In the long read, ‘It’s genuine, you know?’: Why the online influencer industry is going ‘authentic’, the author describes that a new trend is appearing "real" and "authentic" to their audiences. This is how sponsors would continue to sponsor, and, effectively, how online influencers will continue to make money and have influence. However, the fact that they must become authentic denotes that many were not authentic before. For instance, many only display the good things in life, or their good side, or the best parts of whatever is happening at that moment.
This shows that an online presence isn't the real you. It is, essentially, fake. People today are putting too much stock in their online presence, and in doing so it can affect their self-esteem and confidence. They believe a small number of followers or likes is a horrible thing, and that comes to define the person they are. But, seeing as how social media only captures a tiny portion of your life and personality, why are we putting so much stock in our online image? Should we be putting so much stock into our online image? Why, do you think, that people have decided to invest themselves so much in social media?
-Tyler Bartschi
I agree with your post to a certain extent. One of the points I want to comment about is when you say that an online presence is not the real you, or that it's fake. I feel that this brings about another really good question, the original intent of social media. Some believe that social media is used to share the fun or enjoyable parts of a user's life, which is why we see what many believe to be posts about what social media was intended for. Whereas others feel like social media is a competition about showing off or gaining more followers or likes. It's for these people who are putting so much stock in their online image that we should worry about. Social media however is flexible, and there will always be people of both type.
ReplyDeleteI agree that the "authentic influencer" identity is all for publicity and isn't at all real, but it is crucial to having a successful business. This area of work relies on creating a connection with the audience you want to attract, so I don't think they are wrong for fabricating a better version of themselves on the internet. Therefore, I understand why they put so much stock into their image online, since it is their way to make money.
ReplyDeleteHowever, for the average user of social media like us, I think we put so much into our online image because it gives us an escape from reality. Online, we have the control to change our life and to change everything we don't like about ourselves. Take for example, some people feel the need to photoshop their images because it makes them feel better. On the other hand, this can lead to mental health issues, like low self esteem. This is why social media can be very toxic, but also a blessing at times. It is up to the user to decide to use it correctly or not. I personally, do not like to invest myself into social media as much as other people. Still, I do see why people put so much effort into their social media, because it is easy to manipulate and change.
Personally I use my social media for fun! See what people are up to, talk to some friends and even catch up with old ones! Many many people put efforts into their social media to look nice, to create that aesthetically pleasing site. Its a big platform to boost confidence and show their creative sides. Its all in our control and all of our own personal thoughts. Social media is also a huge source of being someone new, or even just being the side no one knows about. The whole thing about social media is being free and yourself.
ReplyDeleteI think the reason as to why people invest themselves so much into social media is because it's an escape from reality. Social media gives people a chance to get away from the troubles and problems plaguing their lives. It's a chance to change themselves and portray a new side of themselves that they are satisfied with.
ReplyDeleteSocial media gives people what society calls "temporary happiness." Meaning users are only happy for a short amount of time before their worries and anxieties return. In some ways as well, social media can actually be pretty damaging to a person's mental state.
All of the constant pressure from society and the need to be a certain way can give a person health issues. Physically and mentally, social media can affect all of it just by a single post or comment.
Now with the rise of the influencer culture there are economic opportunities that can be found within social media. That's why people place so much stock within their online persona often because it becomes their means of living. However youth naively believe that they can achieve a similar level of fame and maybe fortune so they place their stock into their online personality only to realize that they'll never be able to achieve the level of fame they want. That's what ultimately leads to the depression and the way to change that is to change youth's naïve views about social media.
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