'Fake Famous' Trailer: New HBO Doc Tackles Influencer Culture & What It Takes To Create A Social Media Star

Who doesn’t want to be famous? Well, okay, maybe not everyone wants to be really famous, but when you speak to young people today, most of them would kill to be “influencers” and have millions of followers on social media. But how easy is it to become famous on social media? The HBO documentary, “Fake Famous,” aims to answer that question.

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As seen in the trailer for “Fake Famous,” the documentary explores the current culture of social media influencers and celebrities. Is it all glitz and glamor or is it all a show? And if seemingly all it takes are cute pictures and a decent enough personality to become famous, why not create your own celebrities? And that’s exactly what they do, hiring random people and attempting to game the system and make them influencers as quickly as possible.

“Fake Famous” comes from journalist and first-time filmmaker, Nick Bilton. Previously, before working on his new documentary, he’s written numerous books on technology and social media, which makes him pretty well qualified to talk about this new generation of pseudo-celebrities.

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“Fake Famous” is set to debut on HBO and HBO Max on February 2. You can watch the trailer for the film below.

Here’s the synopsis:

HBO’s FAKE FAMOUS, debuting TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 2 (9:00-10:30 p.m. ET/PT), from first-time director and veteran journalist Nick Bilton, explores the industry of social media influencers through an innovative social experiment. The film’s journey into this world is driven by the casting of three people in Los Angeles who all have relatively small social followings and the attempt to grow them into famous influencers. By purchasing fake followers and an army of bots to “engage” with their social media, the newly made “influencers” discover both the wonders and costs of this unlikely, immersive lifestyle.