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We're used to having an app for everything: social media, rain forecasts, bank accounts, streaming services, games, music, podcasts, and even work tools. What you've probably never considered (for obvious reasons) is have one of your favorite actor. Well, in 2017 it wasn't so clear, and he thought it was a good idea to listen to his fans around the world by releasing a proprietary app… With micropayments and a ranking of the biggest fans. If you've never heard of Jeremy Renner Official, get ready for the ride of your life into madness with no return ticket.
In 2014 the world of apps was exploding: everyone wanted their own app. And EscapeX, a newly founded company, knew how to convince celebrities to open their own, probably without knowing what they were signing up for. The first to bite were Enrique Iglesias and Ricky Martin, but starting in 2017 the list grew and grew: Marc Anthony, Yandel, Amber Rose, everyone wanted to be part of this trend. Including, of course, Jeremy Renner.
Imagine for a moment that you download the "Jeremy Renner Official" app: What would you expect to find there? Videos of his films? A little about his career, perhaps? Photos of the actor? None of that: The app was a kind of social network focused exclusively on the actor (and singer: as soon as you opened it you could see a music video of hers), in which I uploaded photos with texts like “Mood” or “Happy Rennsday” And fans could leave enthusiastic comments. The most dedicated fans could even leave their favorite photos of the actor, fan art, or discuss the latest news about him in a dedicated section.
The problem was this: if you are a celebrity who only has ten minutes a day to interact with your fans, How do you know which ones really deserve your attention? EscapeX, after turning it around, had it clear: they had to install a micropayment system. Basically, if you paid You got stars that rated you in a fan ranking, your comments appeared as featured, you had access to secret posts from Renner himself, and you could even enter contests to get to know him. Spoiler: it went wrong.
According to EscapeX sources, The app reached a monthly monetization of $35,000. in April 2019. And you might be wondering who would pay to be able to feature their comments on a Jeremy Renner app… but This is just the tip of the iceberg.
Already in 2017, A small group of Renner fans began criticizing the actor., accusing him of censoring comments and rigging contests. Phrases like “Your app is like a totalitarian regime.” or “You need to apologize to all your fans” began to gain popularity in what was otherwise a kind of paradise of nice comments and good vibes.
You read about “contest rigging,” and it’s worth pausing here, because Renner promised his fans a lot of things that he never delivered. For example, the chance to see him in person on the set of Avengers: Infinity War, in Atlanta. But Not only was the prize rumored to be rigged, but it was not the one promised.The visit wasn't to the set, but to the actor's own home. What's more: The winner claimed that she hadn't even gone home, even though Renner assured her that she had.And the negative comments began to surface.
Not only that: the people who were at the top of their fan list (i.e., those who had paid and participated the most) They fought among themselves, accusing each other of being impostors and paid moderators. who had been placed there without any competition to try to keep things calm. Of course, they didn't succeed: for a small group of people, Being at the top of Jeremy Renner's fan list was apparently all, to the point of threatening the actor if he did not “fix” it.
Oh yeah, and you know those photos you had to pay to see? The actor would then upload them to Instagram, so what was the point of continuing to pay? What started out as a friendly world ended up being a nightmare for the actor, who received comments on Instagram like this one: “I hope you die. I'm not even a fan. I just genuinely hate you and wish you the worst.”The app may have been starting to become a serious problem, but the worst was yet to come: the word “porn.”
Following the popularity of the application on websites and social networks as the pinnacle of self-parody, the trolls began to invade. And then the porn incident happened. It all started when Stefan Heck, editor of DeadSpin, saw a post by the actor in which he appeared with a photo of himself holding binoculars and saying “Have a great weekend!! What are your plans??” and decided to reply with a “I’ll be watching porn on my computer.”The funny thing is that one user responded, “Disgusting!! Not cool,” but the notification, instead of showing the name of the person speaking, showed Jeremy Renner’s, as if each reply came from his own handwriting.
Heck posted it on Twitter like we all would and went camping (contradicting his plan announced on the app), without coverage. Upon returning two days later, realized he had broken the app for good. Suddenly, hundreds of fake Renners appeared, claiming to love porn, and even someone playing Casey Anthony (if you don't know who he is, it's better that way), defended by one of the actor's clones. A week after all this, Jeremy Renner announced the end of the nonsense.
“The app has gone too far. Literally.”. This is how the actor began the statement with which he closed Jeremy Renner Official and announced that he would refund the money to anyone who had purchased stars (the value that made you increase points on the fan list) in the previous 90 days. “What was supposed to be a place for fans to connect has become a place that is everything I hate and cannot forgive“. The app ended up closing, but a parody followed, a podcast and an almost morbid follow-up to one of those stories that can only take place in the 21st century: the rise and fall of the official app of the actor who plays Hawkeye.
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