That is a fun take on "projection." :-) I expect to see a lot more of this with the wide availability of GAN driven image networks that can change faces/voices etc. Its like autotune for looks. Given how he was found I expect a software update that removes an person image in a mirror making them effectively vampires :-).

For the youngsters in the crowd, we used to have these phone numbers you could call where you could be connected with a "sexy woman who would talk to you and fantasize with you." Guess what, the only requirement for the job was "sexy voice" not actually being all that sexy. Poor chaps paying $1/minute to have phone sex with 45 - 50 year old women who not only have sexy voices but know a thing or two about sex.

"Influencers" are, as a money making entity, in the same genus as phone sex, product salespeople, and actors. They are there to create an attractive illusion that increases sales/market activity around an attached product.