Are You Influenced by Influencers?

[Emperoff]

The very fact people are even posting an opinion in this thread proves that social media influencers have influenced their behaviour.

People in denial need to be more self-aware.

You bumped a three week old thread to say that? Feeling better already?

 

[narad]

Influencers are just a manifestation of the algorithms, which at their heart are massive behavior modification projects. Social media is literally rewiring our brains and controlling what we think and what we want, and doing so in a way that makes us think we think and want these things. I work with behavior modification therapy in schools (ABA and such), it's pretty clear the same principles are being applied on an unprecedented massive scale through social media. There is no escape, only incremental mitigation.

So, "are you influenced by influencers?" maybe, maybe not. But we are all influenced by the Blind Idiot God of social media algorithms.

Otherwise known as commercials.

 

[Lozek]

Btw, anybody know how much these guys are making off this stuff?

It depends on their size and reach, but top name rates are around £1000 for a 'review' video.

 

[prlgmnr]

not at all, it's just a coincidence that prior to knowing about That Pedal Show I owned 3 guitar pedals and now own 50 odd

 

[_MonSTeR_]

I’ve been thinking about this a fair bit recently. As the father of a teenage boy I’ve been discussing with him a lot recently about how tiktok and YouTube and such isn’t how the real world works.

Like several of the folks here I’m in my 40s, and as a result of the scepticism that comes with age, I regard thinks like ‘influencers’ as being for kids, so I would say that I don’t watch their shills enough or have high enough regard for them to actually be influenced by them. I’m also arrogant and egocentric enough to think that I actually know more about guitars than they do.

However back in the early 90s, if Steve Vai said a piece of gear was useful...

So I think for me it comes down to, the old adage...

Those who can, do. Those who can’t, make you tube videos about it...

 

[Lozek]

So I think for me it comes down to, the old adage...

Those who can, do. Those who can’t, make you tube videos about it...

Exactly, always check the resume.

- Has this guy telling me about tour dependability or tuning stability ever actually toured extensively?
- Does this 'Producer' actually have any well received records?
- If they are as 'pro' level as they say, how do they have enough time to make videos as well?

At this point there's basically 'The Music Industry' and the 'Talking about Music' Industry, and the second one likes to pretend they know all about the first one.

 

[Dr. Caligari]

Hmmmm... But what about if their youtube videos are in 4k with really fancy lighting and look really pro with super slick editing and really cool b-roll footage of them making coffee? Doesn't that mean that I should listen to them?

Or what about if they're just really, really loud? Like if they're screaming at me and stating their opinions as facts? Doesn't that mean that I should listen to them?

 

[Alex79]

TBH most of what they to is just marketing to sell stuff.
So no, I don’t find they influence me and I also don’t find them more interesting than a car advert.

At least Top Gear was funny to watch.

But they condense information for a busy and oversaturated market, so some people will find that useful.

Also, can I just add that YouTube is a shitty tool for evaluating how guitar gear sounds!!! Everything is compressed and made to sound similar by whatever algorithm they use on the audio track.

 

[eaeolian]

As the guy who just built a guitar that is straight out of 1988, with things most influencers hate (Floyd way in the air, funky switching, etc.), the evidence points to nope.
I mean, to a certain degree we're all influenced by the advertising, because otherwise how would we know about things? This is just an extension of the gear puff pieces that the magazines publish. Some guys like Ola have the proper sense of humor about it, so they can be fun to watch, but they don't really influence my buying other than using them as confirmation bias for things I want anyway.

 

[Shoeless_jose]

I am. Fluff's clean tone influences me to not want lots of amps.

But in all seriousness most YouTube videos I watch are just for confirmation bias to sell myself on something i already know i want but have to justify the money.

 

[laxu]

Also, can I just add that YouTube is a shitty tool for evaluating how guitar gear sounds!!! Everything is compressed and made to sound similar by whatever algorithm they use on the audio track.

People claim this a lot but in reality YT sound quality is totally fine for this. You don't need uncompressed or lossless audio to hear how a guitar sounds. Its video quality is a bit more questionable as it goes up with resolution rather than allowing for e.g higher bitrate 1080p.

Most of the time the issue for audio quality is entirely with the devices end users use. Laptop speakers, cheap headphones etc.

A lot of YouTubers are basically video editors. And you pretty much have to be to produce those nice looking and sounding videos. I will take that production value over the "I screen recorded my computer and added an awful EDM track on top of it" like many video tutorials have or all the "I plonked my smartphone somewhere and you are now seeing the footage and sound through that in my basement that looks like there might be several bodies buried because I did nothing to help with lighting."

 

[Ross82]

I view social media influencers in general as talentless, free-loading, self aggrandizing, turds looking to get a free ride through life. Sadly a lot of them achieve it too as this is how modern society has formed and enabled them. Everything about the "Influencer" concept is vomit inducing to me. The treasure trove of examples of delusional Influencers approaching businesses for free product/accommodation etc. just highlights their bizarre sense of entitlement.

I dont consider many of the decent guitar YouTube personalities as Influencers since most of them have some level of talent and are more informative than they are shills, though there are exceptions.

I can barely keep my hand off my wallet when it comes to Guitar gear as it is, let alone listening to some "Influencer" that doesn't know their ass from a hole in the ground.

 

[ShredmasterD]

lets call them what they are: salesmen. musical gear /instrument makers love these guys. It's free advertizing, nothing more. Although, some guys have a professional resume of performing with big acts and are actually pros. I do like pete thorn and a few others. and i did make a purchase based on the demo, not the opinions of some of these influencers.

 

[dreamspace]

I don't follow any guitar influencers.

Could listen to guys like Tom Quayle, Pete Thorn, etc. demo gear all day long - but that's about it. Straight to the point.

I have less than zero interest in watching "WHY PEDAL [X] SUCKS OR IS THE BEST EVER", or discussing the 20 things you need to do in order to become a Nashville session guitarist (which seems to be the absolute peak achievement, as far as musicianship goes).

I do understand that there's a lot - and I do mean a lot - of bro-science in the guitar world. Just stuff that's been handed down from generation to generation as a fact, without people giving it a second thought. But some of these influencers then go on to "debunk" these things, as if it is some profound discovery, worthy of a Nobel prize. Yeah, no shit heavier guitars aren't always better sounding, or using lighter strings is OK.

 

[creepymcpeepers]

You can ussually tell. If about 14 people that have 8.9k followers or subs and they all start saying the same thing like for example… all this end of slipknot stuff and then a few minutes later they dropped the new video yea that’s influencers dude there probably paid to do it

 

[keithhagel]

I guess I'm not sure if the people I follow on Youtube count as "influencers" or not. I like Fluff's videos just because he was the first guy I found that did gear demos where it wasn't some dude trying out a super metal guitar or amplifier and just playing a striaght blues scale for 5 minutes straight, and I enjoy some of his comedic stuff. I'll admit I've probably bought a couple things that he's demoed, but the sounds he gets are usually sounds I'd like to have.
I don't really follow the Andertons videos much anymore, but it's still nice since they demo a lot of new stuff and I just like to see the new stuff coming out.
Other than that it's just stuff like the JHS show or the Wampler Youtube page. And I know for a fact they're trying to sell me something. So I'm not sure I count that. It'd be like watching the home shopping network and complaining they're trying to sell me something. That's kind of the whole point of the channel.

 

[JimboLodisC]

I use YouTube as "advertainment" to see what's out there and if I'd like to give something a try. As long as you don't blindly live and die by someone's opinion then there's no harm in taking into consideration what some YouTuber says. Like I am not going to only buy what Glen Fricker recommends but I love watching his videos. I'd love to have a Solar guitar one day because I love reverse headstocks and Evertunes intrigue me. I'm not interested in owning a Solar just because Ola says to buy one. And I watch Rhett Shull quite a bit but his gear and my gear have near zero overlap.

 

[Lionsblood79]

Ola Englund is the only "influencer" i really pay attention to. Being a metal player, his content, gear reviews are really well made and entertaining.

 

[KentBrockman]

I unsubscribed to most Youtube guitar channels now. I still have CSGuitars because he does have some useful info (or at least used to...I have not been paying attention recently) and BradleyHall because he's funny and he doesn't have time to advertise crap to me in his 2 min long videos.

If I wanted to watch ads all day, I would turn the television on (or hook it up to cable or something. I have not watched broadcast television for years...). It's bad enough that I have to see billboards when I drive.

 

[DECEMBER]

Not at all.