In our daily life, we live under a lot of influences. The choices we make, things we buy, how we act, or what we say might be the result of external things or people we unconsciously or consciously adopt. You might be thinking now about the main subject of this blog, and if you do, you’ll probably know the power of these many so-called influencers.
The original definition of an influencer, as someone who explicitly promotes products or services, has expanded into someone who has a huge amount of followers on social media doing any kind of activity. It is worrying to think that the number of people considered influencers is constantly growing, however, the sense of responsibility and commitment with the community sometimes is overlooked in an activity that should be a primary concern.
I believe influencers are important, as long as they promote valuable ideas. Something valuable can come from all kinds of activities, anyone passionate about something could show how valuable what they do or make is. Someone that influences crowds should carry and promote good and powerful values by staying true to who they are.
Having said that, I found it worrying that a lot of people think having a lot of followers give them a free pass to do whatsoever they call entertainment while mistreating others. We must not forget that “likes” and “followers” are not more important than the dignity of others.
Some days ago, a local influencer in my city did a video giving lollipops to old and poor people he found in the streets. The happiness of the people receiving the treat was ruined by the cruel discovery that the lollipops were made out of soap, which was revealed just after they had finished eating them. To what extent do people think they can pass over the dignity of others just with the aim of making a “viral video”?
Online liberty carries greater responsibility because social media platforms spread ideas easily within multiplied social connections. The problem comes when people create or consume content without demanding a certain quality. Social media at its core unify people. However, this massive connection becomes an excuse to stop thinking of others as human beings. Instead, they think numbers of followers simply translate into fame and money.
We must not forget that quality is not the same as quantity, the number of followers is not a social proof of the “good” ones doing. An influencer on social media with the ability to reach millions of people should never forget the “why” whenever they are doing something. Let’s invite people to see the good, and to share the good.
I would like to conclude with a quote from the German philosopher Josef Piper “The average person of our time loses the ability to see because there is too much to see!”. So let’s focus on discovering what the talented people around the world, including ourselves, have to offer, rather than being concerned over the number of likes and followers.
Published: December 7, 2020
Written by Lucia Angulo, a current HQ Marketing Intern from Latin America. She is a graduating Audiovisual & Multimedia Communication student from the University of La Sabana in Colombia.
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