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Robert Downey Jr. Rejects Claim That Influencers Are “Stars of the Future”

His podcast remarks urge young people to seek skills beyond social media fame.

Overview

  • Downey’s comments, reported Wednesday and Thursday, came during a Conversations for our Daughters podcast interview.
  • He called it “absolute horseshit” to say influencers will be the stars of the future.
  • He said social platforms let people “create celebrity” by filming themselves, which he framed as raising the challenge of individuation.
  • He described his son getting drawn into gaming streams and donations, likening some influencer tactics to “Evangelical hucksters of the information age.”
  • He added that he keeps his own online presence shallow despite roughly 58 million Instagram followers and said many influencers he meets for film promotion are grounded and accomplished.