Zynternet fame is sustained by collective ironic agreement rather than genuine fandom

Evidence

This strange dynamic also applied to “the Costco Guys”—former wrestler Andrew “A.J.” Befumo, his son Eric, and a child influencer known as “the Rizzler.” After years of failed attempts at stardom, including a “a web show about being a MAN,” Befumo finally cracked the code with TikTok. Their videos pulled massive numbers but existed in a weird limbo. As Max Read asked: “Are there ‘real’ or ‘authentic’ fans of the Costco Guys out there? Or is their presence in my field of vision entirely the product of an unspoken collective agreement to ironically follow them closely as you would a ‘real’ celebrity, because it allows you to make funny jokes on X?” — W. David Marx, Blank Space, 825

Categorization

• DEFINE: Max Read’s distinction between ‘real fans’ and ‘collective ironic agreement’ precisely defines the new celebrity regime the reader needs to characterize the Zynternet period.
• XREF: Directly supports the reader’s ‘omnivore monoculture’ question — everyone follows everyone ironically so that nothing signals genuine taste.