Robert Downey Jr. is adamant influencers won't be the "stars of the future".
In an interview with Bran Ferren for the Conversations for our Daughters podcast this week, the Iron Man actor discussed the rise of social media and the way people can build online platforms to showcase themselves.
But during the chat, Robert argued that authentic artists will always stand apart from the crowd.
"Nowadays, people can create celebrity without ever doing much besides rolling a phone on themselves," he began. "And I don't look at that as a negative thing. I just look at it as more like the challenge for individuation is being upped."
The Sherlock Holmes star went on to insist that young artists shouldn't just rely on social media.
"Hopefully, the grosser part of the youth of - let's just call it America for locality's sake - you know, is gonna say, 'Yeah, but that's not my thing. I want to go do something, I'm going to make something, I want to build something, I want to educate myself, and I want to have more inputs, so whatever my output is, it isn't just a self-aggrandising kind of influencer-type thing," the 61-year-old continued. "When I hear people talk about, 'Oh, the stars of the future are going to be influencers.' I go, 'I don't know what world you're living into, but I think that that is absolute horses**t.'"
Elsewhere in the conversation, Robert recounted how his youngest son, Exton, 14, recently considered giving money to a video game influencer.
"He kinda got caught up in this whole influencer thing, and next thing you know, it's like, 'Hey, if you like the way I'm playing this video game, do you wanna send me a donation?' And really, it becomes a religion," he recalled. "So, there's something about the influencers today are almost like the evangelical hucksters of the information age. At the same token, it's different because we're playing in this new territory, and so it's a little bit of a frontier, and I don't really have a judgment on it."
And to conclude, Robert noted that he appreciates it when people put a lot of effort into creating something, whether it be a social media video or a handwritten letter.
"I know people say, 'Robert, they just love it when you're just kind of like seeming off the cuff, and they're getting a glimpse into your life," the father-of-three added. "And I go, 'But yeah, but I'd be manufacturing that aspect for them.' So it's - it's BS. I like things that feel a little more prepared."
