Fake Famous series on HBO explores the world of the new age, so called influencers and their real fame. The last decade has spawned many neo celebrities who become the darlings of corporate world by buying fake followers on social media and who believe in the mantra of Fake it until you Make it.
There are now hundreds of millions of people on social platforms who have such large followings that they are considered to be a new kind of celebrity. But are they really famous?
What is Fake Famous About?
Fake Famous follows three people who all have relatively small social followings and the attempt to grow them into famous influencers.
The experiment explores a fundamental question: What is fame and influence in the digital age?
Bilton and his team set out to explore what it all really means by launching an experiment that begins with an open casting call in Los Angeles, with the goal of transforming three people into famous influencers.
The young trio he selects – aspiring actress Dominique, fashion designer Chris and real estate assistant Wylie – proceed to have wildly different experiences as their fake followers grow by the thousands each day. Each of their stories illuminates the ephemeral world of online influence and the realities of a lifestyle based largely on fantasy.
It doesn’t take long to see the experiment work. As the trio’s number of followers increase, and after a string of fake photoshoots, brands begin reaching out, eager for their products and services to be seen, and the process repeatedly feeds itself.
Emerging influencers get approached by companies offering them free goods, and the most successful of them are paid fortunes to advertise on their platform. Even if the entire premise is tenuously based on fake scenarios and fake lives, the financial incentives for every piece of the puzzle are real.
Peeling back the layers to reveal what’s really happening behind the scenes of influencer fame, Fake Famous illuminates our obsession with the numbers of likes, followers and favorites we get, and how most of our online world is much more fabricated than we realize.
What is the Cast of Fake Famous?
The social experiment is directed, written, and produced by veteran journalist Nick Bilton. Joining Bilton in providing insights into today’s social media landscape are interviewees
- New York Times technology reporter Taylor Lorenz;
- Liz Eswein of the hugely popular @newyorkcity;
- Bloomberg technology reporter Sarah Frier;
- Justine Bateman, author of “Fame: The Hijacking of Reality”; and others.
Fake Famous premieres on HBO on February 2, 2021 at 9 PM. Watch this trailer and tell us if you like this new reality docu series.
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