Gabriel Basso Premieres 'Iconoclast' at Tribeca, Warns Social Media Creates Illusion of Connection
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Jun 15
Gabriel Basso Premieres 'Iconoclast' at Tribeca, Warns Social Media Creates Illusion of Connection
2 articles · Updated · Fox News · Jun 15
Summary
At the Tribeca Festival, Gabriel Basso used the premiere of his psychological thriller "Iconoclast" to argue that social media turns users into voyeurs and weakens real-world human connection.
Basso, who wrote, directed and stars in the film, said online platforms offer controllable, one-sided intimacy that fuels parasocial fixation, influencer worship and obsession rather than reciprocal relationships.
His blunt advice to young people feeling pressured to build a personal brand was to "stop" using social media, saying its power lasts only because users collectively keep giving it value.
In "Iconoclast," Basso plays a lonely man whose fixation on a live-streaming influencer darkens into something more disturbing, mirroring the film's warning about scrolling replacing genuine connection.
Co-star Rain Spencer called the film "bleak, hopeful" and "isolating," while praising Basso's triple role on set as actor, writer and director.