless lie" As much as blissful ignorance is deceiving, living with the belief that you can't do anything except be eternally depressed and doomed to die like a pathetic insect is equally bad.
I appreciate that you make content like this, I arrived at the conclusion myself that influencers are basically the modern form of advertisement but wanted another perspective, and I believe what you do is far more important and memorable, and will perhaps be widely accepted in time
It's a super complicated issue. IMO, there's a pretty fine line between influencer channels made by every day people who want to share what they've found, and influencers who were given the ability to be successful and amass millions of views due to a wealthy family, connections, bending to the status quo. People like Logan Paul and sssniperwolf, for example, are not necessarily better than other content creators, but in their own league due to advantages they had one may not consider. Unfortunately, we do live in a capitalist reality, and its impossible to not partake in this society without being completely miserable. I think, what I'm trying to say is, channels like yours aren't hurting anyone. You're not exploiting people, and you're generally just sharing information to others. As long as you're sensitive to the context of our society, and you're not directly harming anyone, or getting off the pain of others, do what you gotta do to get by. Leftist solidarity. ✌️
@@azooreus i totally agree with you. Thank you for your reply. The whole influence thing sometimes does makes me sick. Theres many great channels showing great positive things and these channels get the attention also those ppl are sopp bad. Cant even call them ppl honestly. Thank you again
Yeah, no worries. I just know its easy to fall into blaming ourselves when we think about this stuff, I do it all the time. But its just not true. The people in power could fix this mess any day they wanted to, faster than anyone else. Its OK to self care, everyone deserves to be happy. And ofc, staying informed and circulating information is doing a lot more good than we might think.
Something that has puzzled me for a long time is the underlying meaning of content creators destroying new consumer items just for the sake of destroying them (this was more prevalent about five years ago but still exists): iPhones, televisions, food, toys, automobiles, etc. It is a strange kind of flex that simultaneously shouts I, [the content creator], am deeply unhappy with the state of things as they are but have no understanding why amid an abundance of "stuff" and I have such a surfeit of luxury consumer items that I think nothing of destroying what others might spend months working to be able to afford. Over time, this disorients audiences regarding a healthy balance of values, attitudes, and behaviors, making them more pliable for corporate predation. This goes beyond product placement and sponsorship and is illustrative of a greater, more fundamental danger.
What we all lack now is some truth so thank you for giving it to us. And if hearing the truth makes you uncomfortable and you ignore it, it basically means you ignore other people's pain and suffering - but if we want to live in a society it means caring about people who are not you.
16:45-17:05 The Truman Show did this exact thing in which Truman's wife got nervous trying to keep the secret that his whole life is a TV show and just started selling a product because that was what she was comfortable with. Natrually, Truman got confused as to what she was doing. ruclips.net/video/6U4-KZSoe6g/видео.html
Eventhough I don't attach myself to influencers I just see the life of luxury I could have and one I'm actively avoiding while simultaneously feeling like a failure and disappointment because I lack big goals.
We need more conversation about the problems with social media. I strongly feel they will have to be publicly owned and/or regulated in the future. The recent Thought Slime video about Twitter is also excellent, like this one. Well done.
This video truly hits the nail on the head. I know for a fact that a lot of people my age (early teens to late teens) have grown up envying those born luckier and more talented than us. Everyday my friend posts about Billie Eilish or Arianna Grande, they’re absolutely obsessed and is always wishing to have a piece of their life but ultimately is just another number on the Instagram count. We crave their luxurious and carefree lifestyles. You grow up wanting to be adored by millions but to be honest, most of us will probably never have that and that’s totally fine. Life is truly about enjoying what you have and aspiring for more, but not being incredibly hard on yourself if it’s not as much as you had wanted before.
Do we really "crave their [ostensibly] luxurious and carefree lifestyle," or are we already made to feel we are a part of it, which erodes our desire to do much in any fundamental way to cut the strings and create more independent lives connected with our actual lived realities?
Your videos always make me depressed but in a good way. Many reasons why we never can achieve the dreams constantly promoted to us is also partly why pyramid schemes- sorry, "multi level marketing companies" are getting more and more popular. And about the conclusion: whenever I hear someone saying not tt pay attention to influencers, I keep thinking about a line from the 1998 Merlin mini series: "You can't fight us or frighten us... you're just not important enough anymore. We forget you, Queen Mab."
You have inspired me to unsub from the people I don't know personally and don't gain new skills/knowledge from. Thank you, I'm going to spend the money on a nice coffee once a month or put it towards larger goals.
I always felt that most influencers are miserable and shallow. It's like they constantly have to put on an act and are always involved in drama. It's so sad how these new generations depend on these people and allow them to dictate their own lives. In my generation we actually went out and made friends. We were too busy having fun and dressed according to whatever made us feel happy or wear whatever best represented our own creative personality. Creativity was our inspiration not so much brand names. I was a part of the L.A Club scene in a time where we got to dress creatively and whatever was fun. Now kids are chained to their phone and tweet about having a latte. This is the most intelligent video I have scene this year. I could care less of what the kardashians are wearing.. I think that these channels and social media accounts are slowly socially engineering a psychopathic and apathetic society.
Well, unfortunately, even from your irl friend circles you aren't in the clear from someone trying to "subtly" sell you something. We call 'em Multi Level Marketing Drones
Influencers are one of the most effective weapons brands use to get to their audience in the most subtle ways. Even if they base their content on minimalism, frugality, mindfulness, intentional living, most of them will end up selling you something you definitely don't need, often by making you feel that you are incomplete, not enough, flawed. I get that for influences, this is an attractive source of income and their (the influencers and the companies') business model is not likely to change any soon, so it's important to be on the lookout for such toxic narratives. Thank you for bringing awareness on this very important topic, Salari.
Salari is an influencer because he also makes us feel miserable, just in a different way Ps: anyone else thinks he looks like Neville Longbottom? Just me?
A generation of people who grew up seeing and wanting wealth is starting to get old enough to realize that it will never be achievable for them. That should end well.
I always thought that there is a fine line between an influencer and a manipulator. Lots of them pass that line because it is so easy to do so, but once it is done, there is no way back because the credibility is lost... and most of the time the audience and the fans don't even recognise it, just accept it and they move on like nothing happened.
I don’t follow these influencers and I’m still miserable. I’m not happy because I’m not where I want to be in life. I feel I should be further in life by now but I’m still struggling to reach my goals.
When it gets to that point, have you ever tried setting smaller goals and celebrating those? Many feel like they should be further along but if you look at history and research the age of the majority of individuals who changed society, through science, humanitarianism, invention, spirituality, entertainment, design, and so on, were ages 30 - 70+. From Vera Wang fashion at around 40 to Henry Ford trucks at around 50 to the Zagat couple becoming the culinary authority at 51 and Wilder with her books at 65 and Grandma Moses with her paintings at 78 and the list goes on.
I recently started a job where I sift through influencer requests for a hotel and the work led me to a really sad realisations: influencers don't just sell products, they trade their private lives for money. Nearly all of the collaboration requests the hotel gets are offers to trade influencers' birthdays and anniversaries, even confirmation parties, at the hotel for visibility on their channels. Some even try to sell their families and friends as possibly significant new customers. And the really scary thing is, most of those influencers are family vloggers.
I don't mean to form a parasocial relationship but, I think I felt something when I heard "Dance of the Evanescent" at 12:45. Great reference, great taste ❤️
I think a really big indicator of someone's real self. Is: 1) What they do when no one's around. And 2) What they do or don't do, when they have power (money or status or authority etc).
I think that this is really important to talk about, especially as we see more and more people spend more and more time online. It could have drastic impacts on the types of relationships people are able to have with each other if the only way they learn to socialize is by watching other people talk about themselves etc.. I also have to question the ethics of slipping advertisements into videos without explicitly saying it.
honestly instead of watching influencers i just watch a whole lot of videos analyzing their problematic impact, it's ironic.
lmao same
My real friends tell me how my other friends aren't my real friends.
@@99sins
Real friends, how many of us?
How many of us, how many jealous? Real friends
It's not many of us, we smile at each other
But how many honest? Trust issues
-Kanye
Yea, same, seeing how they impact the community is rather interesting.
Is it ironic to watch them through this level of indirection through a critical lens?
True, you might paradoxically be "influenced" by them either way.
But while the alternative would be not watching them at all, ignoring them despite their influence seems as neglectful and dangerous as blindly following them.
Being an influencer is like making the popular person in high school a career path
LOUDER
FOR THE PEOPLE IN THE BACK
Ohhh I like that
Everyone should have a career path.
You can be a bully more subtly and get money for it!
Alternative title: “Classism, Consumerism, and Parasocial Relationships.”
Also could apply to Twitch, Twitter, Instagram, and OnlyFans models.
Belle Delphine lol
Probably a better subtitle. Those three things don't directly tell you the video will be about influencers, but it does tell you what is touched upon.
Yup
How do you upvote twice?
Am I the only one who really, _really_ doesn't want the life of an influencer? The fame sounds like an absolute horror beyond words.
You chose the right pill and left the Matrix xD haha just kidding, I think you realized what matters in life for you and that's great
It's easy to get caught up in the idea that life would be better if you were rich and famous if your life sucks. But the grass is _not_ greener on the other side
@@kookiespace Yeah. Being put on a pedestal can have isolating effects that make things pretty miserable. Not as bad as being seen as lesser, but it's pretty close. If anyone wonders how I know....
me! im lazy AF and just want to eat, sleep and watch tv all day lol and have privacy and be anonymous! the idea of random strangers recognizing you in public terrifies me
No. As a GenXer, this whole influencer thing makes no sense to me. Sure, my needs and desires have been monetised by artists, record labels and film studios, but my interest in the private life of my idols never went further than reading a biography. As a matter of fact, the more I found out about the privat lives of my favourite artists, the more I lost interest in their art. I am fascinated of youtube as a platform for people with great content who are not taking the influencer approach though and spent way too much time here:)
i've never understood the appeal of watching rich people do stupid stuff. i really don't care what luxurious appartments or lifestyle other people have and never will.
Facts
^most people know reality tv is just theatre dude
Exactly!
To be honest I love watching videos of apartment/houses because I'm passionate about home decor (and have always been), and I watch reactions of dermatologists/skin experts about skincare routines because I'm passionate about skincare (and have always been), but other than that I agree with you. Most times they're not even entertaining.
My mom used to love this rich people's reality shows. And always questioned why, she told me that this is the closest thing to dreaming about having a luxurious life, and that made me so sad. Like, she worked hard af, my dad work everyday and we still could't afford the cheapest item those people own, so we just watch them do the things we wanted to do if we had money. It's depressing.
I have nothing intelligent to add. But I enjoyed the content and this is my supportive engagement.
May I say... Same 🙏
I can't explain how often I feel this way!
Error bot
I’m going to add my supportive engagement under yours because honestly same
I just don’t get the appeal of influencers it’s just simply shallow I’d rather watch a musician who makes original music or a filmmaker who makes short films on RUclips it’s something that has more to enjoy influencers are just social media presence and nothing else which is boring to me
Influencers are sentient ads. Their professional and personal lives are the same, as they have morphed the latter into the former. Every moment of their life is a "branding opportunity' or chance to "collab". To ask who these people really are is pointless, because they have so blurred the line between reality and spectacle as to make them indistinguishable. You might as well claim to "know" the person on a billboard.
👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽
Absolute FAX. A bit sad in reality but knowing I'm not a slave of social marketing is all I need to remember I'm free to live the way I want to.
Kpop has a huge influencer aspect to it and the Parasocial Relationships within Kpop are extreme due to how the industry presents K-Idols - perfect and attainable. None of this is a coincidence - they're after our money and they're so good at making us give to them. I honestly think Kpop's a great case study for Celebrity Influencers and Parasocial Relationships. It's fascinating but also terrifying.
@@bangtan_koreia3637 the queer kiwi’s made an awesome video discussing k-pop and how it is currently demonized by multiple medias
@@bangtan_koreia3637 the fact the idols are not allowed to place boundaries and call out sasesags and the company profits off the sasesags is disgusting
As Bo Burnham once said "we flock to performers by the thousands ‘cause we’re the few that have found an audience, and then I’m supposed to get up here and say follow your dreams - as if this is a meritocracy? It is not, okay? I had a privileged life, and I got lucky, and I’m unhappy."
+
Most of your life is already written the day you see your first light. The universe decides how wealthy, attractive and intelligent you are born. And from that day you can only move inside of pre-written boundaries, boundaries that decide the probability of certain events to happen. You are exceptionally attractive and already wealthy? Chances are higher that you may end up even richer and or even famous. It's a game of luck, I can attest to that since I've been born with a lot of privileges. How many people could be good artists, musicians or have a passion that they can't pursue since life never lead them onto the path of exploring these unknown strengths? I don't believe in fate, I believe life is a path of probabilities. Probabilities you may be influencing from time to time, but mostly probabilities that you cannot control. I therefore think the way can't be a culture of narcissistic egomaniacs that couldn't care less about other people, we as a society have to stop celebrating the rich and stop discriminating the poor. We have to work together, share more and care less about personal gain but rather profit of the whole society. We have to stop competing about everything and need to start cooperating. And I will try everything in my might to add a small part of that vision to happen. One can only hope artifical intelligence will make the major part of jobs unnecessary, we will be forced to take a different path and leave the one that is going down the road of greed and jealousy.
@@thediesel1241 you're wrong tho
@@doblet664 Can you explain why?
@@DezuFuck yes, I can
What's tragic about it is the fact that many people who waste their money on "influencers" are actually living check to check and can't even afford to help themselves, which is why I don't get why they are making the rich richer. I would understand if a rich person decides to help strangers online but when it's the average Joe, I can't help but judge.
Yeah but it's also kids begging their parents for merch and stuff like that
Because those aspiring to be an influencer, buy these products to not just fit in, but make videos/pics showing off that they're able to be just like the influencers they're emulating.
It's like a way more expensive form of throwing coins in a wishing well.
It's mostly kids
Any parent that fulfills such a request from their child is being a bad parent.
My parents would tell me that my 90s/00s childhood was so much different from their 60s childhoods, but the childhoods of people in this decade and beyond will be even more radically different and highly digital
I grew up in the 80s & 90s, starting out the original Macintosh where green was the only color on the screen! I'm now the mom of a 3 y/o and am terrified of what world he'll have to deal w/ as a tween/teen. It's even worse for girls. We're on a path unknown, but it's just making young people's social lives so much harder to navigate when you're still technically a kid.
Superficial crap & popularity that I had to deal w/ in the 90s were bad enough, but now it's so much worse because of social media. It was hard enough to deal w/ being bullied for not shopping at a certain store at the local mall, but now you're being pushed to look good enough to have millions of fans, buying ridiculously expensive brands, & always posting the right thing, when you're just trying to navigate middle & high school. It must be terribly difficult to navigate through.
@@ArtisticlyAlexis so much pressure for both girls and boys to look like models, to act confident and to achieve lots of success at a young age despite the unfavourable economic landscape, and we have terrible menntal health services to compound the problem :/
@@ArtisticlyAlexis I'm a teenage boy today, and honestly, I'd say this is pretty hyperbolic. Nobody is expected to look good enough to have millions of fans that I know. Nobody. People who expect that do it to themselves and it's mostly just grand delusion, without SM they'd have a different grand delusion. I basically just treat social media as a platform to engage with content, and maybe text my friends or see whatever they're up to. It seems that's how most people I know look at it. I'm not saying there are no problems with SM, because there are, but it's not anywhere near as bad as most people over 25 think. I've seen videos of teenagers from the 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s, and they seem to be like teens today. If you raise them well enough, your kids will be fine.
I'm willing to admit that it could be completely different for girls, but I haven't seen much of that much where I live.
@@swagmundfreud666 good for you ig
Back then, at least you were safe when u left school and got home. Now the bullies have your social accounts and can harass you in your personal space too 😥
"It's better to live with an uncomfortable truth than a comforting lie"
If only more people understood this. It's the eating your vegetables of intellectual wellbeing.
How many people are actually living by this idea though? It's one thing to say you're for the truth, but how many are actually about it? What is the truth and how does one know they've obtained it?
@@rmj8905 It's not about knowing the truth, it's about questioning the things you currently hold as truth. The idea is to avoid confirmation bias, ask yourself WHY you believe the things you do.
But... I like some vegetables :(
Google "comforting lies unpleasant truths cartoon"
Reminds me of mark Manson thoughts.
I really liked his books you should give it a read it really matches your comment.
Being a younger millennial in influencer culture can be so disheartening sometimes. I struggle with serious mental illness issues that make it difficult for me to work, but I love to write and draw. Those hobbies are the only things that really bring me joy. In influencer culture, combined with the capitalist/Pull-Up-Your-Bootstraps mentality, I feel the need to turn my passions into profit. And that makes it incredibly difficult to actually be productive or even feel like I can give myself credit for the work I do. And I care SO MUCH about the quality of my work, which makes it even more frustrating that I don't have a lot I feel is worth showing the general public yet. But then there are people out here who can literally make a video of themselves farting, put it on TikTok and get a million dollar brand deal with Ulta or some shit.
In a way, I can respect the hustle and ability to just put yourself out there. But in other ways, I feel extremely discouraged that the work I pour my heart into will never be good enough or popular enough because the media market is already so over-saturated.
That's a real shame! I've come to terms with myself in not needing to profit from my hobbies. It's something I love and if one or 10000000 people end up enjoying my content, then that's enough. I gave it my all and I have no regrets.
I can only imagine how dissapointing it must be on your end! I totally resonate with needing my work to be of the top quality. I do hope you result with some profit as hard work going unrecognized is very sad to see for me. Best of luck!
ah yes, you put my exact feelings into worlds lmao
I love to draw but don't ever want to make it more than a hobby. For me, trying to profit off this particular skill would suck all the joy out of it, partly for the reasons you've described.
I think the thing is, in this oversaturated market, you just gotta find your niche. You'll likely never create something that has super broad appeal like these influencers and that's fine. Things that do have that appeal are boring and generic imo. You can build a loyal following based on the particular type of art you create. There are plenty of people out there who will appreciate it and be happy to support you, you just gotta find em.
I feel pretty similar, thank you.
Omg I feel the exact same. I have two degrees but thing I enjoy the most and am best at is painting. I'm definitely at a skill level where I could sell my paintings for a few hundred dollars but I just don't want to make it my profession because of all the soul-sucking marketing and managing that comes with it.
And then you see other artists on social media who do all that and do put the effort in and its just shoved down your throat that your hobby is only of "professional quality" when you can actual profit off of it. It's so discouraging. I actually had to delete insta and tiktok because I couldn't escape the toxicity even tho I did everything I could to only engage with content that brings me geniune joy.
I've never understood the argument that you can't criticize something you're participating in, especially when it's something you have next to no choice to opt out of. It's more nonsensical to criticize something you have no experience with.
Yeah, I've always found the "But you make money!" retort to anti-capitalist ideas very confusing. Like, would you rather I starve?
Actually, don't answer that... lot of people probably would rather anti-capitalist types starve than spread such dangerous ideology. But yeah, they don't seem to realise just how incredibly rich one has to be in order to effectively opt out of a capitalist system.
You’re ruining my keyboard warrior brand!
It's strange for me to live in a time where celebrities/influencers are so popular. I've never cared about celebrities, even when I was a kid. Celebrity crushes confused me even more. When my friends said they loved X celebrity/actor/singer I just thought to myself: "How can you love them when you haven't met them and will never meet them?"
It feels almost like I'm immune to influencers at this point but hey maybe that's a good thing.
I think you might be demiromantic (like me) or grayromantic I RARELY have a crush on someone unless I've known them for a long time like my childhood friends :p
@@shirugipan2112 well you're right because I am! Though I think you can like celebrities/influencers and not be attracted to them I was just using that as an example haha
@@MangoMixu yeah lol I am aesthetically interested to some celebs but I never imagine having an intimate relationship with them lol
I never cared a lot for celebrities, only now I know a few actors, but only because I like their work. And I always loved some singers, but not on the having a crush meaning.
Whenever I see one of those "instagram girls" shown as a ideal, I roll my eyes (metaphorically, I would never let them see how they affect me). Who needs to have "that body", anyway? Just be on a healthy weight. And those faces that look so plastic? I found them so ugly...
I never understood celebrity crushes, it always weirded me out that people have sexual fantasies for a complete stranger that doesn't know they exist and that they will never meet or have a lasting relationship
I was deep into the RUclips makeup culture a couple years ago. Luckily, I woke up one day and realized that it was making me miserable, but I can’t get back all the money and time I spent on it. This video and others like it are extremely valuable. When you’re caught up in it all, it’s hard to realize that there’s nothing stopping you from tuning out.
I was into that scene in 2012-15 and spent money I had no business spending on makeup products that I didn't need. I started to feel inadequate about my life, which pales in comparison to "influencers," (a word I hate), and I felt like a sucker when I finally snapped out of it.
Been there done that. It feels good on the other side.. but you have to cut it all off, it will suck you back in if you don't.
@@waymire01 you also just described MMO videogames
@@stratavosstuff7575 I don't play MMO's but the social "free" to play games are terrible. They are literally designed by psychologists to make you addicted and keep you playing and paying. There are some pretty good articles out there outlining the way they manipulate the brain. I personally had issues with Farmville in the past. When the sequel came out they made it possible to stay off Facebook and I tried again with the determination I was not going to spent a single dime of real money.. but it still takes over your life, next thing you know you are just a robot clicking the buttons over and over, multiple times a day, planning your life around your "obligations" to the game and your fellow players.
From 2016-2018 I literally spent thousands of dollars at Sephora and thousands of dollars on clothes while I was working a minimum wage fast food job just because I watched people like Jeffree Star (🤢) and Tati, etc. And I thought that if I bought all these things they like, then I'd be better. And I look back at it and it's so fucking stupid LOL, like I could have used that money on a car. Or an apartment. But instead I'm still in my parents house with $3,000 worth of eyeshadow palettes I don't use in my bathroom.
What a fucking waste.
I feel like saying "I want to be an influencer" (or youtuber/vlogger) is basically saying "I want to be acknowledged." or perhaps "I want to be liked, popular and pretty".
In other times it would just be any other kind of role in society that would give a person the same things like respect and whatnot.
Yeah kinda like how I used to say I wanted to be a rich actress before I had social media and then I wanted to be a RUclipsr 🙈
That's the same thing I'm trying to communicate when I say I want to be a K-Idol.
yup. twenty years ago, when asked this question, me & my peers wanted to be pop stars or actors, it's the same thing. all kids want whatever lifestyle that is thrown in their faces all the time.
@@pretty948 I still want to be an actress, but where I live is a game of connection and the industry is a very close business for the rich and connected or the super beautiful ( I’m from Italy). Besides, not having a supporting family and not coming from a rich background have slimmed down my chances even more.
@@bangtan_koreia3637 If you wanna be a kpop idol you're trying to be a product of the media, a simple victim
Magazines serve the same purpose, especially fashion magazines. Their whole goal has been to make people feel inadequate so that they might want to buy what is featured, especially from the ad placements that make the magazine money.
But with social media influencers, the audience becomes more integrated into the ad itself, like shopping at IKEA: the consumer is the model in his own customized advertisement for an aesthetically clean and pure future self.
Friend of mine used to write the short fiction stories (there's usually 1 romance and 2 mystery per issue) for them and told about how much their business model is based on having weight loss tips on the cover and fattening recipes inside.
"You want to be like us, but you never will" epitomized.
The difference is that starting a magazine require lots of money and connections. Anyone can be an influencer. All you need is an idea and a smartphone.
@@NJGuy1973 yeah, but anyone could start a magazine too. It’s just that only some were popular. Less start up cost but still, to be an influential influencer it’s not low cost or as easy as “I have a phone and camera”
I love how this channel is about super deep documentary's, but the profile pic is a cute dog
That's what I call
w h o l e s o m e
My dumbass thought that was chopper from one piece 🤦🏻♀️
I swear I thought this going to be some type of spill the tea or anna oops video
I suddenly miss the pre-corpo age of the internet.
Me too, very much.
So say we all
Oh hell yeah. I miss the pre-corporate era before the normies invaded and then the geeky guys went rabid and became literal women-hating nazis. Something went super bad around the time corporations worked out how to make money out if the online space.
ehh even pre-corpo internet was filled to the brim with bigotry, predation and abuse. We just didn't get to hear about it from our favorite "lol look at these crazies" channel.
@@mistressofstones this is spot on, I used to use the internet to escape real life. Now I use real life to escape the internet.
Thought I didn’t need a video to realize this but boy did I not realize the extent of these influencers.
Same here I reckon.
It feels like our civilization is being hollowed out.
I mean, "influencer" in this context basically means "gentle manipulator". How could anyone want and like to be happily manipulated is beyond me. Oh... right.
That was my engagement. Keep it up Salari.
Funny thing is, how the essential message of many influencers is to be "authentic. Yet we have the issue of
heavily edited photos, flexing with actually sponsored items and obeying any trend to stay relevant.
I appreciate you acknowledging online friends as legit
Of course, one of my closest friends is one I've never met in the flesh. I also met my wife through friends online and had a long distance relationship for two and a half years.
@@Salari yes I have so many online friends. I have found so much solace in online communities. I have many aspie friends, nb friends, and friends in the same political and activist communities. I am surprised at how close I am with these people. In fact when I got kicked out of my house several of these people sent me money, meanwhile my "real life friends" wouldn't even let me stay one night on their couch.
@@aspie-anarchist9854 they didn't have to give you money, but why not give you shelter for a few nights?
They're not..."friends" don't exist. Everyone is only USING everyone else for something.
a friend of mine once told me comparison is the thief of joy
That’s an Eleanor Roosevelt quote and she was right on the nose 😊
So true lol
My early experience with RUclips was very different from its current state. I hate this site so much sometimes
Same. Although my late childhood's content consumption was weird and kinda cringy (in hindsight), I do miss it. I also miss YT recommendations being unique to each video, now it's really hard to find ANYTHING new because of the current algorithm.
Yeah same, late 2000s early 2010s RUclips had its issues but man do I miss it sometimes
As a gen z kid (now adult ig) who was introduced to social media comparatively late, the first person I watched on RUclips was Logan Paul and I watched his content for a solid year and then I had a whole personality crisis and abandoned him for good. So basically RUclips has always been cursed for me 😂💀
RUclips was bad in the early days. There was so much racism and colorism that was allowed back then on RUclips but since it doesn’t affect you of course you didn’t notice it. I will never forget seeing video after video of black people especially black women being mocked, ridiculed, and called racist names. 🤷🏿♀️
@@TheLeah2344 yeah, early RUclips was incredibly racist, sexist, and homophobic. Like, half of the people from that time period have had to apologize for black face among other serious issues.
"one way relationship" is eye opening.
It shouldn't be as it's very obvious.
That’s why i interact and really talk to people who reach to me. I think people would be happy to interact, even if i’m not big at all...
eita
Que foi?
não esperava ver tu por aqui lol
@@SpiderMan-gf1lc youtube é meu habitar natural hahaha
@@ViiZedek kkkkk justo. Nesse caso, recomendo o canal Jonas Ceika (se não achar por esse nome, tenta Cuck Philosophy). É mui bo
6:13 That’s very true and I’m here to prove it. I’ve been watching RUclips since I was 6 yrs old, and around that time, RUclips just started. I had a RUclips + internet phase about 6 yrs later and wanted to be a RUclips star. Nowadays though logging onto RUclips feels like visiting a playground you used to visit as a child to see that it’s been knocked down and turned into a Starbucks, and knowing you’ll never get that playground back no matter how hard you try.
A lot of my friends and myself don't want luxury; we just want to make ends meet without needing to struggle. None of us want mansions (unless you count an apartment complex so we can all live together safely) and no one wants anything fancy. Would be nice to leave a $100 tip randomly now and then but we don't want luxury like that. Maybe it's because we're all poor and come from poor towns, maybe it's because we're one of those damn Millennials.
And advertising to Millennials is easy; make a good product, do some charity stuff, help the environment, take care of your employees...oh, you stopped listening.
Also, we love noncorporate things. And Gen Z lingo is fun!
But social media is changing the nature of culture so that people will be somewhat ostracized if they don't conform to the pursuit of luxury, though it is not necessarily the pursuit of luxury, just a predictable consumer path. This is how all social media influencers are connected in a meta-dialogue on the lower frequencies. Those lower frequencies end up changing the landscape on the surface that we all have to deal with. It seems to be increasingly difficult to be able to articulate the affirmative "No!"
@@pequodexpress I was a rebel before social media and I'll probably die one. Let it be difficult to say no, I'll still do as I wish and I'll still encourage people to follow their own happiness. I hated keeping up with the Jones and I refuse to follow trends unless I like them, then they'll be absorbed into my personality. Saying no is rebellious and important to learn.
@@TheCoyoteOutlaw Speaking of keeping up with the Joneses, have you seen the film _The Joneses_? It's quite good until the very end when the protagonist thinks he can just up and leave the game.
@@TheCoyoteOutlaw I like to think of myself as what the credit card industry calls a deadbeat: I take all the benefits they have to offer and give them not one cent in return by using the credit card in the same manner I would use cash. For a time, I thought this was a rebellious act but soon realized that even my meager "participation" helps keep the rickety ship of state afloat.
So, you want to be a rebel? We've got a channel for that, and a supply chain to go with it. Perhaps, you would like to live off-grid in a cargo van. We've got you covered. You, go! You be you! We'll cover you every step of the way.
The glib answer: Social Media Influencers™ are a marketer's wet dream come true.
That playlist is top tier, citypop classics never gets old. It is public available?
Unfortunately Spotify has an awful selection of city pop, so much of it is downloaded. I'll throw together a RUclips playlist someday and make it public
@@Salari i'll wait until then uwu
@@Salari id like that very much
when people say stuff like "it's so exhausting defending *insert influencer* all the time" I can't help to think ... just don't? if they do something bad, just don't defend them?
During quarantine, I really had to distance myself from some creators I watched on RUclips. Not because they did anything wrong, I still genuinely believe they're good people. But because I found myself getting obsessed with them. Like I'd watch their podcast and I would sit there and think about the kinds of things I would say if I was there, or if they showed themselves hanging out, I'd wonder what it would be like to hang out with their group. And of course at first I didn't think anything of it, but then I became pretty miserable thinking about them all the time. Like it's *nuts* to think about people who you don't even know, and somehow think in your head that everything would be so much better or so fun if you were friends with them. And the crazy part is they didn't even sell me anything, I just genuinely really liked who they were.
So yeah I unfollowed them on all socials and I haven't watched their videos since then LOL. I decided to work on my social life with my actual friends and quit daydreaming. It's kind of embarrassing to say all of this, but I'm sure there's plenty of people out there who have done the same. It's sad, but at the same time I think some people just have trouble differentiating between "This is a person I can actually be friends with" vs "This person is only in the fun light box and I know nothing about them". Especially when circumstances in real life aren't the best.
ANYWAYS, sorry for long comment, shout out to all the maladaptive daydreamers out there 👯
bruh you're so lucky you have irl friends to even try to strengthen relationships with, I'm happy for you tho
@@NamiNuitsuki Thank you! I really only have one friend, one that I can truly say is a friend. But being a better friend to him is way more important than watching people online! 💖
@@tadpole53 that’s so sweet! I hope you remain friends for a long time
@Alivin Green How am I complaining?? I was talking about an experience I had. I wasn't complaining at all.
Salari is undeniably the best British RUclipsr on the platform. His videos are completely unmatched by anyone on this site, the delivery, writing and overall quality of his videos are absolutely perfect.
I don’t know. Loner box is really good, Super eyepatch wolf is really good.
I agree! You should check out TRO (The Right Opinion) although his vids are much longer hahaha
I kinda wish he used the video part of the video more tbh.
TRO really is good too. Check him out.
There are a few female British RUclipsrs from that make really good video essays
You don't need somebody to tell you your life isn't great, lol, you can see that for yourself. It's like, if you weren't born in a rich family, you've already started waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay behind and your only way to make money (for the overwhelming majority of people) is working, and working 5 days a week, even 8 hours shifts still means 9-11 hours lost (depends on how far away your job is) PER DAY!
The most precious resource in the world is TIME, you can never get more of it, nor can you get back the time you've spent working, so just by that your life can ONLY be miserable when compared to the lucky few. And yeah, i get it, money is not the most important thing to some people, but for everyone TIME is the most important, so naturally not having to waste any second working means you're not wasting time...
under capitalism time = money. If you don't have money then you better have time to get money because there are bills to pay because you decided to get yourself in debt by being born.
People in poverish countries tend to be happier than American people capitalism made us unhappy placing that if we don't have a certain thing then we are going to be happy, but craving more stuff makes you miserable being grateful for what you already have makes you happy, our materialism is making us unhappy
beautifully said
@@GODSLITTLEMEOWMEOW I wouldn't call wanting more free time as "materialistic" tho.
@@GODSLITTLEMEOWMEOW I don't live in an impoverished country, but an area. Being poor to me only made me want an influences life more. It is so hard to be content when you are told people who are poor like you worked hard enough and overcame the struggle.
Most of the time it seems like a lie though because alot of small celebs happen to actually still have alot of money to begin with.
12:09 - 12:11
The point you made about people being obsessed with their idols because they believe they’re in a relationship with them is so damn true! I used to think that was impossible to do until I started thinking back to several instances of my cringey (I mean I still am but I’m way more chill now) younger self in middle/high school *GETTING JEALOUS & LIVID* when I would see fan art of a fictional character I like being shipped with another character because: Subconsciously, I’ve “fallen in love with them” without realizing. I would un-ironically have thoughts like: “I hate [insert character] and they should be written off the show because they should be with me instead.”…..Man that was a wild time in my life. They same also applied to real life celebrities. 15 yr old me would feel just a *twinge* of irritability when I would hear news of my favorite celebs start dating/getting married. Thankfully things never escalated and I always kept these irrational feelings to myself. It’s social phenomenon like this that make the whole “K-pop idols aren’t allowed to date anyone” rule much more understandable and depressing.
That is really interesting and I understand that. In my case, instead of wanting to be with my favourite character/celeb, I wanted to be them or at least be more like them. I did not resemble them/was not similar to them in most cases and that bothered me.
I discovered your channel after the loneliness in Japan video and literally every single one afterwards has slapped hard. I'm going to sub on Patreon after I finish watching this.
This video has been very relieving. One of my biggest fear is falling into the influencer category. I write comics and publish it on Instagram. I have been previously told to adopt the influencer personality because it has more reach, but I keep my life completely private. I just want to write good stories. And i want people to enjoy my stories, not me. So far it has worked out thankfully. I never want to be an influencer, it is a sad life and it will only distract from the stories I write
Salari from a year ago: "This is a pretty interesting show, you should watch it."
Modern Salari: "YOU ARE DEPRESSED AND I'M GONNA TELL YOU WHY"
Btw Salari, I love your video-essay-style uploads, they are very thorough and your effort really shows!
Their life is superior to mine - that's how I feel.
I hate my life - that's how I also feel.
I’m sorry you feel that way 😔
@@cymonescurio Thanks...
ugh i am sorry, i hope you feel better soon
That's what they want you to feel. Rebel against them. Spite is a good reason to do stuff
@@Velvetx4cove Thanks.
So, fun story: I put this video in my Watch Later playlist, along with the most recent hbomberguy video, and then walked away to do other stuff while listening. I forgot which RUclipsr was covering which topic, and your voice is *just close enough* that for most of the video I thought I was listening to the single most sober hbomberguy video ever made.
Funnily enough we are both from Yorkshire. However I can't claim to be sober during this recording.
It's so hard man, I feel like I'm trying to swim up a waterfall sometimes.
Same
Beautiful stuff right here. Classism is one of the most ironic things in America. Most of the people who think they're better than you are trying to appease people who they think are better than them.
There are guitar pedal influencers who make you feel like your overdrive isn't transparent enough. There are vinyl influencers who make you feel like you don't have enough limited run pressings of your favorite albums. I'm sure they are there for every market where there's a market.
One of the things I’ve learned is that no one lives a free life. Everyone is accountable to someone. Everyone has a boss in a way. If it’s not a supervisor it’s the share holders. It’s the partners. It’s the customers and market. And I’ve found that most bosses are more forgiving than shareholders and clients. Influencers have sponsors. They have subscribers that demand a constant stream of content. They don’t get days off. They are not as free as they appear.
I would distinguish friends who promote products to influencers. Influencers have financial incentive to promote products while many friends who promote a product genuinely believe in the product and want to spread the word... or just boost their ego. You have have to remember that influences often get products for free to include in their posts while regular friends have to spend their own money on it, implying they have at least some investment in the product. They wouldn't buy a random product just to advertise it.
That part about parasocial relationships was interesting. Doesn’t apply to friendships like ours though Salari
how is your channel not more popular?? your videos are good quality and you clearly put a lot of effort into them.
Like and Share his videos it might help RUclips do its magic
i am SO in love with celery's videos u don't even know
edit: oml ma i'm famous!
Lmao
I love salary too 🤑
Yall wrong for this 😂
Celery 😂😂
yeah Salami is the shit 🔥
I honestly don't think your content is bleak or depressing. I actually feel good to see someone else thinks the same way about these things. Thanks for making this content :)
I remember being in high school and watching when Anthony from Smosh and his ex gf/ex fiancé Kalel would vlog together and feeling so jealous. They seemed so happy and were always having fun and doing exciting things in their videos. And then they broke up and both said how neither was happy together and had a lot of harsh words to say about each other and the illusion was shattered immediately for me! Now anytime I feel anxious or feel that fomo or jealousy on social media I remember that and it grounds me and reminds me that all social media is fake and nothing to be jealous of!
I think the study at around 4 mins was actually only conducted with those limited options for the kids to choose from, just letting you know since it may have muddied the waters of that study a little :)
don't know if you'll see this but i appreciate you bringing this topic up and addressing it in a video. the naysayers may say you're being pessimistic but i feel as though a lot of the cold hard truths are necessary. it's not fun fluffy thoughts. it's reality.
The main things I try to put across in every one of my videos like this is that 1. You shouldn't feel bad for liking something you enjoy, but you should know it has problems, and 2. If you enjoy that thing, then you should want it to be better. The truth is always worth knowing, and someone saying that it's cynicism for the sake of cynicism is wrong; topics like these are inherently cynical, but they hold truth. It's like watching a documentary on climate change and saying it's cynical - of course it is, because it's about the real possibility of the world ending.
I grew up thinking i need a high paying job to be able to afford everything i need and want in life, but my view has shifted over the years and now I strive to live a life that requires as little money as possible while still being great and satisfying. A trip abroad isnt better just because you stay at a fancy hotel, a house isnt better just because its bigger.
I hope I can some day reach financial independence, or something like it, not by having a lot of money but by not needing a lot of money..
I think in society we are raised to look up to those who are rich and "have it all", but thats not sustainable..
Good stuff! Modern influencer culture is like a weaponized version of "comparison is the thief of joy."
Thanks you so much for this I spent years thinking I was inadequate or failed at life because I did not attain this lifestyle
That blurred line at 2:45 was some top-tier editing right there.
I really like your videos Salari. Yes they are bleak but they always highlight very real problems in our society : loneliness, social pressure, alienation due to the social consequences our economic system. It sure won't get people excited but sometimes a reality check is needed.
I love Salary's voice ❤. I still have to try baking with the critter flour we talked about in a previous stream. Thank you for being a positive light in my list of parasocial relationships; I hope I'll continue to be a respectful audience member.
What would sepperate an "influencer" fron a normal content creator like you?
It's hard to say, but if I was to define it, it'd probably be that I don't promote the accumulation of wealth and pursuit of status/class. Typical influencers heavily celebrate those aspects, to the point where it's part of their brand - it's like they're a celebrity friend. I may have promoted products in the past and stated how they would make your life better in some way, but I believed they offered some value, and I wouldn't promote something simply because they pay well - for example I've been offered a Raid: Shadow Legends sponsorship before, and despite the fact that they pay extremely well for sponsorships, it's a product that promotes exploitative gacha/gambling systems.
@@Salari thats a very interesting response because I was thinking the same thing. I think there is a huge gray area. In many ways influences are getting smarter and having to do some 5D chess in order to gain the trust of people in this very cynical age. But I do believe that the most successful influencers sacrifice a lot of their authenticity for more "success" while the real ones fall off or maintain a more niche audience. Its a very two-faced industry that ironically prides itself on being authentic and celebrating someone's true personality.
I don't think I fall into the trap of believing in a real relationship between the audience and the creator, but I think there are creators that I really like that ARE popular and touch on this parasocial relationship in their work and its their realness in this post-post modernism age that makes them "likeable" to me and I think to many of their fans. There are many layers to it, but I just find it really interesting.
One thing I refuse to do is ever call myself a stan or put up a picture of anyone on my wall. Strictly only enjoying their work is as much as I think they should be "praised".
I think the answer comes out of when we started using the term, and who it first applied to. And then contrasting with regular content creators who existed before
I think the difference has to do with aspiration. When an influencer sells something part of the appeal is that if you the buy the thing, you will be closer to having their life. Whereas non-aspirational RUclipsrs who just focus on their content instead of themselves aren't selling products as a way for you to be more like them. It feels like less of a parasocial relationship and more of an ad read you'd hear on TV or radio. but that's just my take lol
damn nigel
I was going through a burnout but your video and this amazing comment section really comforted me. Even I am happy with what I already have and hate being competitive but this world and the society (you guys know asian society is !) somehow forces the narrative that no matter how happy and content you are with your life, a little more money and a promotion or fame will make you even happier and prove yourself to others, make your parents proud and the list goes on. I don't even understand why do we need to show prove to anyone in the first place. Not everything you do needs to be associated with pride and ego. Calm down !
Also amazing video. Thanx a lot :)
REMEMBER: if something is free, you’re the product
People becoming brands, brands becoming people
"my videos might come off as a bit bleak" that's not because of the video alone but the topic itself is realistic, informative, relatable (an example and favourite of mine is 'Jobs are Ruining your Life') and yet they are all INCREDIBLY entertaining. i think content like this is needed , like you said not everyone can just react to tiktok compilations lol and im glad you make the content you do,it feels very 'humane" or compassionate since its struggles most people go through? . Im lucky i found your videos/channel a while ago! im sure not where i was going with this but me and a bunch of other people sincerely enjoy all the effort you put in your videos! : )
What he is saying is a reason why I hate social media. I know a family member who is guilty of this posting pictures of her vacation spots. It never bothered me but I think it would to others like her saying "You have nothing compared to me". I worked at a company where people acted this way. Great pay, but very toxic environment.
Now thats a true.
Good thing i just watch "content" instead of a life of a person
Excellent vid, friendo. I never get tired of ppl analyzing parasocial relationships. Its slowly becoming my favorite topic for video essays. This one is definitely in the top 3.
I would add to that truth phrase: "better to live with an uncomfortable truth than a comfortable or hopeless lie"
As much as blissful ignorance is deceiving, living with the belief that you can't do anything except be eternally depressed and doomed to die like a pathetic insect is equally bad.
I appreciate that you make content like this, I arrived at the conclusion myself that influencers are basically the modern form of advertisement but wanted another perspective, and I believe what you do is far more important and memorable, and will perhaps be widely accepted in time
I'm gonna be honest. I'm a small "influencer" and still this affects me a lot . sometime i need to be offline for a while.
It's a super complicated issue. IMO, there's a pretty fine line between influencer channels made by every day people who want to share what they've found, and influencers who were given the ability to be successful and amass millions of views due to a wealthy family, connections, bending to the status quo. People like Logan Paul and sssniperwolf, for example, are not necessarily better than other content creators, but in their own league due to advantages they had one may not consider. Unfortunately, we do live in a capitalist reality, and its impossible to not partake in this society without being completely miserable. I think, what I'm trying to say is, channels like yours aren't hurting anyone. You're not exploiting people, and you're generally just sharing information to others. As long as you're sensitive to the context of our society, and you're not directly harming anyone, or getting off the pain of others, do what you gotta do to get by. Leftist solidarity. ✌️
@@azooreus i totally agree with you. Thank you for your reply. The whole influence thing sometimes does makes me sick. Theres many great channels showing great positive things and these channels get the attention also those ppl are sopp bad. Cant even call them ppl honestly. Thank you again
Yeah, no worries. I just know its easy to fall into blaming ourselves when we think about this stuff, I do it all the time. But its just not true. The people in power could fix this mess any day they wanted to, faster than anyone else. Its OK to self care, everyone deserves to be happy. And ofc, staying informed and circulating information is doing a lot more good than we might think.
@@azooreus 😇😇😇😇
Spreading awareness might be depressing at first but then makes you more AWARE of things and maybe better control outside influences.
Something that has puzzled me for a long time is the underlying meaning of content creators destroying new consumer items just for the sake of destroying them (this was more prevalent about five years ago but still exists): iPhones, televisions, food, toys, automobiles, etc. It is a strange kind of flex that simultaneously shouts I, [the content creator], am deeply unhappy with the state of things as they are but have no understanding why amid an abundance of "stuff" and I have such a surfeit of luxury consumer items that I think nothing of destroying what others might spend months working to be able to afford.
Over time, this disorients audiences regarding a healthy balance of values, attitudes, and behaviors, making them more pliable for corporate predation. This goes beyond product placement and sponsorship and is illustrative of a greater, more fundamental danger.
What we all lack now is some truth so thank you for giving it to us. And if hearing the truth makes you uncomfortable and you ignore it, it basically means you ignore other people's pain and suffering - but if we want to live in a society it means caring about people who are not you.
16:45-17:05 The Truman Show did this exact thing in which Truman's wife got nervous trying to keep the secret that his whole life is a TV show and just started selling a product because that was what she was comfortable with. Natrually, Truman got confused as to what she was doing. ruclips.net/video/6U4-KZSoe6g/видео.html
We are seeing a real-life merger of The Truman Show and Idiocracy.
Eventhough I don't attach myself to influencers I just see the life of luxury I could have and one I'm actively avoiding while simultaneously feeling like a failure and disappointment because I lack big goals.
That was a great video. I really enjoyed it, thank you !
Influencer is such an evil sounding word, makes me think of some sort of comic book villain whose superpower is mind control
For me celebrities and influencers are entertainment only. I don't need to care about their social lives or what products they own or use or sell.
We need more conversation about the problems with social media. I strongly feel they will have to be publicly owned and/or regulated in the future. The recent Thought Slime video about Twitter is also excellent, like this one. Well done.
This video truly hits the nail on the head. I know for a fact that a lot of people my age (early teens to late teens) have grown up envying those born luckier and more talented than us. Everyday my friend posts about Billie Eilish or Arianna Grande, they’re absolutely obsessed and is always wishing to have a piece of their life but ultimately is just another number on the Instagram count.
We crave their luxurious and carefree lifestyles. You grow up wanting to be adored by millions but to be honest, most of us will probably never have that and that’s totally fine. Life is truly about enjoying what you have and aspiring for more, but not being incredibly hard on yourself if it’s not as much as you had wanted before.
Do we really "crave their [ostensibly] luxurious and carefree lifestyle," or are we already made to feel we are a part of it, which erodes our desire to do much in any fundamental way to cut the strings and create more independent lives connected with our actual lived realities?
Your videos always make me depressed but in a good way. Many reasons why we never can achieve the dreams constantly promoted to us is also partly why pyramid schemes- sorry, "multi level marketing companies" are getting more and more popular.
And about the conclusion: whenever I hear someone saying not tt pay attention to influencers, I keep thinking about a line from the 1998 Merlin mini series: "You can't fight us or frighten us... you're just not important enough anymore. We forget you, Queen Mab."
You have inspired me to unsub from the people I don't know personally and don't gain new skills/knowledge from. Thank you, I'm going to spend the money on a nice coffee once a month or put it towards larger goals.
I always felt that most influencers are miserable and shallow. It's like they constantly have to put on an act and are always involved in drama.
It's so sad how these new generations depend on these people and allow them to dictate their own lives. In my generation we actually went out and made friends. We were too busy having fun and dressed according to whatever made us feel happy or wear whatever best represented our own creative personality.
Creativity was our inspiration not so much brand names. I was a part of the L.A Club scene in a time where we got to dress creatively and whatever was fun. Now kids are chained to their phone and tweet about having a latte. This is the most intelligent video I have scene this year. I could care less of what the kardashians are wearing.. I think that these channels and social media accounts are slowly socially engineering a psychopathic and apathetic society.
"I don't care if I pronounced her name properly" LMAO!
Influencers make me unhappy not because i follow them but because they keep doing stupid, depraves things and make me lose faith in humanity.
Well, unfortunately, even from your irl friend circles you aren't in the clear from someone trying to "subtly" sell you something.
We call 'em Multi Level Marketing Drones
The assault of the hun bots!
hun bots lol
Your words at the end felt very good. Great video! Subbed
You could say that he doesn't receive... A Salari
Influencers are one of the most effective weapons brands use to get to their audience in the most subtle ways. Even if they base their content on minimalism, frugality, mindfulness, intentional living, most of them will end up selling you something you definitely don't need, often by making you feel that you are incomplete, not enough, flawed.
I get that for influences, this is an attractive source of income and their (the influencers and the companies') business model is not likely to change any soon, so it's important to be on the lookout for such toxic narratives. Thank you for bringing awareness on this very important topic, Salari.
Salari is an influencer because he also makes us feel miserable, just in a different way
Ps: anyone else thinks he looks like Neville Longbottom? Just me?
Fun fact: he's actually from the same city as me.
I thought the same thing. They have a very similar coloring and phenotype.
A generation of people who grew up seeing and wanting wealth is starting to get old enough to realize that it will never be achievable for them. That should end well.
I'm glad I never have used instagram.
Same
Same boat, m8
I always thought that there is a fine line between an influencer and a manipulator. Lots of them pass that line because it is so easy to do so, but once it is done, there is no way back because the credibility is lost... and most of the time the audience and the fans don't even recognise it, just accept it and they move on like nothing happened.
I don’t follow these influencers and I’m still miserable. I’m not happy because I’m not where I want to be in life. I feel I should be further in life by now but I’m still struggling to reach my goals.
At least you have goals..
You will figure it out I believe in you 💕
When it gets to that point, have you ever tried setting smaller goals and celebrating those? Many feel like they should be further along but if you look at history and research the age of the majority of individuals who changed society, through science, humanitarianism, invention, spirituality, entertainment, design, and so on, were ages 30 - 70+. From Vera Wang fashion at around 40 to Henry Ford trucks at around 50 to the Zagat couple becoming the culinary authority at 51 and Wilder with her books at 65 and Grandma Moses with her paintings at 78 and the list goes on.
I recently started a job where I sift through influencer requests for a hotel and the work led me to a really sad realisations: influencers don't just sell products, they trade their private lives for money. Nearly all of the collaboration requests the hotel gets are offers to trade influencers' birthdays and anniversaries, even confirmation parties, at the hotel for visibility on their channels. Some even try to sell their families and friends as possibly significant new customers. And the really scary thing is, most of those influencers are family vloggers.
I don't mean to form a parasocial relationship but, I think I felt something when I heard "Dance of the Evanescent" at 12:45. Great reference, great taste ❤️
I think a really big indicator of someone's real self. Is:
1) What they do when no one's around. And
2) What they do or don't do, when they have power (money or status or authority etc).
I think that this is really important to talk about, especially as we see more and more people spend more and more time online. It could have drastic impacts on the types of relationships people are able to have with each other if the only way they learn to socialize is by watching other people talk about themselves etc.. I also have to question the ethics of slipping advertisements into videos without explicitly saying it.
I didn't get depressed watching this, just the opposite. Really good and realistic content. Thank you.
I really like your videos. Please don't stop making them. 'Hope you're doing well.
I really appreciate you talking about deep and difficult subjects. It's not easy, but needed. Thank you.