Thread 18144843

what is the historical equivalent of internet celebrities? are they modern day idols specialized for each purpose? what did idols who lost popularity end up doing? did they retire or did they switch to vices?

>>18144843 (OP)
Historical influencers were just famous artists or writers, not some parasocial e-thot for niche fetishes. They didn't specialize for each purpose. They were just famous When they fell off they became alcoholics, got a real job, or died poor. Just like today.

>>18144843 (OP)
RUDYARD BROS

>>18144853
is that their destiny
what did people who followed them think of their fall offs, did they move on or grift
modern day influencers seem worse off than them
prone to infighting and sexual perversions like them
can you name a few who got a real job? like not politicians idk
>>18144854
OVARI DA

Cult leaders, pedlars, folk medicine practicioners, professional scammers, street performers, and other kinds of people who sell useless shit to others are all people who serve essentially the same social role as "influencers" nowadays. The big difference is that whereas many people back in the old days might have had a brief stint doing one job and then switched onto a new gig, such as working at a circus or selling perfumes/magic amulets, people nowadays can easily be set for life just from getting money by doing Twitch streams or making TikTok videos and getting donations from paypigs all over the world.

>>18144853
>When they fell off they became alcoholics, got a real job, or died poor
Not necessarily. Many people spent their entire working lives as circus performers, travelling musicians, or prostitues back in the old days.

>>18144867
>>18144874
don't they have families in the circus?

>>18144867
Cult leaders were just modern grifters then. Makes sense.
>useless shit to others
Can you give an example? I understand peddlers selling fake amulets and shit and having the ability to market it
Did they become more popular precisely because they traveled through? Are there examples of famous merchants?

The courtesans of renaissance Italian city states were quite literally proto-ethots.
Sure, unlike ethots they actually banged their patrons, but they were primarily (and officially) they to just look attractive and be entertaining company for men.

>>18144883
Sure, sorta, but after the film camera was invented, it became very common for people to stray from their circus troupe to play a role in cinema. Also, a lot of famous comedy film actors from the early days of cinema, like Charlie Chaplin and the Marx Brothers, got their start in vaudeville theatre till they hit it big in Hollywood.

>>18144904
What'd the people of the city states think of them? did they look down on them like they do now
>>18144908
Oh, makes sense. I guess once every new technology hits, people usually stray away to attempt to create a life on their own, and they'd then create a group once it declines

>>18144899
Ever heard of homeopathy? Seers? Spiritual media? A lot of people became famous because they sold essentially useless goods or services to people, really no different from people who push alternate medicine or spiritual cures on YouTube these days. Astrology as a whole was known to be utter bullshit even back in the Middle Ages and Renaissance era, as Montaigne pointed it out, but that didn't stop kings and aristocrats from paying for the services of both legitimate astronomers like Johannes Kepler and quacks like Nostradamus to get their horoscopes made.

>>18144937
Astrology is just a complete fucking scam
Why didn't the catholic church ban it?
Why do smart people go to them
Happens many times