Actor Robert Downey Jr has criticised the growing perception that social media influencers will become the "stars of the future," calling the idea "absolute horseshit," according to Variety. Speaking on the Conversations for our Daughters podcast, the Iron Man star said modern digital platforms have made it easier to achieve celebrity status without traditional creative work. "Nowadays people can create celebrity without ever doing much besides rolling a phone on themselves," he said, adding, "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," according to Variety.
The actor further said he hopes young people will choose more meaningful paths in life. "Hopefully the [larger] part of the youth of, let's just call it America for locality's sake 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-aggrandizing kind of influencer-type thing,'" he said.
Robert Downey Jr, who has a massive social media following of over 58 million on Instagram, acknowledged that influencers themselves are part of a changing media landscape. "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 in, but I think that that is absolute horseshit,'" he said, as per the outlet.
The actor also reflected on his own experience with social media culture, including how his 14-year-old son was briefly drawn into influencer-style content creation.
"[My 14-year-old son] 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 said.
Robert Downey Jr added that influencers can resemble "Evangelical hucksters of the information age," though he also acknowledged the evolving nature of digital platforms. "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," he said.
He further noted that while promoting films, he has met several influencers whom he found "grounded, accomplished, cool people," according to Variety. Despite his huge online presence, Downey Jr said he avoids over-engaging with social media. "I don't wish to be consumed," he said.
Reflecting on early digital engagement in Hollywood promotions, he recalled the launch of Iron Man at Comic-Con. "I remember Jon Favreau, when we brought the teaser for 'Iron Man' to Comic Con, he was tweeting on stage and I saw the audience... This is the new hue where the audience is going to feel like they're on the steering committee of this thing," he said, according to Variety.
Downey Jr is set to return to the Marvel universe in Avengers: Doomsday, scheduled for release on December 18.
