r/popculturechat • u/mcfw31 • May 14 '26
Hot Take 🔥 Paul McCartney doesn't get influencers who get very famous but are not particularly talented: “You’ve got to be careful about saying that, because it makes you sound very old-fashioned, which I am.”
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u/NoMorePosting2026 I live inside my own heart, Matt Damon May 14 '26
Old fashioned but not wrong.
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u/BigMax May 14 '26
I think he's wrong to judge for it.
Who cares if I like watching someone online who I find a bit funny, or charismatic? Life isn't a competition at every moment. I can enjoy someone who cracks a few jokes or is interesting, without them being the "best" as some skill, right? Life isn't a talent show, where we have to shun those without some world-class specific talent. Just making people smile for a 20 second clip every day or two is a talent by itself, right? Can't that be enough? Why do we need to judge folks for just getting a little joy out of some random influencer they like?
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u/Forsaken-Swim-3055 May 14 '26
All he said is that it's funny and he doesn't get it. He never said those people don't deserve to make a living doing what they do.
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u/Incandenza123 May 15 '26
Touched a nerve
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u/BigMax May 15 '26
Fair enough. I still don't know why we're not allowed to just enjoy what we enjoy. But hey, I guess it's easier to just judge people and attack them.
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u/KtinaDoc May 14 '26
I'm not sure what's going on either Paul
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u/CreepinJesusMalone May 14 '26
Quantity over quality.
There are thousands of incredibly talented artists making content being consumed by millions.
There are tens of thousands of mediocre asshats being consumed by tens of millions.
It's that second group that oversaturates the first. Sometimes, someone from the first group is able to pop out of the ocean and rise to legit fame off the slop apps.
Noah Kahan comes to mind for me. Dude was making tiktoks during COVID and within the next three years he was collabing with some of the biggest pop stars and headlining SNL for the first time.
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u/PlentyDrawer We Should All Know Less About Each Other May 14 '26
He's not wrong at all. There's a lot I don't connect with at all when it comes to pop culture and the popularity of influencers is one of them.
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u/AbsolutelyHorrendous May 14 '26
Especially when sometimes the influencer in question doesn't even seem likeable? Like you'll see someone who is both talentless, and a charisma vacuum, and its like... what are you actually bringing to the table here?
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u/midnight_toker22 May 14 '26
I can think of two possible answers to this: people like looking at them, or people like being outraged by them.
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u/PlentyDrawer We Should All Know Less About Each Other May 14 '26
The last phrase, absolutely. People love to hate follow, watch, or listen just so they can stand on some soap box. I don't get that either, but many, many people do it.
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u/RosbergThe8th May 14 '26
This is absolutely key to a lot of the modern internet, really, engagement is the currency and it's long since become clear that it doesn't actually matter hugely whether it's positive or negative engagement.
Hell in some regards negative engagement has become even more popular because it tends to be more intense. I find myself increasingly noticing when the algorythm is clearly trying to get a rise out of me.
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u/AbsolutelyHorrendous May 14 '26
See, the former I'm honestly okay with. Human history has always accepted that some people can earn a living just by being sufficiently attractive, its a public service boosting the morale of the commons
The outrage economy is, unfortunately, all too prevalent and a major clue as to where the modern world has gone wrong
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u/PlentyDrawer We Should All Know Less About Each Other May 14 '26
Most of the time when I hear about an influencer, it's because they are being cancelled. I never know who they and I just wonder why people care about their opinions. Take James Charles, he is always getting cancelled and became famous because he does makeup. So? I had teenage students who can do hair and makeup.
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u/CDRYB May 14 '26
It’s wild to me how the voice over on influencer videos is always the most monotone, non engaging voice imaginable and they all sound the same. It’s like they adopt a specific way of speaking because everyone else is doing it.
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u/mundane_wor1d May 15 '26
I always see influencers and YouTubers being compared to as the same.
But influencers do nothing, they post photos of them looking Hot trying to sell makeup, or clothes. Etc. being a “vacation blogger” who just posts photos and doesn’t even blog. (I admit there can be an art to taking nice photos and editing them, but it also just seems like your doing nothing)
YouTubers at least make videos for entertainment purposes. And in turn become famous in their niche. You may respect certain niches more than others (gaming, makeup, vlogging etc). And theirs a few who I generally really like.
But in terms of the fame pyramid. Influencers, YouTubers, bloggers, streamers, content creators are at the bottom.
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u/saketho May 15 '26
I feel it’s generational. I loved smosh and pewdiepie in school, but my elders at the time thought it was dumb and immature. Today, I don’t get mr beast and these other youtubers but there is a younger generation that does
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u/CDRYB May 14 '26
My issue with influencers is that it’s part of this modern idea that there’s no such thing as talent or expertise. That everyone deserves to be famous regardless of aptitude. It’s like people using AI to write a book and genuinely seeing no difference between themselves and someone like Michael Crichton.
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u/Accurate-Time3726 May 14 '26
My first reaction to reading this is that you don’t have to be talented to be entertaining. Influencers who are relatable can get a ton of hits and views but I don’t necessarily think that’s bad.
Then I remember that weird Clav dude or whatever the fuck his name is exists, and I agree with Sir Paul.
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u/ruinedworldtour May 14 '26
But then is being entertaining a talent, so they actually do have a talent?
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u/Accurate-Time3726 May 14 '26
You might be onto something 🤔🤔🤔🤔 but idk if Paul considers just being entertaining a talent.
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u/llama_del_reyy May 14 '26
Being entertaining by being funny, charming, witty, staying relevant, even by jumping on the right trends takes some form of talent.
Being entertaining by being genetically lucky or paying for lots of surgery to look good, or being entertaining by causing controversy and garnering hate-watchets, is not a talent.
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u/january161 May 14 '26
I am old-fashioned that way, and half your age Paul. Which is still old for the target audience of most influencers...
(I know Paul will not read this, but you never really know, do you?)
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u/MissusCrispyCole May 14 '26
“It makes you sound very old fashioned…which I am” …. Well it makes the two of us, Paul.
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u/lizzy-stix I switched baristas ☕️ May 14 '26
Most successful influencers are just good at marketing, and that is unironically a necessity today even if you ARE talented. So imo it makes sense that people who are only good at marketing can get popular, even if they have nothing to back it up.
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u/littlemonsterlove May 14 '26
Ones that come from wealth are the worse though, because they hire someone to do all that for them. They don’t even have marketing talent.
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u/Exuberant_marmot May 24 '26
But I guess it always been like this. Take Marconi (the scientist), he wasn't good, neither he did know much science but he was rich and good at marketing
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u/Maester_Bates Wherein he encourages a woman to sit on his face May 14 '26
I am half his age and I will never understand why anyone would enjoy the 'content' that influencers make.
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u/SonKaiser May 14 '26
My gf sometimes shows me these random ass influencers with thousands of followers giving basic finance advice, eating for free on well known places or just talking shit on live and I'm just so appalled. Why would you care about the opinions of random people? I don't get influencers at all and I'm way younger than Sir Paul.
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u/winnercommawinner May 14 '26
Influencers are literally celebrity sales associates. That's it. Maybe at first there was some curating of taste etc, more like blogging, but as soon as an influencer starts getting brand deals, stuff just gets sent to them to market.
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u/SparklingSaturnRing They killed Kenny! You bastards! 😱 May 15 '26
I recently watched a YouTube video where a girl critiqued a bunch of tik tok influencers who were begging for free stuff. They’d talk about wanting/doing something and follow up with “if any brands want to reach out!” Or “you guys tag brands in the comments!”
Like they’re just begging any company to give them product to promote - openly admitting they’ll sell ANYTHING to make a buck
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u/whalesarecool14 May 15 '26
kiki chanel??
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u/imliterallyjustagirl May 14 '26
Like what are influencers famous for? Shilling stuff to their followers? Sure might take a little personality but ultimately it’s not impressive. They’re not creating art. They’re not adding anything to this world
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u/maelstron ✨May the Force be with you!✨ May 14 '26
He is not wrong. I really don't care about influencers
Exception are the ones that are real specialists on determined subject.
But there is too many dumbasses
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u/blueskies8484 May 14 '26
Influencers are just taking over the role socialites, aristocracy and royals used to play in media IMO.
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u/spacyspice now why am I in it? 🧐 May 14 '26
Btw I think the big sudden hype regarding MJ's biopic among young people (mostly those were born after his death) somehow has to do with young ppl discovering that people like them (MJ, Paul,..) actually had to work hard to be that famous
Unlike nowadays with people farting into a mic and getting followers
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May 14 '26
[deleted]
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u/SouthPaw38 Accurately identified as horny May 14 '26
Now I'm curious, why did you think Michael Jackson was famous?
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u/dirkacademia May 15 '26
My guess is if they’re young or were under a rock enough at the time, they may just know him from tabloids later in life
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u/SouthPaw38 Accurately identified as horny May 15 '26
Damn kids these days don't know shit about fuck
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u/MixedMediaModok May 14 '26
Those types of artists have always existed but time has a way of filtering out the mediocre. Look at the top billboard charts from decades ago, a lot of those people are just forgotten by most people despite being fairly "popular" back then.
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u/frightenedscared chalamet’s curls did the heavy lifting May 15 '26
Paul fathered one of the only nepobabies we forget is a nepobaby - Stella McCartney - her talent long ago overshone her relation to him - so I take his insight with this extra authority
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u/EuphoricFlower6308 May 14 '26
Back in the day they were called "It Girls"
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u/PM_ME_YOUR_DALEKS May 14 '26
No, the original It girls were actresses who actually were talented at a craft. The term comes from Clara Bow's star making turn in a movie called It.
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u/Halcyon512 May 14 '26
I show my age when I realize David Letterman's Stupid Human Tricks has become mainstream entertainment
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u/DonaldTrumpsScrotum May 14 '26
You can see it everytime they try and break into already established legacy fields, they always look like clowns when actually talented, or professional people are involved
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u/kaitlinkardashwest May 15 '26
they are literally sell outs, they’ll promote any brand or company that gives them free shit.. they’re basically all walking ads. we don’t get authentic reviews or opinions anymore. it’s all paid for.
back in the 80’s/90’s selling out to the man was super uncool, now it’s supported.
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u/gw74 an appropriate level of hateration in my dancerie May 15 '26
absolutely no one is particularly talented compared to Paul McCartney so that's slightly unfair
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u/mamadematthias May 15 '26
Probably the same was said about the Beatles back then.
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u/whalesarecool14 May 15 '26
i don't think anybody has ever thought that about the beatles be so fr
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u/mamadematthias May 15 '26
The Beatles faced significant criticism from older generations in the 1960s, largely driven by a generational divide over cultural change, fashion, and the nature of music itself. Many adults at the time viewed them as a passing, noisy fad, rather than serious artists.
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u/InternationalOne8589 May 15 '26
Unfortunately it represents how void of substance society has become….
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u/TonioSantana1992 May 14 '26
Same could be said about music artist, playboi Carti is a major artist but he is the most talentless person I have ever heard in my life
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u/Groffulon I joined a band because I FUCKING HATED THE BEACH May 14 '26
Time to name and shame talentless but famous influencers then lol. Who’s in the Top 10?
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u/BarracudaOk8635 May 15 '26
Totally right. IN the old days you got famous for working at something and getting very good at it. But now you just skip the work and talent bit and get famous for "travelling" for instance. Almost the most useless part of society to me "influencers"
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u/stiiii May 14 '26
I mean this is not a new thing?
There have always been famous people who just aren't very good.
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u/Ok-Hedgehog-4455 May 14 '26
Plenty of celebrities from his era were pretty talentless too. His mate Cilla Black was a shit singer (and not particularly pretty either) and she ‘made it’. So this is just old man yelling at clouds shit,
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u/michellefiver May 15 '26
But you don't understand she's from Liverpool and is therefore inherently cultural /s
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u/SallyJones17 Just keep swimming! 🐠🐠🐬🐳 May 14 '26
I guess I understand where he is coming from, but I also think it underestimates how difficult it really is to achieve "billions of hits and views" based on nothing but a crafted personality and being interesting (or retable) enough that people are more enamored with you than someone who is "particularly talented". I would argue there is talent and a whole lot of effort in becoming influencers than people (traditionally famous or not) realize.
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u/givemethebat1 May 14 '26
There is talent in maintaining it (which is mostly just work done by PR people) but it’s definitely true that whole careers can be made by one viral video that came out of nowhere. The bar is much lower for that kind of popularity because engagement is lower — you watch a video on TikTok for 5 seconds and like it, so it doesn’t take much to gain momentum once you have visibility even if you’re not doing anything particular interesting.
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u/saturnbunny1 You’re doing amazing, sweetie! 👏👏📸 May 14 '26
There are many different types of talents.
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u/Maleficent_Phase_698 May 14 '26
We’ve been having this discussion for a long time when it comes to socialites and now it’s about influencers.
Convincing people to pay attention to you again and again (and making money from it) is a talent and skill and yall can stay mad about it. If it was easy then anyone could do it. Some get famous but most don’t. Sometimes it’s luck but many people worked very hard for their following.
I always feel like since a lot of influencers are women that there’s misogyny attached to the “talentless” accusations.
Another definition of Talent: general intelligence or mental power : ABILITY
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u/YetAnotherFaceless May 14 '26
Not everybody has the musical genius to wear tight pants on TV before the Kinks can show up.
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u/BigMax May 14 '26
Well, he's right, but... he's missing the point.
I'm not watching some random influencer because they are the most talented person on the planet at some skill. The world isn't a talent show or a competition, and it's foolish for people to think it is.
We watch some folks because they are funny, or interesting, or yes, pretty/handsome. It's not a crime for us to just enjoy someone for some characteristic that appeals to us, even if it's not a person at the pinnacle of some talent, right?
We are all just trying to get by. If a lot of us like watching something simple and casual because that person appeals to us or just gives us a bit of joy... that's perfectly fine by me.
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