I mean, they’re no more con artists than any other celebrity.

They’re not celebrities just leaches.

How are they not celebrities? They make content for entertainment purposes, you know like actors & comedians do. You may not like the content but somebody does if she can buy a house

I would hardly call it entertainment. It’s complete excrement and babble. What’s worse are the idiots who find this entertaining. Perhaps 1% of the influencers have something of value to offer, the rest are leaches that suck money off stupid clueless people without a life.

You not liking the content does not equate to leeches. That’s Trumpian rhetoric. Influencers can have zero value to YOU, but YOU can’t dictate that for others. Feeling right doesn’t mean you are.

I agree, I can't stand "reality" tv shows but others do so I just don't watch it. I don't tell others they can't. Unless content is actually dangerous, who cares. Stupid sure, but leeches? No

As I said, there's a lot of influencers that haven't trained or worked to develop skills like actors & comedians do. A key part of their success is their looks - they're selling themselves, not their abilities. Followers get the illusion of having a friend (often "pretty") & being part of a group.

I'm sure there are some influencers out there who do have extraordinary knowledge and ability, but there's far too many that don't. It also doesn't help that children are growing up seeing social media content alongside TV & films on their devices and don't really know how they're different.

I know a lot of actors are famous for their looks as well, but at least most of them have a skill. But I actually think most fame is garbage. We praise people for skills that are mediocre at best - popular music is a great example. True virtuosity gave way to pretty people who are just OK musicians.

Define "con artist." Many become celebs by working to be good at a particular skill, like acting or sports. "Influencers" generally become famous being a pretend friend to their followers, without having any particularly extraordinary skills or training. Being somewhat photogenic is all they need.