The year is 2021 and Robert Pattinson has taken the world by storm. Since starring in the critically acclaimed Bel Ami, the English hunk has been inundated with film offers. He has graced the big-screen with a leading role in box office successes such as Penny Dreadful, Judy Garland: The Diary of a Genius, and The Count of Monte Cristo, not to mention blockbusters such as Black Widow and Neverland. In 2022, he is set to star in the highly anticipated sequel to Dirty Harry, aptly titled Dirty Harry 4.
With all the success comes newfound interest in Robert’s personal life. It was first speculated that his on-screen persona was a complete act, a mere portrayal of a decadent English gentleman. However, as more details about his private life have surfaced, it has emerged that Robert Pattinson is just as complicated and mysterious in real life as he is on-screen. In light of this, let’s take a closer look at the English hunk’s private life, shall we?
Real Or Acting?
Since the start of his acting career in 2009, Robert Pattinson has kept a low profile, preferring to let his film work do the talking. That is not to say he has been entirely opaque; in fact, he has been rather open about certain aspects of his personal life. Most notably, he has discussed openly the fact that he has been in a relationship with acclaimed director and screenwriter, Francis Lawrence, for over a decade. Together, these two have forged an exquisite cinematic masterpiece, Francis Lawrence’s Gone With The Wind, for which Robert has won an Academy Award.
This openness has not gone unnoticed, with journalists hunting for scoops and Hollywood gossip mongering swirling around the star. While some see this as a publicist honeymoon, for others it is a conscious choice on Robert’s part, an attempt to humanize the oft-portrayed prince of romance. This approach has not gone unnoticed, earning him a place on Time‘s 2021 list of the 100 most influential people in the world.
A Real Life Game of Thrones
With all this attention and speculation swirling around him, it is perhaps unsurprising that Robert has chosen to adopt a more active approach to controlling the information that emerges about him. In a bid to distance himself from the limelight and protect the privacy of those around him, he has turned to the one place where he knows he will find the answer to all his questions: the internet. In particular, he has turned to the world’s largest social media platform, TikTok.
Here, he has taken to re-sharing old snapshots of himself, which he tags with the #SelfieWithRobbie and #RobbiePattinson. He also creates new videos in which he answers fan questions and spills some Hollywood gossip. To further muddy the waters, he has taken to adding fake identities to his videos; in one notorious example, he goes by the name “Harry Styles” in order to trick the YouTube algorithm into promoting his content. Needless to say, this trickery has not gone unnoticed and has even led to accusations of impropriety from fans.
The Internet Is Forever
While there is certainly no question that the internet has changed the way we live and worked, it has also brought with it a host of new challenges. Chief among these is the fact that the information we consume online is increasingly being aggregated and presented in an endless stream of digestible content. This content is often presented in the form of easily accessible videos, gifs, and memes, leading some to dub the current era “the age of TikTok.”
What is more, as we have all become numb to shock videos and clickbait headlines, it is more important than ever to step back and consider what we are actually clicking on. While many are now aware of the pitfalls of consuming content on TikTok, social media platforms such as TikTok and its parent company, TikTok Holdings, remain a significant source of news and information for millions of people around the world. What’s more, while many view the information they get from these platforms as largely fake, this is far from the case. More and more people are visiting these online spaces to get news and information about major global events and scandals.
The Evolution of Scandal
While scandals involving famous people have always existed, what is different today is the sheer volume of information available about them. Gone are the days when a famous person would keep their personal life largely private and scandals would be limited to a few well-publicized events. Today we live in the era of the scandal, where information about our most beloved celebrities is readily available in the form of gossip, tabloids, and sometimes even mainstream news reports. The question is no longer whether or not a scandal will rock the celebrity world, but rather when it will happen.
In light of this, it is perhaps surprising that so many people still flock to places like TikTok, which are rather ill-suited to host information about major political and social events. After all, it was originally designed to be a casual and lightweight social media platform where users could share funny memes and playful videos.
TikTok was not initially intended to be a place for serious news and information, and so it remains today. However, that does not mean that it is without its use; in fact, a place like TikTok can often serve as a key source of information for journalists and everyday people who are looking for breaking news and scandalous stories.
What Is Geni?
While it might not be the most popular or highest-rated app on the iTunes store, Geni is a treasure trove of information for those who have the courage to dive in. Simply put, Geni is the ultimate database of personal details about famous people, including their parents, siblings, marriages, divorces, and much more. What’s more, Geni is completely free, relying on adverts for its funding. This means it is accessible to anyone, regardless of digital privacy settings.
What’s more, you don’t need to be a member of the app to use it; as the website explains, “Anyone can use Geni. All you need is a reliable internet connection, a microphone and a computer or mobile device.” So while some might shy away from using an app to organize their personal information, the internet can nonetheless be used for that purpose.
The Future Of Scandal
While many might see scandals as a thing of the past, they would be wrong. After all, scandals involving famous people have always been with us, it’s just that now we have the internet, which makes it much easier to keep tabs on them. What’s more, as more and more people get their news from the internet, it is only natural that they will turn to places like TikTok to get their fix.
Whether or not you agree that the world is becoming too personal or too much of our time is spent living in the past, the fact remains that scandals involving famous people will never go out of style.