<\/p>\n
German film director Werner Herzog has more than half a million followers on Instagram \u2014 but still doesn’t have a smartphone.<\/p>\n
“My son handles the technical side. I provide him with the content,” Herzog told dpa about his widely followed account on the social network.<\/p>\n
When asked why he does not own a smartphone, Herzog replied: “Look, everything important still reaches me.” Occasionally, he borrows a device when necessary \u2014 for example, if he needs to be picked up somewhere.<\/p>\n
Herzog has only been active on Instagram<\/a> for a few months, but has already amassed 553,000 followers with clips he sends to his son via email. His profile features scenes from his work as a filmmaker, such as moments from podcasts, on the red carpet or related to his new film “Ghost Elephants”.<\/p>\n It also includes quirky glimpses into other aspects of his life. In one clip, Herzog celebrates with a mariachi band, while in another, he grills a steak.<\/p>\n “I think it\u2019s good that I am, so to speak, technically at the forefront of communication,” Herzog explained about his decision to join Instagram.<\/p>\n He added that he is also deeply engaged with virtual reality and has even taken on a role in an animated film.<\/p>\n Herzog emphasised that his lack of a smartphone should not be taken as a statement. “It might seem old-fashioned,” he said. “But I myself am not old-fashioned, because I\u2019m right at the forefront and actively shaping things.”<\/p>\n He speculated that the attention his account receives might be due to its content. “I think I say things with substance,” Herzog said. However, he admitted he does not know whether 553,000 followers is a lot.<\/p>\n Herzog\u2019s new film “Ghost Elephants” follows a biologist searching for a herd of unique elephants in the remote highlands of Angola.<\/p>\n Herzog\u2019s Instagram account also features a clip<\/a> from the film\u2019s production. It shows several people pulling a giant snake out of a water basin. “While filming GHOST ELEPHANTS in the northern Kalahari desert (Namibia) I felt like cooling off in a well,” Herzog recounts. “But there was something lurking in the water…”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n