[quote]I don't really get it. Don't you have to have a talent before you can be famous?
He does have a talent, even if you don't see it. That talent is: getting young people to listen to him and buy whatever product he is selling by using it or being part of it etc. Basically these kids want to be him or rather the him he is presenting to you. Netflix thought he could bring in viewers because of his social media following.
Actors/Celebrities are on this train now as well. Colton Haynes is a great example. Cameron on the other hand is doing it backwards. It can work both ways.
[quote]I'm confused by this idea that you have to make it as a social media star in order to parlay that into a successful career doing something else.
Like anything else it can help. You go from one thing to the next. Maybe if people like you when you're doing one thing, like youtube videos, those same people will want to watch you do something else like acting.
[quote]This type of "career" only seems to reward those who are good looking.
Not necessarily. There are many influencers who are not necessarily good looking. Look at Linus from Linus' tech tips. I actually think he's kind of cute but people buy what he's selling because they think he's knowledgeable about the subject. He went from being an employee at another company reviewing products to having his own production company with his own staff and they are successful.
[quote]Do young people even care about following people who have a discernible talent other than showing off their abs?
Yes. They care about people who are good at doing makeup. They care about people who are up on technology. Casey Neistat is not good lucking but he now has a news career because of his ability to "influence" other other people just by talking about himself. His audience "agrees" with him. You were a teenager once, was there anyone you liked a lot who wasn't that great at acting or performing or doing whatever?
The thing is: I don't think these people aren't talented. I just think their talent isn't something that easily translates for people who grew up without internet.
[quote]I watched an episode of Chasing Cameron out of curiosity and Cameron Dallas talks as if he's building this huge media empire by basically being a sell out to bigger brands, yet he doesn't display any unique ability whatsoever or have a life story that is in any way inspiring. Am I missing something?
It's not about his life's story. It's about people wanting to be him and people trusting him.
An actor is a person giving a performance. We know it's not authentic. An influencer's job is to be or seem authentic so that people trust them. It helps if you're good looking. It helps if you actually know what you're talking about.
Check out this guy for instance at Unbox Therapy. He posts a video and 24 hours later almost A MILLION people have viewed it. The products come from companies that want him to talk about it. He does give mostly honest opinions. That's what companies want to tap into. His viewers trust him.
It's not too far fetched that he could be approached to do a series where he does the same thing thus spinning some of that viewership into TV dollars.
It's a new world. You may not like it but you've gotta keep up.
