"Does fame last three months?" That same Ihar from Threads, who was walking home drunk, gave a big interview

It seems that few people in history have found fame so quickly. Literally overnight, Ihar turned into a character familiar to practically everyone on the internet. Moreover, his story received a sympathetic reaction not only in Belarus. Onliner.by decided to talk to the guy after some time to understand: was it really that "lucky ticket" — or just a strange coincidence?

About fame

— How have you been living after three months? Has life not changed?

— No.

— Not at all?

— It hasn't changed at all.

— Did anyone recognize you today?

— Yes. Two girls were sitting, came over, and took a picture.

— Does that happen literally every day?

— No. Rarely now. But there are glances, that's understandable. But maybe people are shy.

Павялічыць

— And how do you react to that? How awkward or pleasant is it? What's that feeling like?

— Awkwardness, probably, even more. But there are no negative emotions: they recognize me, and they recognize me.

— And how do you feel about popularity on social networks? You continue to post on Threads, and there are still many comments. If the activity is declining, it's slow. Maybe you have an explanation for why this is happening?

— No.

Павялічыць

— So, the phenomenon — it just happened?

— It just happened. That's all.

— And in childhood or youth, did you ever dream of becoming famous?

— No.

About haters

— Are there any negative sides to such fame?

— Well, no. In principle, nothing much has changed. Nothing bad has happened.

— But surely people write negative comments to you?

— Yes.

— And do they absolutely not affect you?

— Sometimes, I do respond. It can be interesting to reply and talk about what the person has against me. Most understand this.

Павялічыць

— So, in the process of conversation, they switch to your side?

— Well, not exactly to my side, but they become neutral.

— And what complaints might they have against you?

— Oh, not so much complaints. Just why "drunk" became popular. Not personally against me, but that "drunk went viral."

Павялічыць

About work

— But you left stable employment. So, something did change, right?

— That was before the post. I had already found a job in Hrodna. They were taking me there, providing housing, I was about to start. But I decided then to wait and see what would come of it.

— What about the story that you worked at a factory and decided to say goodbye to it forever?

— Yes, but only to my factory. I found another place, with training. A completely new direction. But in December, I was offered a job as a sales manager. I tried – it didn't work out: I don't have those skills. And in Hrodna, a person is no longer needed now.

— What do you want to do?

— I don't know. But now I have a couple of options in Minsk. I'm going through interviews.

— Is this related to your specialty or to your existing media popularity?

— No, no, no. This is a regular job. Production and warehouses.

— But only Minsk now?

— Yes, Vitsebsk has bored me for about five years now. I always planned to go somewhere. Now, maybe something will work out.

About advertising

— Have you counted how many advertising offers you've received during this period?

— Many came in, but mostly shady deals.

— What percentage did you agree to?

— Maybe 5.

— Why did you reject the others?

— As I said: shady deals. Crypto, bitcoins. Casinos offered a lot. From other countries: Russia, Kazakhstan. You can't really advertise anything.

Павялічыць

— Did you ever think about not sticking to principles and just earning enough money to enjoy life and relax for a couple of years?

— There weren't any offers like that, to get enough for a couple of years all at once. Moreover, how to handle all that without legal problems?

— But there were 20-30 collaborations?

— No, fewer, probably.

— What was the most profitable?

— Teeth, of course (Ihar collaborates with a dental clinic in Minsk).

— Did they promise to do everything?

— No, not to that extent. They might have done everything if it wasn't so bad. They will do four upper teeth completely — first temporary crowns for six months, and then permanent ones.

Павялічыць

— Is this all a barter for exposure on Threads?

— Well, yes.

— And you were also invited on a trip to Murmansk. Maybe it was worth posting that post at least for that reason?

— Well, yes.

Павялічыць

— What impressed you most about the trip?

— Everything. I hadn't left Belarus before that.

— What about the sea?

— The sea was great. Scary.

— Does it continue to surprise you that people approach you with such offers?

— Well, yes, it surprises me a bit. Of course, I would like it to continue. But I understand that it won't last forever.

About social networks

— Is it sad to lose popularity?

— No.

— And did you feel, when it all happened, that "I caught luck by the tail and this is with me forever"?

— No, I just went by intuition. Well, it happened, it happened. If it continues, it continues. If not, then not.

— But still, did you think about how else you could attract attention?

— No. I'm not a very sociable person. I don't have any skills to film, make reels. Maybe I have ideas, but how to implement all of that?

— And you don't want to learn? It's clear that no one succeeds quickly right away.

— Not much desire. But Threads is good because it's just text and a couple of photos. You don't need to come up with complicated editing, or anything else.

— Were there any other posts that went viral?

— By the way, there were a few. When I went to choose a sofa — over a million views (a week after Ihar's sudden surge in popularity, his mother had an anniversary, and a furniture brand offered to give her a sofa). And recently something similar also.

— And did you have any thoughts about whom you yourself would like to collaborate with?

— I don't know. I don't watch any bloggers at all.

— And you haven't started following them now?

— No, I haven't started spending more time on social networks (which cannot be said about other Threads users: the statistics for Ihar's account in the last month show almost 5 million views).

Павялічыць

About emotions

— You treat everything so neutrally.

— Yes, it's very difficult to make me emotional.

— But at least on the first day, did you feel an explosion?

— On the first day, I didn't even notice anything. If they hadn't told me at work, I wouldn't have even seen it.

— And then…

— Some interest appeared, excitement. I was curious where it would go.

— And how do your surroundings, friends, family react to all this?

— Well, normally, great.

— So, they weren't shocked?

— No, at first, of course, they were. But everyone reacted normally. They said: come on, continue, let everything work out.

About image

— Have girls tried to approach you to get acquainted? Perhaps there's been more attention given your popularity?

— On Threads — by all means. But currently, in this regard, everything is not so great.

— Has anything inappropriate landed in your DMs?

— No. Nothing.

— Maybe at least you were invited to parties?

— That happened. But I didn't have the opportunity to go.

— And wasn't it offensive that a post that presented you in a slightly less than ideal light went viral?

— Well, yes, naturally, it wasn't great. Most of the hate was precisely because of that: that I became known to the whole world in such a state.

Павялічыць

— And did you often write in similar circumstances before this? You know, many people start being active on social media precisely when they "relax."

— It happened. I'm sitting, drinking beer with my cat next to me. Such a pure life.

— Even psychologists started analyzing your case and explaining this phenomenon: they say, people saw a reflection of themselves in you. Everyone wants to be simpler and more relaxed, with fewer boundaries.

— Maybe.

About strategy

— And if you had known how everything would turn out, would you have published the post in that exact form?

— Maybe I would have changed the sequence of actions.

— What, for example?

— In terms of work. Got involved with those sales. I was doing that for a month, and other offers became irrelevant. And they offered a lot: car sales, services, IT training.

— Why did you choose sales?

— Well, they immediately took me in: we'll bring you, shoot an advertisement, do everything, drive you back. And that's how it happened.

— Didn't you like the direction itself?

— Perhaps I could have worked as a sales manager, but there are no training courses. Although I only had a month of training — with both a coach and an AI trainer. After training, I was supposed to work with hot calls. But for me, whether it was hot or cold calls... I seemed to know what to offer, but there was no real engagement.

Павялічыць

— You even managed to collaborate with a producer — though only for a couple of days. Why?

— I just didn't know who he was. I saw that he had many followers on Threads — let it be. I put him in the [profile] description: for advertising inquiries, write to him. And immediately it poured out. You took him on, but you don't know who he is, what his reputation is, and so on.

— Do you have any thoughts of hiring another person? A more proven manager.

— He seems to be there now, but it's useless. He's been with me for a month, but nothing has worked out. He's from Russia, says it would be simpler to do everything there.

— Are there plans to go there? Russia, Kazakhstan?

— I might go, but finances... That's the only reason. For now, I need to work.

About conclusions

— How do you think, did this event influence your life?

— Not at all.

— But maybe it at least became brighter, more vibrant?

— In December — perhaps. But now everything is the same. In Minsk, I'm alone, there's no one to even hang out with. I don't know where to go.

— You just need to write on Threads — so many eager people will respond... Think about it.

I'd like to end the conversation with another quote from a modern classic: "Threads is a good place. No one sees or reads me. I can write anything I want."

This was written exactly 10 months before that very post. Now, it's the first pinned message on Ihar's page.

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