In today’s social media-driven world, influencers have become strong voices impacting what we wear, buy, eat, believe, and do, and their impact on how people live is growing more and more each day. We think that influencers are too influential because many people trust their opinions more than real experts. This is dangerous because some influencers spread false information about products, health, and politics.
Sometimes influencers lead people to buy cheap products that don’t work or gadgets that break easily. “I see a ton of influencers using these products that I want to buy because they look pretty or cool, and when I buy the products, they don’t live up to the hype, and they’re not that good,” said Abigail Diez ‘31.
Other influencers try to build a connection with their followers instead of promoting products. But, while many influencers uplift us in our daily lives, it can be dangerous to think influencers actually know us or care about us.
“If influencers respond to your comments and like to reach out with their fans and stuff, then you can actually tell that they care,” said Diez. However, even when influencers interact with fans in a positive way, in-person relationships are still more beneficial for mental health.
Another problem is that influencers often focus too much on their appearance, presenting a picture-perfect image to their audiences.
“We, seventh graders and eighth graders, are in school doing our best to get good grades, and that’s what we should be focused on, not trying to impress everyone or compete over things like who has the best shoes,” said Diez.
We can stop comparing ourselves to influencers by remembering that social media only shows highlights, focusing on our own goals, following accounts that inspire us, and encouraging our classmates to make positive choices.
“Even though influencers can make us feel certain ways, you shouldn’t really be comparing yourself to anybody in the first place because you are moving at the pace that you can, and that’s great,” said Diez.
Overall, we know that being influenced isn’t always bad; it depends on who you follow and what they promote. It’s important to remember that we are the ones who control who is popular on social media, so we can decide what content we want to watch and what we want to be influenced by. We should help each other by sharing good content, encouraging positive choices, thinking critically about what we see online, and talking openly about social media influence.
