‘Fake Famous’ is an amazing documentary, written, produced, and directed by a renowned journalist, Nick Bilton. It premiered on HBO on February 2, 2021.
This masterpiece captures how influencers are cashing over envy of their followers and businesses paying these wannabe influencers to market their products and services.
The HBO documentary shows the reality behind social media influencer swindle and depicts how these young wannabes are manipulating the whole culture to up their game.
It highlights how social media is now promoting those who have nothing but a large number of followers.
The documentary starts with the interview of candidates. Most of these people are aspiring actors and models who are trying to attain success.
During this interview, a new perspective comes to light. You can buy around 7500 followers at a rock bottom price of $119.60. Not only do these influencers buy followers to show their authority, but also, they go one step ahead, and rent mansions for the photoshoots to make their social media profiles look rich and cool.
Doesn’t this sound pitiful? Well, these wannabes, fame-hungry influencers buy followers to make them look more famous than they are. Sarah Frier, a Bloomberg reporter says, “this whole game is a marketing tactic that flourishes envy. These influencer pages use people’s jealousy to sell their products and services.
It is inevitable, how this influencer culture is using people’s emotions to their advantage. Moreover, a cultural critic, Baratunde Thurston sees all of this as ‘self-obsession’. Not only does it elevate narcissistic impulses, but it also misleads the audience as well.
Bilton believes that this growing culture is not good. Neither for the people who are taking advantage of it nor for those companies that are supporting this whole game of power and trickery. This whole marketing tactic does not make people feel better but inferior.
‘Fake Famous’ not only warns about the growing deception, but it also shows its power.
All in all, the documentary illustrates how our minds have been influenced in a negative way that we are unable to separate truth from reality.
