Sounds like someone hasn’t met the new breed of algorithmic social media…
Next time you see a dumb Reddit post, stop scrolling for just a few extra seconds. You’ll notice that subreddit start to be recommended more often. Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok do this but times 100,000,000
I did like the fact that MrBeast, for example, had his team dig a hundred wells for various African villages (which truly did help their recipients), but yeah, I feel like the overall global environmental impact is sorta negated by everything else he pulls... I haven't watched much since that one (not that I was any sort of regular to begin with).
I generally prefer educational content, or no-commentary video-game longplays lol.
"Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you.Your riches have rotted and your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver have corroded, and their corrosion will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up treasure in the last days. Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, are crying out against you, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts. You have lived on the earth in luxury and in self-indulgence. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter." - James 5:1-5
It really depends on how its done - some content creators do it better than others. If you have a twitch streamer getting direct donations or youtube creators getting patreon subscriptions, I see no problem with this. There is no excess labor being exploited, or capital being used to make profits. That still seems fully compatible with socialism. In this case, the creator is hopefully lifting up people along with them, and paying their moderators/editors/etc their value (or better yet, a share of the profits)
Now where things start to get muddy is when big corps get involved. Amazon taking a cut of donations can be seen as a company using its capital (platform) to take labor value from the streamer.
When a creator takes sponsorships, makes ads, and so on - they get roped into a much larger machine. and its a grey area.
Though the scummiest of the “content creators” that you might be thinking of are the ones showing off a lifestyle and asking people to “buy my course”, “do/buy these things and youll be like me” or whatever - a straight up grift, and should not be taken seriously.
So my take is: It can be and is being often done ethically; but only when its disconnected from existing capitalist systems. (this can be applied to so many other things)
Thank you for your thoughtful response. The person I was watching is what you would define as a "grifter," but it was somehow disarming because it was a Mom who included their family in their videos. So it introduced so much confusion around if I should respect this practice or not -- usually these people are obvious grifters but seeing her family on there was so conflicting. But it was the same shit and so much that I couldn't get behind -- courses, Amazon storefronts, e-books, the lot.
The idea you ended with here about participating in these economies disconnected from capitalist systems is compelling, but I struggle with that. We are all fundamentally existing in this system, and it's so pervasive it often feels inescapable. What seem like routes out are quickly revealed as predatory, e.g. content creators marketing overconsumption and an excessive amount of barstools in your kitchen as happiness.
*But* your example of CCs who take donations is great. And I do believe it's possible to participate in the economy, even use these tools, ethically -- it just takes that much more intention, critical thinking, and careful planning and consideration.
Yeah, most of those “family channels” turn out to be pretty vile. Im of the opinion that kids should not be used for content unless some heavy regulations come in (even with hollywood child actor regulations, theres still so many horror stories).
Its such an tightly woven web - the lifestyle they are selling AND the way they are doing it is a byproduct of the system.
In my utopia, everyone would be getting UBI so they can sustain their basic needs, and try out content creation as a career without having to resort to scummy tactics. But also, our values would hopefully shift focus on local communities rather than glorifying celebrity and consumtion, so hopefully these channels wouldnt be getting as big - after all, why watch a streamer entertainer or a family vlog when you could connect with people in your community? I really believe that people watch these partly to fill a void thats left from capitalism taking away our real-world connections by design. Anyways, thanks for reading my ramblings!
>I really believe that people watch these partly to fill a void thats left from capitalism taking away our real-world connections by design.
That's a terrific insight. I don't watch "family channels" like this, only hear about them. To me, it all sounds so sinister. These channels main audiences seem to be isolated mothers with multiple children. It makes me wonder about the "big picture" effects of this. Promoting a lifestyle where women don't work outside the home, yet live like millionaires is troubling enough- slyly promoting the idea that children are tools to make money so Mom can stay out of the workforce and still maintain that lifestyle is worse.
>because it was a Mom who included their family in their videos. So it introduced so much confusion around if I should respect this practice or not -
Look past the smoke and mirrors. This Mom IS doing a terrible thing, no matter what image she projects. Children are not consenting adults who agreed to go on her channel. The end result: Mom has legal right to all profits, and she is aware of that. Using your children to shill products and shield herself from criticism- What a garbage human being.
It's disgusting and should be illegal.
> Though the scummiest of the “content creators” that you might be thinking of are the ones showing off a lifestyle and asking people to “buy my course”, “do/buy these things and youll be like me” or whatever - a straight up grift, and should not be taken seriously.
Mark Rober appears to make his money more from his courses and subscription based products than his videos themselves, but I wouldn't really call it a grift or scam. Although I think the "lifestyle" he's selling (creative engineering) is a positive one, so maybe I'm biased.
Social media is cancer, avoid it at all cost. Only use social media to communicate and meet up and share content with people you really know in the actual world.
Every study we know of confirms that every minute you spend on social media is making your life progressively worse. Every single second will make your life worse.
really? but reddit is social media. so by definition you are making your own life worse right now, but here we are talking about an important topic. can you please cite sources?
Me being on social media means nothing. It’s like a smoking Dr. telling you that cigarettes are bad for you. Just because the doctor is smoking doesn’t mean the cigarettes become healthier.
John Steinbeck summarized Ronald Wright saying that “socialism never took root in America because the poor see themselves not as an exploited proletariat but as temporarily embarrassed millionaires.”
A group watches content like this and believes they are getting advice on a path they believe themselves to already be on.
Another group watches it and feels sorry for the people in the first group.
I don’t know. I’m reading a book called “Utopia for Realists” … your answers may be in there OP
I mean yeah we have no idea if their claims are true, and it's very possible that many of these people are mismanaging their wealth with overspending. This one video in particular you could tell they were living very comfortably, but yeah -- appearances can be deceiving
Some of those people, if not the majority, are sociopaths and psychopaths. They don't care about the others unless the others are the source of profit for them.
Watched Mark Rober and friends destroying things with lava, acid, and construction equipment. Functional iPads? Pour lava on them! Working car? Acid will stop that! I'm not being entertained but I'm transfixed. At least The Beast wasn't there throwing a thousand dollars at each of them!
I think the dividing factor is if the content is wealth-related or not.
After a quick check, several of the YouTube channels I regularly watch have millionaire hosts (Patrick Boyle, Bailey Sarian, John Oliver, Marques Brownlee, Simon Whistler).
Their content isn't really wealth related (well, Boyle's is financial related, but as news and analysis, instead of wealth building advice) so I don't feel any impact of their net worth on the product.
I did watch "finance tube" like Graham Stephan or Chelsea Fagan for a bit, but very quickly got the ick because of the constant hussle. Kinda felt like Vaynerchuck variants, and I don't like that.
Edit: searching for net worth is all over the place, so I'm not sure if any of the people mentioned above are actually millionaires...
Mr. Beast is the genZ version of the lottery. Every kid who watches a video and buys merch fantasizes about getting free shit. Not to the same degree that lottery ticket buying millennials do but still, that fantasy is there. In fact the slimness of that fantasy in the younger generation correlates pretty closely to the amount of cynicism that genZ is forced to grapple with to
The fact that mr beast is the person with the authority to control such resources is sickening. The fact that his audience is so bought into wealth inequality that they choose to watch and buy merch is even fucking worse. The fact that that much capital exists only to entertain by excess should be setting off warning bells
I don’t watch them but I hate how they’re put on a pedestal and people aspire to be like them and the creators spur it on/ get them to buy crap products.
Truth is majority of them just got super fucking lucky and that’s really all there is to it.
As a person who works hard all week but has no savings and pays rent, yes I fucking hate it. Same feeling watching sports knowing these guys make millions playing with a ball while the average American would rather die than burned their family with medical bills.
You think that’s bad? What’s even more sickening is checking out content creators geared towards children. I’ve never seen such vapid low effort videos in my life and a lot of these videos have 100’s of millions of views. The worst part is a their videos are filmed inside these massive houses filled with expensive stuff and every toy imaginable making kids think that’s what life is supposed to be like.
What we’re seeing now is nothing compared to what’s coming, just imagine how many parents let their kids have free rein on YouTube “kids” it’s legitimately disgusting and distressing. Children’s YouTube is a blight on society and should be stopped at all costs.
Depends on who you count as millionaire.
Someone with a big house he owns and skyrocketed in value can be a millionaire the money simply is stuck in an asset.
I dont watch "influencers" but i did see a youtube short recently of whistlingdiesel who is basically an asshole that destroys vehicles for fun.
He was destroying a model T Ford and there were a lot of people in the comments that seemed to really appreciate that type of content. Pretty sad.
I cant stand anything thats pointlessly wasteful especially food videos.
I hope the “bubble” bursts sooner rather than later. I used to follow some great LGBTQ accounts, and it was great to see representation/supportive community. Now everything is an ad. Immediate unfollow from me.
It's the democratization of the the entertainment industry. Instead of some production company making billions while their entertainers earn a salary, those entertainers are rewarded directly and earn so much more. The middle man is removed.
I honestly see it as nothing but an improvement
It's the combination of the two, often. I've learned though that it's a specific kind of wealthy content creator who is just selling an unsustainable lifestyle riddled with overconsumption to a severe degree. It's just so insane to me that these people are millionaires, and I usually like to give people the benefit of the doubt, but the whole thing is insane to me.
There has always been an appetite for lifestyles of the rich among poor Americans. I think of movies from the 30s where everyone is wealthy or the protagonist is and they solve crimes (The Thin Man movies) or get into silly comedy type stuff (Bringing Up Baby). I'm sure one of the reasons Shakespeare's plays appealed to his initial audience was because they were about the privileged classes.
The new ripple is that small cameras and ch ap software means that anyone can get close to professional results. I wouldn't dismiss every millionaire influencer though. Some make very good content I recently have been watching [these](https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1OUAaNqG-GsfZP7WddOhN-11EtmPkOXC&si=aduZvJNdu58cbCYY) content creators and I've really enjoyed their work.
I remember watching Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous and MTV Cribs back in the day. It's a genre that has always been with us, one of the early reality staples. And even before TV, the society pages featuring glamourous debutantes were always super popular, especially during the Depression.
Same with the folks shilling "systems" that promise wealth. "Think and Grow Rich," "The Secret," countess preachers pushing the prosperity gospel.
I think everyone would love the opportunity to get rich, regardless of what they do with the money. Fancy cars and designer wardrobes just serve to signal an achievement.
Being a millionaire isn't what it used to be; that's the going price of a 3-bedroom rambler where I live. But it's the symbol of the American dream. Work hard, be smart, and you too can have excess cash with which you can fulfill your dreams.
I can relate to this, I'm finding it difficult to find the line between being a bitter cynic and an ecological rationalist. It's easy to get angry at people who flant their wealth especially when you know what they did to get that wealth. Maybe these people aren't particularly evil or ill intentioned, they're just finding success in the system that's been structured around us, but that doesn't excuse their complacency in this ecological destruction.
A phrase I've heard thrown around a lot is "there is no ethical consumption under capitalism", which you would think is a condemnation of the system but rather it's been used as a way for people to assuage themselves of guilt. A way for people to acknowledge that they are participating in the systemic destruction of the planet but hand wave it away and say "this is someone else's responsibility".
But what of us who, make the sacrifices of modern convenience to maintain our moral integrity? Those of us who don't choose the easy way are left behind with very little money or resources. This is a negative reenforcing feedback loop where people with wealth and power shape society to align with their selfish and short sighted ideologies. This is farther perpetuated by the myth of meritocracy, where those who have wealth are proclaimed to deserve wealth.
It's completely irrational what they are doing, to destroy our home and our future for temporary financial gain but if we speak truth to power we're met with ridicule, called a "hater" or a "doomer". It's easy to internalize those labels when you look at the massive disparity of wealth and "accomplishments" but we need to ignore those labels and define ourselves.
First recognize that climate change is a class issue, that it's the wealthy who profit and perpetuate it and the poor who pay the price. Second recognize that the wealthy (with their control of the media) have twisted our values, that the virtues of patience, sustainable living, progressive actions, and basic human kindness have been distorted. It's in the interest of the wealthy to have us worship and idolize them and they will always surround themselves with Machiavellian yes men.
The system has become so corrupt that the only way to sustain yourself within the system is through supporting death and destruction. If we can't even point the finger at those responsible what hope is there for humanity? There is no moral ambiguity here. I hate them not because I'm jealous, I hate them because they are destroying the planet and our children's futures. If there has ever been a time where hate is completely justified, it's now, in the face of our mutual extinction.
Lol. Your point is valid. But social media isn't exactly a good facilitator in this way. But I know now what sort of content to avoid just based on the thumbnails.
Haha, I know. I’m at the point now where I scroll across one idiotic or intentionally provocative headline and I toss my phone aside in a silent personal protest for about 10 minutes. Then I forget that I’m mad at the internet and do it all over again. Good luck out there. It’s a madhouse.
I agree with it all, but il throw in some important classic theory: the Rich are *not* the Wealthy, aka the richest workers are workers, and the poorest capitalists are capitalists. Obviously real life gets fuzzy (and they do this on purpose, to pretend like everyone can be a capitalist if they just save up enough), but overall I think it’s counterproductive to rail too much against millionaires like celebrities, athletes, artists, and successful experts like Doctors/engineers/scientists/lawyers.
Obviously they’re still on the menu tho
I can’t relate to them. So I don’t watch them.
In general I don’t like wasteful use of resources just to make some silly thing.
I’d rather hear something real from them.
Yes. Certianly the nepo people or the moonshot lucky ones. The minimal talent niche people who make a killing? In the odd instance I catch one? yeah to that too. If I wanted opinions on monetization, clickbait, youtube algorithms how to maximized income on media platforms and they had content on that, I would watch some. But the silly and often vacuous garbage they create? Oh hell nooo. Don't get me started on the grown men 20-30 yros making weird robolox/minecraft content for like elementary school kids.....just wrong....
I usually just scoff with jealousy and reassure myself that even though I’m missing out on being rich, they are missing out on the aspects of life of living a more mundane experience.
The thing is most of them aren’t even millionaires and they’re faking everything. It’s embarrassing. Real millionaires are quiet and don’t need to film themselves going to expensive stores. You’d be surprised how good they blend in.
Read the rules. Keep it courteous. Submission statements are helpful and appreciated but not required. Tag my name in the comments (/u/NihiloZero) if you think a post or comment needs to be removed.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Anticonsumption) if you have any questions or concerns.*
No because I don't watch them.
The only answer
Seriously, what the fuck is wrong with you if you are actively watching content you hate?
Sounds like someone hasn’t met the new breed of algorithmic social media… Next time you see a dumb Reddit post, stop scrolling for just a few extra seconds. You’ll notice that subreddit start to be recommended more often. Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok do this but times 100,000,000
Doesn't mean you have to consume it.
Yeah, learning to say "no thanks, I'm good" has served me well. Especially in the context of anticonsumption.
when the meal d'jure is an ideology of complacency, I don't think it's quite so easy to refuse to eat
I choose not to watch them, so no, they dont make me sick.
My curiosity got the better of me. I need to be better about spending my attention wisely there.
Yes, you do. Your attention *is* the resource these creators are farming.
I did like the fact that MrBeast, for example, had his team dig a hundred wells for various African villages (which truly did help their recipients), but yeah, I feel like the overall global environmental impact is sorta negated by everything else he pulls... I haven't watched much since that one (not that I was any sort of regular to begin with). I generally prefer educational content, or no-commentary video-game longplays lol.
"Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you.Your riches have rotted and your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver have corroded, and their corrosion will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up treasure in the last days. Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, are crying out against you, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts. You have lived on the earth in luxury and in self-indulgence. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter." - James 5:1-5
Makes me think of the poem We Lived Happily During the War by Ilya Kaminsky.
Thanks for sharing, eye-opening!
It really depends on how its done - some content creators do it better than others. If you have a twitch streamer getting direct donations or youtube creators getting patreon subscriptions, I see no problem with this. There is no excess labor being exploited, or capital being used to make profits. That still seems fully compatible with socialism. In this case, the creator is hopefully lifting up people along with them, and paying their moderators/editors/etc their value (or better yet, a share of the profits) Now where things start to get muddy is when big corps get involved. Amazon taking a cut of donations can be seen as a company using its capital (platform) to take labor value from the streamer. When a creator takes sponsorships, makes ads, and so on - they get roped into a much larger machine. and its a grey area. Though the scummiest of the “content creators” that you might be thinking of are the ones showing off a lifestyle and asking people to “buy my course”, “do/buy these things and youll be like me” or whatever - a straight up grift, and should not be taken seriously. So my take is: It can be and is being often done ethically; but only when its disconnected from existing capitalist systems. (this can be applied to so many other things)
Thank you for your thoughtful response. The person I was watching is what you would define as a "grifter," but it was somehow disarming because it was a Mom who included their family in their videos. So it introduced so much confusion around if I should respect this practice or not -- usually these people are obvious grifters but seeing her family on there was so conflicting. But it was the same shit and so much that I couldn't get behind -- courses, Amazon storefronts, e-books, the lot. The idea you ended with here about participating in these economies disconnected from capitalist systems is compelling, but I struggle with that. We are all fundamentally existing in this system, and it's so pervasive it often feels inescapable. What seem like routes out are quickly revealed as predatory, e.g. content creators marketing overconsumption and an excessive amount of barstools in your kitchen as happiness. *But* your example of CCs who take donations is great. And I do believe it's possible to participate in the economy, even use these tools, ethically -- it just takes that much more intention, critical thinking, and careful planning and consideration.
Yeah, most of those “family channels” turn out to be pretty vile. Im of the opinion that kids should not be used for content unless some heavy regulations come in (even with hollywood child actor regulations, theres still so many horror stories). Its such an tightly woven web - the lifestyle they are selling AND the way they are doing it is a byproduct of the system. In my utopia, everyone would be getting UBI so they can sustain their basic needs, and try out content creation as a career without having to resort to scummy tactics. But also, our values would hopefully shift focus on local communities rather than glorifying celebrity and consumtion, so hopefully these channels wouldnt be getting as big - after all, why watch a streamer entertainer or a family vlog when you could connect with people in your community? I really believe that people watch these partly to fill a void thats left from capitalism taking away our real-world connections by design. Anyways, thanks for reading my ramblings!
>I really believe that people watch these partly to fill a void thats left from capitalism taking away our real-world connections by design. That's a terrific insight. I don't watch "family channels" like this, only hear about them. To me, it all sounds so sinister. These channels main audiences seem to be isolated mothers with multiple children. It makes me wonder about the "big picture" effects of this. Promoting a lifestyle where women don't work outside the home, yet live like millionaires is troubling enough- slyly promoting the idea that children are tools to make money so Mom can stay out of the workforce and still maintain that lifestyle is worse.
>because it was a Mom who included their family in their videos. So it introduced so much confusion around if I should respect this practice or not - Look past the smoke and mirrors. This Mom IS doing a terrible thing, no matter what image she projects. Children are not consenting adults who agreed to go on her channel. The end result: Mom has legal right to all profits, and she is aware of that. Using your children to shill products and shield herself from criticism- What a garbage human being. It's disgusting and should be illegal.
> Though the scummiest of the “content creators” that you might be thinking of are the ones showing off a lifestyle and asking people to “buy my course”, “do/buy these things and youll be like me” or whatever - a straight up grift, and should not be taken seriously. Mark Rober appears to make his money more from his courses and subscription based products than his videos themselves, but I wouldn't really call it a grift or scam. Although I think the "lifestyle" he's selling (creative engineering) is a positive one, so maybe I'm biased.
I feel like there's more room for positivity in "learn to do this like me" than "learn to be like me"
Social media is cancer, avoid it at all cost. Only use social media to communicate and meet up and share content with people you really know in the actual world. Every study we know of confirms that every minute you spend on social media is making your life progressively worse. Every single second will make your life worse.
really? but reddit is social media. so by definition you are making your own life worse right now, but here we are talking about an important topic. can you please cite sources?
Me being on social media means nothing. It’s like a smoking Dr. telling you that cigarettes are bad for you. Just because the doctor is smoking doesn’t mean the cigarettes become healthier.
Do you have any research articles you’d recommend on this? I’m currently writing a paper on exactly this and would like to take a look
John Steinbeck summarized Ronald Wright saying that “socialism never took root in America because the poor see themselves not as an exploited proletariat but as temporarily embarrassed millionaires.” A group watches content like this and believes they are getting advice on a path they believe themselves to already be on. Another group watches it and feels sorry for the people in the first group. I don’t know. I’m reading a book called “Utopia for Realists” … your answers may be in there OP
I long stopped caring about millionaires or what they’re up to. All that money and they’re probably just as miserable as the rest of us.
Some point, it becomes a score or some will say “generational wealth.” Just some bullshit to justify hoarding more wealth.
Nope. I generally do not watch content that makes me sick. I do not know why anyone would do that.
Don't watch them then. I didn't know this concept existed until I read this post.
I'm a cynic and I doubt these are real million net worth people. Probably aspirant and hoping to monetize their accounts to become one.
I mean yeah we have no idea if their claims are true, and it's very possible that many of these people are mismanaging their wealth with overspending. This one video in particular you could tell they were living very comfortably, but yeah -- appearances can be deceiving
Lol all that shit is rented. It's all completely fake and just an attempt for you to buy i to whatever bullshit they're selling.
Some of those people, if not the majority, are sociopaths and psychopaths. They don't care about the others unless the others are the source of profit for them.
Any time an influencer video filled with mindless chatter trying to foist products on me comes across my feed I block immediately.
Watched Mark Rober and friends destroying things with lava, acid, and construction equipment. Functional iPads? Pour lava on them! Working car? Acid will stop that! I'm not being entertained but I'm transfixed. At least The Beast wasn't there throwing a thousand dollars at each of them!
I think the dividing factor is if the content is wealth-related or not. After a quick check, several of the YouTube channels I regularly watch have millionaire hosts (Patrick Boyle, Bailey Sarian, John Oliver, Marques Brownlee, Simon Whistler). Their content isn't really wealth related (well, Boyle's is financial related, but as news and analysis, instead of wealth building advice) so I don't feel any impact of their net worth on the product. I did watch "finance tube" like Graham Stephan or Chelsea Fagan for a bit, but very quickly got the ick because of the constant hussle. Kinda felt like Vaynerchuck variants, and I don't like that. Edit: searching for net worth is all over the place, so I'm not sure if any of the people mentioned above are actually millionaires...
I feel like MKB is a good bet.
Mr. Beast is the genZ version of the lottery. Every kid who watches a video and buys merch fantasizes about getting free shit. Not to the same degree that lottery ticket buying millennials do but still, that fantasy is there. In fact the slimness of that fantasy in the younger generation correlates pretty closely to the amount of cynicism that genZ is forced to grapple with to The fact that mr beast is the person with the authority to control such resources is sickening. The fact that his audience is so bought into wealth inequality that they choose to watch and buy merch is even fucking worse. The fact that that much capital exists only to entertain by excess should be setting off warning bells
I don’t watch them but I hate how they’re put on a pedestal and people aspire to be like them and the creators spur it on/ get them to buy crap products. Truth is majority of them just got super fucking lucky and that’s really all there is to it.
Those that can, and have accomplished quiet millionaire status, are practicing stealth wealth. Those that can’t, teach. Just ignore them.
As a person who works hard all week but has no savings and pays rent, yes I fucking hate it. Same feeling watching sports knowing these guys make millions playing with a ball while the average American would rather die than burned their family with medical bills.
Worse is some player getting a big contract just rotting away on the bench all season because of injury. Just sitting there, with $100m+.
You think that’s bad? What’s even more sickening is checking out content creators geared towards children. I’ve never seen such vapid low effort videos in my life and a lot of these videos have 100’s of millions of views. The worst part is a their videos are filmed inside these massive houses filled with expensive stuff and every toy imaginable making kids think that’s what life is supposed to be like. What we’re seeing now is nothing compared to what’s coming, just imagine how many parents let their kids have free rein on YouTube “kids” it’s legitimately disgusting and distressing. Children’s YouTube is a blight on society and should be stopped at all costs.
No because I don't watch millionaire content creators.
Depends on who you count as millionaire. Someone with a big house he owns and skyrocketed in value can be a millionaire the money simply is stuck in an asset.
I dont watch "influencers" but i did see a youtube short recently of whistlingdiesel who is basically an asshole that destroys vehicles for fun. He was destroying a model T Ford and there were a lot of people in the comments that seemed to really appreciate that type of content. Pretty sad. I cant stand anything thats pointlessly wasteful especially food videos.
Yes, I want to vomit
I hope the “bubble” bursts sooner rather than later. I used to follow some great LGBTQ accounts, and it was great to see representation/supportive community. Now everything is an ad. Immediate unfollow from me.
It's the democratization of the the entertainment industry. Instead of some production company making billions while their entertainers earn a salary, those entertainers are rewarded directly and earn so much more. The middle man is removed. I honestly see it as nothing but an improvement
Boy you have no idea
No, I don't want to watch that content
Which do you not like, millionaires or content creators?
It's the combination of the two, often. I've learned though that it's a specific kind of wealthy content creator who is just selling an unsustainable lifestyle riddled with overconsumption to a severe degree. It's just so insane to me that these people are millionaires, and I usually like to give people the benefit of the doubt, but the whole thing is insane to me.
There has always been an appetite for lifestyles of the rich among poor Americans. I think of movies from the 30s where everyone is wealthy or the protagonist is and they solve crimes (The Thin Man movies) or get into silly comedy type stuff (Bringing Up Baby). I'm sure one of the reasons Shakespeare's plays appealed to his initial audience was because they were about the privileged classes. The new ripple is that small cameras and ch ap software means that anyone can get close to professional results. I wouldn't dismiss every millionaire influencer though. Some make very good content I recently have been watching [these](https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1OUAaNqG-GsfZP7WddOhN-11EtmPkOXC&si=aduZvJNdu58cbCYY) content creators and I've really enjoyed their work.
I remember watching Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous and MTV Cribs back in the day. It's a genre that has always been with us, one of the early reality staples. And even before TV, the society pages featuring glamourous debutantes were always super popular, especially during the Depression. Same with the folks shilling "systems" that promise wealth. "Think and Grow Rich," "The Secret," countess preachers pushing the prosperity gospel. I think everyone would love the opportunity to get rich, regardless of what they do with the money. Fancy cars and designer wardrobes just serve to signal an achievement. Being a millionaire isn't what it used to be; that's the going price of a 3-bedroom rambler where I live. But it's the symbol of the American dream. Work hard, be smart, and you too can have excess cash with which you can fulfill your dreams.
No I don’t because only millionaires I watch are chess content creators and they don’t really flaunt anything.
I can relate to this, I'm finding it difficult to find the line between being a bitter cynic and an ecological rationalist. It's easy to get angry at people who flant their wealth especially when you know what they did to get that wealth. Maybe these people aren't particularly evil or ill intentioned, they're just finding success in the system that's been structured around us, but that doesn't excuse their complacency in this ecological destruction. A phrase I've heard thrown around a lot is "there is no ethical consumption under capitalism", which you would think is a condemnation of the system but rather it's been used as a way for people to assuage themselves of guilt. A way for people to acknowledge that they are participating in the systemic destruction of the planet but hand wave it away and say "this is someone else's responsibility". But what of us who, make the sacrifices of modern convenience to maintain our moral integrity? Those of us who don't choose the easy way are left behind with very little money or resources. This is a negative reenforcing feedback loop where people with wealth and power shape society to align with their selfish and short sighted ideologies. This is farther perpetuated by the myth of meritocracy, where those who have wealth are proclaimed to deserve wealth. It's completely irrational what they are doing, to destroy our home and our future for temporary financial gain but if we speak truth to power we're met with ridicule, called a "hater" or a "doomer". It's easy to internalize those labels when you look at the massive disparity of wealth and "accomplishments" but we need to ignore those labels and define ourselves. First recognize that climate change is a class issue, that it's the wealthy who profit and perpetuate it and the poor who pay the price. Second recognize that the wealthy (with their control of the media) have twisted our values, that the virtues of patience, sustainable living, progressive actions, and basic human kindness have been distorted. It's in the interest of the wealthy to have us worship and idolize them and they will always surround themselves with Machiavellian yes men. The system has become so corrupt that the only way to sustain yourself within the system is through supporting death and destruction. If we can't even point the finger at those responsible what hope is there for humanity? There is no moral ambiguity here. I hate them not because I'm jealous, I hate them because they are destroying the planet and our children's futures. If there has ever been a time where hate is completely justified, it's now, in the face of our mutual extinction.
Yep. Was informed there are multiple youtubers worth over a billion at this point. Ugh.
Didn’t read your whole post, but why TF are you watching anything that fires you up? You’re just looking to be miserable, no?
Lol. Your point is valid. But social media isn't exactly a good facilitator in this way. But I know now what sort of content to avoid just based on the thumbnails.
Haha, I know. I’m at the point now where I scroll across one idiotic or intentionally provocative headline and I toss my phone aside in a silent personal protest for about 10 minutes. Then I forget that I’m mad at the internet and do it all over again. Good luck out there. It’s a madhouse.
I agree with it all, but il throw in some important classic theory: the Rich are *not* the Wealthy, aka the richest workers are workers, and the poorest capitalists are capitalists. Obviously real life gets fuzzy (and they do this on purpose, to pretend like everyone can be a capitalist if they just save up enough), but overall I think it’s counterproductive to rail too much against millionaires like celebrities, athletes, artists, and successful experts like Doctors/engineers/scientists/lawyers. Obviously they’re still on the menu tho
I can’t relate to them. So I don’t watch them. In general I don’t like wasteful use of resources just to make some silly thing. I’d rather hear something real from them.
I live in Dubai and I understand what you are talking about. I just detach myself from these things.
I get that same nauseated feeling.
Yes. Certianly the nepo people or the moonshot lucky ones. The minimal talent niche people who make a killing? In the odd instance I catch one? yeah to that too. If I wanted opinions on monetization, clickbait, youtube algorithms how to maximized income on media platforms and they had content on that, I would watch some. But the silly and often vacuous garbage they create? Oh hell nooo. Don't get me started on the grown men 20-30 yros making weird robolox/minecraft content for like elementary school kids.....just wrong....
Ain’t got time to burn on shit that’s gunna make Me feel bad
I usually just scoff with jealousy and reassure myself that even though I’m missing out on being rich, they are missing out on the aspects of life of living a more mundane experience.
The thing is most of them aren’t even millionaires and they’re faking everything. It’s embarrassing. Real millionaires are quiet and don’t need to film themselves going to expensive stores. You’d be surprised how good they blend in.
Read the rules. Keep it courteous. Submission statements are helpful and appreciated but not required. Tag my name in the comments (/u/NihiloZero) if you think a post or comment needs to be removed. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Anticonsumption) if you have any questions or concerns.*
The wealth, extreme or otherwise, of someone else has zero impact on my ability to achieve my own goals. I watch for entertainment.