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Confessions of an Instagram Influencer

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Re: Confessions of an Instagram Influencer

#61

Post by Paul_S »

mrtksn wrote: post #32
thinkloop wrote: post #8

I would have liked to see him continue the test without the photography, keeping just the bots and offshore friend farming - I have a feeling that's most of it. TL;DR: How to get Instagram followers: - photo quality is very important, pay for a professional - submit 3 posts a day, try to make them interesting, but that's only medium important - pay for bot to like and comment on posts with similar hash tags, so their…

I wonder what will happen when AI is good enough to imitate real internet users and ad agencies just spin up some servers in some datacenter that handles millions of bots that are indistinguishable from real people and follow the formula of the influencers.

Bots creating content for bots to click on. Perfect. Seal it in a bunker and launch into space (together with the marketeers).

Re: Confessions of an Instagram Influencer

#62

Post by apatters »

mozumder wrote: post #15
razakel wrote: post #13

I'm with Bill Hicks when it comes to advertising and marketing. I adblock. I pirate. I don't use Facebook or other social networking sites. I don't want advertising in my life. It's propaganda. It shits in your head. If there's anybody reading this who works in those industries: you thought Generation X was cynical?

Bill Hicks never figured out the meaning of life. The entire purpose of life is to market. You get up in the morning and brush your teeth so that you're more marketable than the slob that doesn't. Everything you do can be traced back to marketing. The more people understand that, the better off they will be at handling life.

And yet the most creative and inspiring marketing is paradoxically that which is not done for marketing's sake: in other words, the authentic.

You can be a marketer or you can be yourself and I know which one I want to be.

Re: Confessions of an Instagram Influencer

#63

Post by sooheon »

razakel wrote: post #28
mozumder wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You know your marketing yourself right now with your statements to the audience here, right? An audience built around silicon valley's capitalist culture...

>You know your marketing yourself right now with your statements to the audience here, right? I understand your sentiment, but I believe that's a toxic worldview. >An audience built around silicon valley's capitalist culture... I am criticising consumerism, not capitalism.

Interesting, what do you think is the distinction? The greatest contributor to flourishing capitalism is strong consumerism. And the biggest driver of the consumerist mind is capitalist manipulation. They feed off of each other, and are so intertwined that it's hardly useful to refer to one without acknowledging that it comes with the other.

Re: Confessions of an Instagram Influencer

#64

Post by cyberferret »

shellehs wrote: post #31
cyberferret wrote: post #5

My wife and I were just talking about this today, coincidentally. She follows a few people around the world who are artists or collectors on IG. She pointed out to me that when she started following some of them more than a year ago, they had a few hundred followers, and were posting general stuff, but which all felt heartfelt and 'in the moment'. I think 'genuine' was the word my wife used. Kids doing silly things.…

I guess(and hope) more and more people are going to accept the fact, most beautiful photos on social media are fake and crafted reality. The people appeared in a photo just like a cartoon character similarly. What you see is not reality but dream you want to live with. Just like you are watching a movie, sometime you can get out from the movie, but you know it is a movie deep in your heart

But when I pay for a movie ticket or rent in on NetFlix/Apple TV/whatever, I am expecting it to be fiction, and I am mentally prepared to lose myself in the experience. Same with books, theme parks, plays etc.

However, when I follow people on social media, I am expecting something that is a little more 1 to 1, and a lot more real. I am interested in programming, guitars, aviation etc. and follow people with the same passions.

If I have to do extra detective whenever someone posted a picture of some guitar gear, in order to find out whether they posted it because they were really inspired by it, or whether they were paid by a manufacturer to do it, then it really renders the interaction meaningless, and I would rather do without it.

I'll never pay to go see a live music performance if I know the players are just miming to backing tracks. I go to experience the actual process, pain and joy of someone working hard to create music. The odd mistake and off key note all ADD to the performance for me, not detract. It reminds me that we are all not perfect, but we still try to reach out to each other to connect.

If we are all just living in a plastic world now, where we have to question every interaction to ascertain whether it is real or not, then I am not sure I want to participate in that world anymore.

Re: Confessions of an Instagram Influencer

#65

Post by ThomPete »

apatters wrote: post #62
mozumder wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Bill Hicks never figured out the meaning of life. The entire purpose of life is to market. You get up in the morning and brush your teeth so that you're more marketable than the slob that doesn't. Everything you do can be traced back to marketing. The more people understand that, the better off they will be at handling life.

And yet the most creative and inspiring marketing is paradoxically that which is not done for marketing's sake: in other words, the authentic. You can be a marketer or you can be yourself and I know which one I want to be.

It's inspiring and creative because it's different, right until it isn't anymore.

You can't escape the marketing.

Or as a famous Danish artist once said "I paint to get pussy"

Re: Confessions of an Instagram Influencer

#66

Post by cmdrfred »

sooheon wrote: post #63
razakel wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>You know your marketing yourself right now with your statements to the audience here, right? I understand your sentiment, but I believe that's a toxic worldview. >An audience built around silicon valley's capitalist culture... I am criticising consumerism, not capitalism.

Interesting, what do you think is the distinction? The greatest contributor to flourishing capitalism is strong consumerism. And the biggest driver of the consumerist mind is capitalist manipulation. They feed off of each other, and are so intertwined that it's hardly useful to refer to one without acknowledging that it comes with the other.

>The greatest contributor to flourishing capitalism is strong consumerism.

Not if you ask a businessman or a politician. Boosting the supply side is how you get to a robust economy according to them.

Re: Confessions of an Instagram Influencer

#67

Post by bardworx »

vincnetas wrote: post #52
Angostura wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Which toothpaste do you use? And how did you come to choose that brand?

My wife chooses for me :)

You are getting downvoted because people feel like it's not adding to the conversation, however, I disagree.

I also use toothpaste, and other products,that my wife chose and came to the realization that even though I might not be directly marketed to, I am still reached by a so-called influencer, who has way more power then some random instagram person or ad.

I wouldn't be surprised to find more Marketing dollars are spent on advertising to women (probably, no proof, just an assumption). Since if they can target the person who purchases for the family, the company adds multiple consumers, regardless if they realize it or not.

To me, that's an interesting introspective and your comment did contribute.

Thanks.

Re: Confessions of an Instagram Influencer

#68

Post by qznc »

johndoe4589 wrote: post #35

Was just thinking about this recently as I started following a few people. We are increasingly living in a world of fiction. Previously it was mainly fed through television. You'd grow up on television series, and as a young man/woman you'd try to be cool like them, dress like them, talk like them. You build your world view around "influential" portrayals. Nowadays, we haven't freed ourself from media controlled tele…

I don't think that we are increasingly living in a world of fiction. We always have. It is human. Kids believe in Santa Claus, adults believe Saddam has weapons of mass destruction. Some believe in Mohammed, Jesus, Jahwe, or Dharma. Some believe they will become rich in Silicon Valley, others on Wallstreet. Some believe in articles from mainstream media, some don't. Many people have dreams for their future, which is just fiction they are telling themselves.

You consider these thoughts dark or cynical. Why? Humans have built an amazing civilization with a global economy and messaging travel across the globe in milliseconds. We did all this as fallible meat bags believing in dreams and telling each other mostly false stories. That is a great story as well. ;)

Re: Confessions of an Instagram Influencer

#69

Post by WA »

askdjso wrote: post #10

I know a local "artist" that lives off Instagram and not her "art". She publishes all her "songs" on Youtube for free, and lives off sponsored content on Instagram and media appearances. Is she lazy and getting "free-money"? no. Is she talented? also no.

Since when is the commercial aspect of art about talent?

Re: Confessions of an Instagram Influencer

#70

Post by _pmf_ »

cyberferret wrote: post #5

My wife and I were just talking about this today, coincidentally. She follows a few people around the world who are artists or collectors on IG. She pointed out to me that when she started following some of them more than a year ago, they had a few hundred followers, and were posting general stuff, but which all felt heartfelt and 'in the moment'. I think 'genuine' was the word my wife used. Kids doing silly things.…

Unfortunately, society has made its choice that art itself is completely worthless unless artists engage in person cults. It'd be really nice if concepts like Pinterest could change this (in small ways, I'm sure they did).
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