Between Mikayla Nogueira’s viral “try being an influencer for a day” and other content creators filming personal moments with family and friends, influencers have been considered “out of touch” by the media and their audiences for quite some time.
Recently, while scrolling through social media, I came across a video of a woman explaining that, although she wasn’t planning to film during a date night with her husband, she came across a crime scene and felt as though she “had to.” Throughout the video, she zooms in on the crime scene multiple times, showing complete disregard and a lack of empathy for the victim or anyone else affected by the disaster. She later goes on to speak about the “ambiance” of the flashing red and blue lights from the emergency vehicles during her dinner. Not only was this video clout-seeking and exploitative of the victim’s situation for her financial gain, but it was also just wrong. While not every influencer has a lack of empathy or is exploitative of other people, more often than not, I see videos that make me question, “Why would someone film this?”
While a portion of the insensitive or out-of-touch comments or videos may be the result of a desperate attempt to stay relevant or to “ragebait” their audience, from an outside perspective, it is simply obnoxious and makes them look oblivious to the consequences of their actions. The normalization of allowing influencers and content creators to say something offensive simply to advance their careers is astronomical and unacceptable.
Influencing as a full-time job and main source of income is a result of a rise in global use of various social media apps, specifically Instagram and TikTok. While it seems like a great idea on the surface, by making a livable wage off of simply posting videos, being able to avoid working a corporate job, and being your own boss, it most definitely results in the displacement of people’s moral compass and their concept of “hard work.”
While I am sure influencing can be considered “real work,” the argument that many viral creators make that it is just as, if not more difficult than, a corporate job is simply false. The concept of working a “nine-to-five job” is foreign to influencers and, to them, considered easier than making a few lifestyle videos about what they ate or did that day.
As followers and audiences grapple with the everyday struggles of providing and supplying food, shelter, and necessary needs for themselves, influencers are casually showcasing thousands of dollars’ worth of “hauls” and large amounts of free products sent to them by brands, all while arguing that they worked harder than their audiences for the items they received. What started as a “creative outlet” for creators quickly became a display of obnoxious and objectionable elitism.
Fame and an influx of income can definitely get to people’s heads, and that is demonstrated exceptionally well with influencers and viral content creators. Trying to stay relevant and topical in the media or being unaware of the repercussions of their comments is absolutely not a sufficient excuse for deliberately saying something offensive. The argument that a grown adult simply was “unaware” that their comment is offensive is inexcusable and intolerable. This is excused by fans and audiences far too frequently, and has to stop.