Open discussion off the c2e2 drama. Are influencers destroying the hobby? 3 3

[Black_Adam]

Market "influencer" sounds like a euphemism for market manipulator.

[Sigur Ros]

On 8/10/2022 at 9:38 PM, Ed Hanes said:

I didn't even realize 'influencers' were a part of the comics industry until now. My LCS does quite well selling back issues (his business is 99 % back issues) and he stays off social media. I myself sell on MCS and do quite well, I also buy from various sources and have a nice collection..there is no obvious influencer influence in my process. I would garner that 99% of collectors (I am only throwing out a number but I imagine it's very large) don't even care about influencers..they collect what they want to collect because of a deeper interest. It's a fairly large number of people who collect comics...the hobby has survived a lot , it will survive 'influencers'

 

This ^

They are only influencers if you let them influence you.  They can only ruin your hobby if you let them ruin it. 

I think many of them are good for people that are getting into, or getting back into collecting. Just research beyond what they're telling you when it comes to advice. Plenty of others though, just talk to talk, and seemingly enjoy the "fame" more than the books. 

When covid hit, I pulled out my 15+ long boxes that hadn't been opened since the 90's.  As I got back into collecting I saw YouTubers who discussed the books, the market, the mystery boxes, etc.  Followed a bunch, but over time unfollowed more and more.  Became uninterested in "lists", "new to my collection", "this collection I just bought", "Top 10 comics you should buy", etc.  I just buy what I want to buy and I don't use anyone to tell me what that should be.  I think most, by a far amount, of collectors ignore the social media aspect. 

I'm on IG but just to see/buy/sell the things I'm interested in. Comics, mostly.  Someone on YT suggested it and so I tried it.  Still there for now. But when people start with "TikTok trends" or promoting the Whatnot cult, I just unfollow.  

It's easy to control what the hobby is for you just by tuning out. 

[1Cool]

I believe influencers have been good for the comic market over the last few years but overall they are terrible for the hobby.  

[Ed Hanes]

On 8/11/2022 at 6:22 AM, KirbyTown said:

There's a huge benefit to posting video content in that you don't have to move any product, you just have to generate views. The viewers are kids, and the content exploits that, all the way down to the kindergarten-style video thumbnails featuring overdramatic emotion and shiny text.

Because kids are the target, your average boomer collector isn't going to be hearing about it, similar to how the name Cocomelon won't affect them unless their family has pre-schoolers.

Yeah, I've seen 'Fake Famous' and 'The Boys' ....(LOL) 

 

I do have a marketing friend with a five year old...he talks a lot about how people use Tik Tok as influencers. especially ones with kids..I refuse to sign up for Tik Tok...I just don't get it (seems to take a certain personality type) but koodos to those who know how to exploit it and make money

Edited August 11, 2022 by Ed Hanes

[southern cross]

Personally no.

Destroying their credibility, Yes!

[Dr. Balls]

Convincing yourself you have to have something when five minutes prior you didn’t even know it existed is the cornerstone of this hobby.

Influencers are the current manifestation of that mental process. 

[Beastfeast]

A lot of y'all, "I'm not influenced by anything" folks are probably some of the easiest to actually influence 

[THE_BEYONDER]

On 8/11/2022 at 9:53 AM, october said:

Have any of these skidmarks come out from the rocks they are hiding under yet?

I'd check YouTube myself but I prefer my eyes don't bleed this early in the morning.

They were all moved to a ‘safe space’’....where they will remain until the unconditional love of their followers returns.

Edited August 11, 2022 by THE_BEYONDER

[Broke as a Joke]

Because of the recent UF4 acetate scandal I have viewed a few of these youtube videos where the guys are talking about comic books as if they are working on Wall St.  Charts and analysis thrown down your throat, gross misrepresentations of our hobby that when I was more involved had to do with story and art first and foremost.  If the story was good and the art was cool there was a decent chance that the book would go up in value because of that over time.

This instant gratification generation really know how to suck the life out of whatever they are involved in/collecting.  Could be I'm too old for all this social media nonsense, which may very well be, or it could be that they really have no love for anything other than monetary value, which is what I suspect.  

[THE_BEYONDER]

On 8/11/2022 at 3:43 PM, Broke as a Joke said:

Because of the recent UF4 acetate scandal I have viewed a few of these youtube videos where the guys are talking about comic books as if they are working on Wall St.  Charts and analysis thrown down your throat, gross misrepresentations of our hobby that when I was more involved had to do with story and art first and foremost.  If the story was good and the art was cool there was a decent chance that the book would go up in value because of that over time.

This instant gratification generation really know how to suck the life out of whatever they are involved in/collecting.  Could be I'm too old for all this social media nonsense, which may very well be, or it could be that they really have no love for anything other than monetary value, which is what I suspect.  

They discovered they could basically print money by fleecing those more  pedestrian than themselves. 

[Ed Hanes]

On 8/11/2022 at 12:33 PM, Beastfeast said:

A lot of y'all, "I'm not influenced by anything" folks are probably some of the easiest to actually influence 

I dont think anyone said "I'm not influenced by anything"...

I smell a ...

Edited August 11, 2022 by Ed Hanes

[Black_Adam]

On 8/11/2022 at 12:43 PM, Broke as a Joke said:

Because of the recent UF4 acetate scandal I have viewed a few of these youtube videos where the guys are talking about comic books as if they are working on Wall St.  Charts and analysis thrown down your throat, gross misrepresentations of our hobby that when I was more involved had to do with story and art first and foremost.  If the story was good and the art was cool there was a decent chance that the book would go up in value because of that over time.

This instant gratification generation really know how to suck the life out of whatever they are involved in/collecting.  Could be I'm too old for all this social media nonsense, which may very well be, or it could be that they really have no love for anything other than monetary value, which is what I suspect.  

I was out of collecting comics in the 90s but it sounds like the same type of speculator bubble BS. It's like deja vu all over again!

[Lazyboy]

On 8/11/2022 at 9:18 AM, Sigur Ros said:

They are only influencers if you let them influence you.  They can only ruin your hobby if you let them ruin it. 

Unfortunately, neither of those are true. They are still influencers because they influence others and, by doing so, they can indirectly affect me. While they can't totally ruin the hobby for me, they can at least negatively affect parts of it.

Also, influencers don't have to have videos full of lies, hype, misinformation, faulty logic, and absurd assumptions. They can instead have blogs full of lies, hype, misinformation, faulty logic, and absurd assumptions.

Edited August 12, 2022 by Lazyboy

[ADAMANTIUM]

On 8/11/2022 at 3:22 PM, Black_Adam said:

I was out of collecting comics in the 90s but it sounds like the same type of speculator bubble BS. It's like deja vu all over again!

+1 and without any new info, itll remain the same

I'm coming to the same conclusion that after all this, itll be "remember when?" With no context and much ado about nothing.

 

[Ken Aldred]

On 8/11/2022 at 8:43 PM, Broke as a Joke said:

Because of the recent UF4 acetate scandal I have viewed a few of these youtube videos where the guys are talking about comic books as if they are working on Wall St.  Charts and analysis thrown down your throat, gross misrepresentations of our hobby that when I was more involved had to do with story and art first and foremost.  If the story was good and the art was cool there was a decent chance that the book would go up in value because of that over time.

This instant gratification generation really know how to suck the life out of whatever they are involved in/collecting.  Could be I'm too old for all this social media nonsense, which may very well be, or it could be that they really have no love for anything other than monetary value, which is what I suspect.  

Boiler room mentality, similar to the frantic activity here a few years ago at the time of comics such as The Sixth Gun, over in the Moderns section. Which itself didn’t go too well in the end.

Edited August 12, 2022 by Ken Aldred

[Monstertruck97]

On 8/11/2022 at 4:22 PM, Black_Adam said:

I was out of collecting comics in the 90s but it sounds like the same type of speculator bubble BS. It's like deja vu all over again!

Same BS times 100, bigger price tag. These people in line in Boston are going to shell out 100 dollars per book???? Will they even have a platform to sell them before it becomes a ten dollar book?

I believe in having the hobby pay for itself and my goal is an AF#15 (like everyone else) and I naively started watching these influencers three years ago and can honestly say, their predictions and my following "rumors" have not work out all that well. I have sadly paid 30 dollars for "hot artist, limited to 500 issues" variants that are worth half that now. By the time you send in the book and it's returned in graded form three years later, the book has tanked as the collecting community moved on to something else. 

Did everyone invest in that first appearence of Robin King?

My neighbor sits in front of his TV every morning and afternoon and runs to his computer whenever Jim Cramer tells him (all his viewers) about a hot stock tip. My neighbor has not done well. My neighbor doesn't even know what a PE/Ratio is.

In closing, these influencers do what influencers do. Watch them because Skeff seems like a great guy with his big beard energy or ComicTom seems like an energetic young man or what, but in the beginning they didn't think they would get this many fans and it eventually becomes less about the viewer and more about opportunity, greed and fame.

 

 

[kav]

I tried influencing woodgod value but nuthin.

[pillar81]

On 8/10/2022 at 4:46 PM, Lazyboy said:

CGC literally has a special, premium label for altered books.

How CGC grades any particular copy or issue is a different matter.

Different matter? Ok. Will any of you address this matter instead of not calling CGC out on this situation? 

[Lazyboy]

On 8/11/2022 at 5:18 PM, pillar81 said:

Different matter? Ok.

CGC has no problem with altered books. They actually encourage it in many ways. That said, their decision to give the stupid acetate books a blue label is insane.

On 8/11/2022 at 5:18 PM, pillar81 said:

Will any of you address this matter instead of not calling CGC out on this situation? 

Perhaps you missed the thread with over 100 pages that has been at the top of Comics General for days?

[COI]

Whenever I hear someone say "it's ya boi" I have a seizure, so I'm immune to influencers.