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James Franco: Social media is frivolous

James Franco has a "frivolous" attitude to social media.

The 36-year-old actor tries not to take platforms like Instagram and Twitter seriously but accepts the fact he has over 3 million followers on the latter website means it is a "serious" outlet for him in regards to his work and financial gains.

When asked if he expresses his true personality via social media, he said: "No. It's always felt frivolous to me, meaning I think I have a silly attitude, generally speaking, when I post things. I don't take it that seriously. On the other hand, it is very serious because one of the main currencies of our age is attention, and so that little number that says how many people are following me actually equates into money, and a certain type of power."

'The Interview' star is happy to admit that some of his commercial and movie deals require him to make posts on social media, but he is comfortable doing it because it's just part of the modern word now.

Franco - who works with Gucci as well as many other companies - told Prestige Hong Kong magazine: "I have studios asking me to post things on my Instagram. I have different clients that (my manager) Will and I work with where part of the deal is that I post on (social media), so now I have something that is quantifiable and is something that is put on the bargaining table. So on the one hand it's, to me, just a fun, kind of silly thing. On the other hand I also know that it is very serious and it's an outlet, and it's a distribution platform, or a promotional tool that is very important to a lot of the people that I work with."