The modern world is in a constant state of rapid flux; and this means that there’s a new trend with every passing year. One trend that quickly became a way of life was social media influencers, and today influencers can sway the opinions of the millions of people that follow them.
People have always looked to well-known celebrities and others, and in doing so have had their thought patterns radically shaped by third parties. This has never been more pronounced than with social media, allowing individuals to reach out to more people than ever before – but is this a good thing or a bad thing, and what does it mean for the people following the influencers?
The Pros
They Can Have Powerful Positive Effects
Most people like to decry influencers as greedy and dangerous, and while this might be true for many of them, it can’t be said for all of them. There are many influencers in the world that relay positive messages to their followers. Some might point out a charity that might need donations, others might bring to light a family that may need support. There are a lot of different ways that an influencer might have a positive effect on their followers and can call millions of people across the world to action.
Creating A Community
Another pro to social media influencers is that they can use their reach to create an inclusive community that anyone can be a part of.
There are a lot of ways of going about this, but it generally entails having a set of principles that followers should try and endeavour to follow, which are hopefully principles that are meant for the betterment of the people within the community.
Of course, there are always going to be those people that try and ruin it for the rest, but being an influencer means having the power to try and put as much positivity in the world as possible.
The Cons
Dangerous Beliefs And Influence
Most influencers have the power to sway the opinions of their followers, which can be dangerous when the influencer in question has a particularly negative set of beliefs.
For instance, misogyny has become quite common among popular male influencers, who believe that women are meant to be subservient to men. This mindset has gained a large following across the world, and it’s largely due to the influencers who propagate it.
Negative Views On Self
Another way that influencers are considered to have a negative impact on society is due to how they make people feel about their own bodies.
Influencers often go to great lengths to be as physically attractive as possible, and it can make their followers feel like the latter are not nearly attractive enough, leading to a range of body and self-image problems that has become a lot more prevalent in recent years.
