Luxury hotels are being inundated with requests from self-described influencers • Hacker News Board

Re: Luxury hotels are being inundated with requests from self-described influencers

#81

Post by rland » Sun, Jun 17, 2018, 9:51 PM UTC

cityhomesteader wrote: post #58

JetSpiegel wrote: post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is the entire advertising industry in a nutshell, and that funds Google.

> and that funds Google. ... and the atlantic and most newspapers, media companies and even this site. Welcome to the consumer economy where trying to "influence" consumers to consume is the name of the game. Advertising is at the heart of everything in our society from technology to politics to news. We don't even realize it most of the time because it's all around us like air.

I think there needs to be some new word for this ill. Advertising is only necessary because of the breakdown of social trust that comes with fungible living in this individualized, modern world of ours. I think this nebulous ill of "advertising" extends far beyond ad tech, ad agencies, and media and right into the structure of society and the human condition itself.

Re: Luxury hotels are being inundated with requests from self-described influencers

#82

Post by weinzierl » Sun, Jun 17, 2018, 9:54 PM UTC

sorokod wrote: post #52

In "the hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy" there is a story about a society that shipped out all its useless members (hairdressers and telephone sanitizers) off planet. If Douglas Adams was writing the book now he may have replaced sanitizers with influencers.

> The ship was filled with [..] telephone sanitisers, account executives, hairdressers, tired TV producers, insurance salesmen, personnel officers, security guards, public relations executives and management consultants. [1]

Hmm, close enough.

[1] http://hitchhikers.wikia.com/wiki/Golgafrinchan_Ark_Fleet_Sh...

Re: Luxury hotels are being inundated with requests from self-described influencers

#83

Post by merinowool » Sun, Jun 17, 2018, 9:54 PM UTC

This is such a downer on holidays, when you want to rest at luxury place, but some young people ruin it for you with their obnoxious behavior. I hope there will be hotels that ban such Instagram addicts from premises.

Re: Luxury hotels are being inundated with requests from self-described influencers

#84

Post by duskwuff » Sun, Jun 17, 2018, 9:57 PM UTC

newfoundglory wrote: post #4

Wow, 10% of unsolicited requests are worth looking at? That seems remarkably high.

I think the implication is that 90% of the unsolicited requests are obviously garbage and are immediately ignored. The remaining 10% may still be mostly worthless, but it at least takes some investigation to identify them as such.

Re: Luxury hotels are being inundated with requests from self-described influencers

#85

Post by staticautomatic » Sun, Jun 17, 2018, 10:07 PM UTC

fredley wrote: post #73

21 wrote: post #34

I've seen something which I think is even more interesting. Second tier influencers (100k followers) paying expensive hotels and private plane trips of first tier influences (1 mil followers), so that they can appear on their feeds, and gain new followers.

This is straight up Black Mirror (season 3, episode 1: Nosedive ) Obviously the whole point of that episode was to imagine Instagram in its darkest future, but it's scary how much of it is becoming real, and separately with the roll-out of social credit scores in China. Scary stuff. --- Hansen: So in terms of quality, you could use a punch up right there. Ideally, that's up votes from quality people. Lacie: Quality p…

I don't know whether to up or down vote this. I respect it as art and it makes me ill.

Re: Luxury hotels are being inundated with requests from self-described influencers

#86

Post by overcast » Sun, Jun 17, 2018, 10:09 PM UTC

sorokod wrote: post #52

In "the hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy" there is a story about a society that shipped out all its useless members (hairdressers and telephone sanitizers) off planet. If Douglas Adams was writing the book now he may have replaced sanitizers with influencers.

I think you vastly underestimate "influencers". Just replace that term with advertisers, because that's exactly what it is. Everyone is looking for the new advertising paradigm? You're looking at it. People are ACTIVELY following these people, and enjoying it.

Re: Luxury hotels are being inundated with requests from self-described influencers

#87

Post by staticautomatic » Sun, Jun 17, 2018, 10:10 PM UTC

overcast wrote: post #61

microdrum wrote: post #53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"You can give me all the food you want, but if I don't think it's awesome, I'm not going to talk about it." That's cool but the old world where if the food isn't awesome the writer will say "THIS FOOD WAS BAD" was probably better.

Nope, provides no value except for spreading negativity. I don't have time for talking about everything I put in my mouth. I'm not a critic.

What are you?

Re: Luxury hotels are being inundated with requests from self-described influencers

#88

Post by staticautomatic » Sun, Jun 17, 2018, 10:13 PM UTC

rhino369 wrote: post #59

futurix wrote: post #17

I just want to know who the heck takes recommendations of 'influencers' seriously? Gullible teens with no money?

Gullible teens with money, which is why their influence can be worth money. Which is why this stuff works for premium mediocre products. Stuff that is more expensive, but still within the reach of the middle class. But their followers cannot afford 1000 dollar a night hotels. So if I was a luxury hotel, I'd tell them to fuck off. But if I was a cupcake shop, I'd let each of these influencers eat whatever they wanted…

That's not really how it works. The hotel puts up the influencer in the ludicrously expensive over-water bungalow or deluxe suite or whatever. Followers book the cheaper rooms hoping for the same experience.

Re: Luxury hotels are being inundated with requests from self-described influencers

#89

Post by balt_s » Sun, Jun 17, 2018, 10:13 PM UTC

cityhomesteader wrote: post #79

United857 wrote: post #67

Every reputable travel publication/blog I know of have strict editorial policies against accepting freebies/discounts/gifts in exchange for reviews/coverage. Those so-called "influencers" aren't really about serving their audience -- they strike me as just a scammy way to travel "for free".

> Every reputable travel publication/blog I know of have strict editorial policies against accepting freebies/discounts/gifts in exchange for reviews/coverage. Sure, for the writers in order to maintain an illusion of objectivity. But none of them have policies on the publication/company taking ad money in exchange for positive reviews. > Those so-called "influencers" aren't really about serving their audience -- the…

This sounds like a touch too much protestation to be coincidental...

Re: Luxury hotels are being inundated with requests from self-described influencers

#90

Post by overcast » Sun, Jun 17, 2018, 10:15 PM UTC

staticautomatic wrote: post #87

overcast wrote: post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Nope, provides no value except for spreading negativity. I don't have time for talking about everything I put in my mouth. I'm not a critic.

What are you?

Promoter.