A Desire to be Seen: Famefy & Simulating Online Experiences
For as long as anyone can remember, humans have indulged in simulation for entertainment. Whether through acting, hyperreal competition shows, or online worlds, replicating everyday life is tethered to the modern human experience. Since the 2000s, this concept has been augmented by the digital revolution, making simulation through digital mediums the first interaction many have with the internet. Games like The Sims (2000) allowed users to play and control the lives of their Sims, creating scenarios that may or may not reflect their own. Even the novelty-based simulation apps that emerged during the smartphone revolution–such as Virtual Lighter Simulator and iSoda– demonstrate how digital mediums infuse everyday activities with an attractive sense of vitality.
Although some of these earlier forms of simulation are not nearly as popular with youth as they once were, digital simulation still remains as a large part of digital culture–now rearticulated to emphasize the individual, shifting away from avatars and interactive digital objects. Today, there is an influx of apps that are still being designed and marketed to provide an enhanced simulation of life’s accessible activities. The only difference is that now we have the opportunity to simulate activities that are exclusively present in our online lives–a reality that has more complicated implications.
With the help of artificial intelligence (AI), simulating digital experiences and interactions has become more intricate and lifelike. Apps like Replika and Conversation.AI enable users to simulate conversations through interactions with generative AI chatbots. These apps, though abundant, are rarely scrutinized upon arrival regardless of their set of ethical and environmental codes. In fact, their integration into society, driven by the rise of isolation and atomization caused by digital technologies, feels inevitable. With this context, it is no surprise that technological solutionism keeps prevailing as a quick “fix”.
The omnipresence of AI-mediated simulation is amplified by social media’s embrace of AI-driven tools. Most mainstream platforms have increasingly incorporated AI across their operations in the last few years, including in ad space. TikTok, in particular, is a hub for AI app promotion, with ads primarily revolving around appearance editing and deepfake technology. Despite my awareness of the vast array of AI products being developed to push the limits of generative creation and simulation, I am still occasionally astounded by the latest AI concepts– the most recent being Famefy.
When I first came across an ad for Famefy, as it often goes on TikTok, I did not immediately realize I was watching an ad. At first, it appeared to merely be a screen recording of a livestream, but after a moment, I realized it was promoting an app. Famefy is a livestream simulator complete with AI fans who join, comment, and respond to you on your “livestream” in real time–providing users with a “fame experience” (Famefy). Within the app, there is a limited unpaid experience, with access to its main features locked behind a paid subscription after one free use. In examining Famefy’s offerings, it is important to note that the app has completely replicated the aesthetics and features of Instagram and TikTok livestreams, including purchasable coins that can be used to pay for Gifts, which will be “sent” by AI viewers back to the user. These coin packs, which come on top of the subscription, range from $5.99 to $19.99.
Screenshot from Famefy Advertisement
The in-app copy suggests that users can utilize the livestreams as a tool to practice public speaking and build confidence, but the overwhelming focus in all of their promotional materials is the experience of fame–specifically, the feeling of attention. To get a sense of the actual live experience, I watched a user-uploaded review, where I immediately noticed the typical AI-social media bot blunders, including repetitive replies to user’s speech (which essentially serve as the prompts), demonstrating little comprehension, and a heavy reliance on emojis–making the overall experience incredibly hollow. Despite this, it is not lost on me that the feeling imposed by replicated visuals is all that some users may want.
That said, we should not regard apps like Famefy as a harmless avenue to play make-believe and participate in healthy self-talk–because it’s clearly not that simple. Essentially, what the aforementioned AI apps can tell us about modern socialization and visual spectacle, Famefy provides insight not only on those concepts but also on society’s relationship to celebrity, visibility, and digital gratification.
Given the rise of influencer culture and the ease with which algorithms grant access to virality, it is unsurprising that proximity to online fame and a built-in audience have become increasingly aspirational for the average person. Even more predictably, this manufactured desire for fame has been commodified by companies who target those who dream of this career, with a large majority of this population being children and young adults. These demographics, who are growing up with accessible AI, are especially susceptible to an overreliance and unhealthy attachment–an issue further compounded when it is used to provide validation and mimic influencer dynamics with a false social presence.
It’s unclear just how many users Famefy actually has, as inconsistencies between the number of App Store reviews and their other performance indicators raise questions. Regardless, its existence points to a larger conversation about tech companies’ ongoing exploitation of collective alienation through a simulated closeness. They rely on the fleeting gratification of being “seen,” further encouraging complacency in our surveillance society–even when technically no real audience exists. For this reason, it’s imperative to critically examine simulated social media facilitators as they only work to represent a two folded artificiality which, at best, slowly erodes our perception of reality, and at worst, is mentally catastrophic.
