Your favorite "influencer" is full of $hit...

in·flu·ence

noun - the capacity to have an effect on the character, development, or behavior of someone or something, or the effect itself.

The word itself isn't inherently positive, but somehow everyone and their mother (literally) hangs on the every word and actions of these so-called influencers (some of which are self-declared).

Why is that? Do they think that they will gain their approval? Do they think these people are remotely interested in who they are and what they do/want?

There are a few kinds of "influencers". The Social Media (Instagram/Twitter) "influencer" who is basically a paid advertiser & the "blue check mark" type who has a big following. The first one isn't really a big deal in my eyes, even though they are full of $hit too. At the end of the day, if you buy something because some celebrity "endorsed" it, you deserve any disappointment you experience. Caveat emptor.

The other type of "influencer" is much more dangerous in my eyes. They are the "blue check mark" who has millions of "followers" in the truest sense. They spout generic cliches over and over again. They don't interact with their audience even though they pretend that they are interested in what you have to say. They don't practice what they preach. They are the "do as I say, not as I do" that don't really offer very good advice on what you should do (otherwise they would probably do it themselves). They are the type of people that are always looking over your shoulder to see who is more important they should be talking to.

Odds are very good that you are connected/following some of these people. Some are wannabe influencers who only reply to each other. They have amassed a huge number of followers and are constantly praising each other. They are always asking you to tag people and to comment below, but they rarely engage afterwards. They are constantly posting content that wasn't theirs originally and creating graphics to imply that it was.

If you read this and you think I'm talking about you, you are probably right. I could name a bunch of people on LinkedIn/Twitter/Instagram that exhibit everything I am talking about. If you follow me, you probably can guess who I am referring to. If you take umbrage at my comments, I am happy to have a chat and explain why I feel how I do. I doubt it's anything that you don't know.

You might be thinking to yourself "Why do you care?" That's a fair question. The answer is that I believe that people shouldn't be rewarded for bad behavior. I also think that todays influencers (thought leaders) are tired and stale. Most of them don't take a stand and never use their platform to champion for any number of things which could make an impact based on the number of followers they have. They are afraid that they will lose some of their followers, which in turn means $$$. Why is this bad? A lot of their followers think that by hanging on their every word and replying to their content and promoting their products and buying their stuff that they too might catch the break they need. They are using people and offering very little in return.

How can we fix this? We need to elevate those that are using their notoriety for good. People who genuinely want to help people and see them succeed. In a world where the almighty dollar rules, promote the product because you use it and you think people can benefit from it. Share content from people that are truly motivating and doing good in the world. Not so they can obtain followers, money or fame. If you need some suggestions, I am happy to provide them.

I believe that people need to be called out on their BS. If they aren't, they will continue to behave in the same way. I try to live my life by the golden rule, so if you see/read anything from me that you question or disagree with, please let me know. I'll always be happy to discuss and explain why. If it's something bad/wrong that I don't realize, you will give me an opportunity to learn and be better.

"The difference between “influencers” and actual influential people is influential people don’t need to point it out in their Twitter bio." - Debbie, https://myrandommusings.co.uk

"If you’re an Instagram Influencer who doesn’t have a picture of yourself in a sea of wildflowers, can I even trust your dry shampoo recommendations? SMH." - Conan O'Brien