Bored Panda wanted to get celeb expert Mike's opinion as to why content like gender-swapping actors is as popular as it is. "We’re kind of obsessed with celebrities," Hollywood's Ultimate Insider told us.

"They take us into a world that is usually much different than our own. Quick celebrity hits online are especially appealing, because it’s instant gratification that takes us away from our real lives quickly, and often amusingly so," he explained why people flock to this sort of content.

Unfortunately, far from every talented actor gets their time in the spotlight. Just because you're skilled and great at what you do doesn't guarantee success or fame.

"In my experience, most of an actor’s success can be attributed to being in the right place at the right time. I would say an actor’s skills, although important, are secondary to their success. I’ve known literally hundreds of extremely talented actors over the years, who never achieved widespread success, because they just never got that big break. Timing, and luck, are everything," Mike, from LA, shared with Bored Panda that luck is incredibly important when it comes to creating a successful career.

Considering how much luck and timing impact an actor's career, it's important to not be full of oneself. Humility is important. That's why we asked Mike to share his thoughts about staying grounded as a star is rising.

"As a successful actor, to remain humble, remember two things. Remember where you came from, and what your life was like before achieving success," the celebrity expert told Bored Panda that remembering one's roots are important. As is gratitude. "Think of all those thousands of actors who are struggling to make a living. Talented actors, who for whatever reason, just haven’t made it yet, and never will."

If you enjoyed TikToker geeek.brasil’s content, be sure to follow them online to see their freshest uploads. The concept behind their channel might sound simple in practice, but it’s a recipe that’s working very well for the content creator.

At the time of writing, the TikToker had 123.8k followers on the video-sharing platform, and they had a whopping 4.5 million likes across all of their posts.

Their most popular video features the cast from ‘Stranger Things,’ with their genders changed. That particular video was viewed a jaw-dropping 16.4 million times. It just goes to show that with great timing, you have a better possibility of going viral with your content.

Being aware of the release dates of new shows and seasons, and upcoming events is a great way to stay popular and keep your fans entertained.

Face-change and face-swap apps used to be all the rage some time ago. They’re a trend that keeps popping up all the time here and there, especially when there’s a new app that comes out or when there’s a fun new way to apply that tech. However, privacy is a constant concern when using random apps. Especially with your own photos.

A while back, Bored Panda spoke to Corrina Morse, someone who used a face swap app and went viral, to get her opinion on the topic. She said that it’s impossible to have any apps that are completely safe when it comes to privacy.

“I think you have to be aware of that and make your mind up whether to use an app or not,” she said that everyone is responsible for what they’re willing to tolerate. And it never hurts to read the terms and conditions in full if you’re really worried about privacy!

The desire to be adored, respected, and in the spotlight is very natural. It’s no wonder that people want to be rockstars, actors, and influencers: when you’ve got masses of fans both online and in real life, you feel validated, loved, even powerful. However, some people take their desire for fame too far, and end up photo-editing their pics way too much, all in the hope of getting more likes, and more attention.

The head mod of the r/Instagramreality subreddit previously told Bored Panda that, in recent years, there’s been a surge in interest in video editing, not just photo editing. “Especially apps like Facetune2 and SNOW that allows you to edit your body and certain Instagram filters that can make your lips appear bigger and make your skin unrealistically perfect,” mod Zaza9000 told us, saying that it’s usually clear when someone’s edited their videos due to glitches.

Unfortunately, some people end up getting so hooked on social media that they ignore other, more important, aspects of their lives. Their physical and mental health can degrade, and their social life can go out the window as they become obsessed with their online self-image and being ‘perfect.’ Meanwhile, others focus on consuming as much social media content as they can, everything else be damned.

Nuno Albuquerque, the Head of Treatment for the UK Addiction Treatment Group, explained to Bored Panda that social media addiction is a fairly new phenomenon. It’s something that researchers are learning new things about every single day.

"A person can be addicted to anything, but they are only suffering an addiction if whatever it is they are 'using' has taken over their lives, and that they as individuals have lost the power of choice, i.e. that they cannot, regardless of how much they want to, stop 'using,'” Albuquerque, from UKAT, explained to Bored Panda.

“This is the effect that addiction has, it robs the individual of the ability to stop. Even if that individual is aware of the negative physical, psychological, or financial consequences, they still cannot stop. It is essential to not use the word 'addiction' flippantly; if a person is addicted, then they are in need of professional help and support," he said.

According to the expert, the Covid-19 lockdowns had made many people spend far more time than usual on social media. 

"We would say that it is more than likely that society as a whole spent more time on social media and other internet-based platforms during the Covid-19 lockdowns than before, simply because for many, their normal day-to-day life was turned upside down, or even stopped altogether, and so a lot of people found they had more spare time on their hands,” he explained why this happened.

“Some people turned to social media during the lockdown to stay connected with others, which is really important and actually a healthy approach to take. Where it starts to negatively affect a person is when being on social media consumes them completely, and they no longer want to be present in their actual 'offline' day,” Albuquerque said that using social media isn’t bad in and of itself, however, we have to be acutely aware of how much time we spend online.

"If the person cannot undertake their regular day-to-day routine without being on social media or needing to get back to being on social media, as in they have potentially developed not only a psychological desire to be online but also physical urges begin as well, then there could well be an addiction there," the expert told Bored Panda.

"An unhealthy relationship with social media could also be recognized if the individual develops mental health illness from being online, for example, feelings of anxiety or depression arising during or after being on social media. Similarly, for some people we have treated at our UK Addiction Treatment Centres, being on social media is a trigger for them to then misuse drugs or alcohol. During therapy, we address why a person drinks alcohol or misuses drugs, and for some, it is because of their unhealthy relationship with social media," he said.

"The most important piece of advice we can give is to be mindful and aware; check in with yourself during and after time spent on social media, ask yourself how do you feel? Can you now switch off and get on with your day? Any negative feelings or inability to move on from being online should be a red flag.”