Don’t be influenced by an influencer!

By: Nora Whiteside

How often do you log on to your social media to see your favorite influencer boasting the effects of a health tea or makeup line that will make you perfect? Probably every time, but brands don’t have influencers sponsor their products for no reason. And influencers aren’t called influencers for no reason. But what happens when this influence affects the personal lives of followers?

“Why could this influence be so bad?” you might say. Well, opinions change based on who you listen to on a daily basis and look up to. For example, in one study, a group of pre-teens were shown a video of a prankster scaring vulnerable and unexpected strangers with loud noises who were visibly upset. Despite this, the majority of the pre-teens responded by saying that the “victims” had willingly obliged and didn’t mind being part of the prank. Experts say this mindset and constant belief can lead to copied behaviors because “it’s all fine!” This leads to even more trouble when influencers can take advantage of us and make us buy things that we don’t need.

How are these random strangers on the other side of a screen able to swoon us into buying products we don’t need, standing up for them in internet fights and even changing our lifestyles? In a study by Defy Media, 63% of people aged 13-24 said that they would try a product recommended by a Youtuber. Why? Most popular influencers and Youtube stars feel relatable, trendy, engaging and authentic. A study conducted by The University of Twente showed that many teenagers seek advice and form opinions from older Youtubers. The demographic that is clearly very influenced by our social media stars and Youtubers is millennials and teens. Ask any millennial or teen if they watch Youtube or who their favorite Youtuber is and they will probably very quickly respond yes and which one. One of the things that lure teenagers into being connected to Youtubers is being able to relate to struggles that they may be dealing with in their own lives and find someone who understands. For example, Youtubers who talk openly about gender orientation, depression, suicide, relationships, and other heavy topics can be almost a therapy to be able to relate to someone. Because Youtubers can create this “bond” with their fans, ideas, trends, and habits start to leak into the lives of fans. But when does this “relationship” become dangerous?

How many of the most popular YouTuber’s only source of income is Youtube? Practically all of them. The Pauls, Shane Dawson, Ali-A, and Lele Pons. Those are lots of influencers that are popular among teenagers, and kids have no other source of income or jobs.  It would make sense to advertise products to earn more money, right? Yes, but this starts to become a problem when the general audience is young kids and teens. The first problem arises when YouTubers with young audiences promote the wrong companies. For example, Jake Paul is a YouTuber with a very young audience already susceptible to these YouTubers who can take easy advantage of their audience. A while ago Jake Paul and other popular YouTubers started sponsoring a website named Mystery Brand. On this website, people would buy an online box (ranging from $3 - $2,000) and open it to possibly win an expensive, luxurious prize. This didn’t go too well for Jake Paul and others as they quickly received backlash for advertising a gambling website to young children, which is against Youtube’s policies and even the gambling website’s! The website states, “The use of the services of the website is strictly prohibited for persons under 13 or not reached the age of majority.” Some might say, “Well, I would know a gambling advertisement when I see one!” or “These kids ought to know the difference between a sponsored promotion and a regular video.” But that’s exactly the problem. No one wants to hear it, but young children and even teens have weakened critical thinking, which makes it difficult to tell one from the other in terms of paid promotions or find the discrepancy between biased and unbiased content.

So don’t become intertwined with this social media epidemic! Check the sites, check the facts and do a double-take for every quick assumption you make about things that go on behind the scenes. Be on the top of your game around these people! You don’t know them! As much as they may make you feel like a friend, lots of it is for money; it is a career after all! Don’t be influenced by an influencer!