VERITY: Influencer platforms and obligations regarding their use

As a normal person, I consume entertainment media and have certain celebrities, influencers and stars that I consistently follow and enjoy watching. However, I think that as humans we often hold those who follow us to a higher standard than our ordinary colleagues.

Sometimes I think this is justified; For example, many of us would turn a blind eye to seeing a classmate cheat on a test because we don’t want to make a scene, but if we saw Miley Cyrus doing something less than delicious, that is seen all over the news.

But often I find that when people have a screen and a random username to hide behind, we expect more from our idols than we ourselves could give.

This really struck me when many of the details of Israel’s war in Gaza first came to light. Obviously, the events of this war are extremely controversial and many people have strong opinions about which viewpoints are morally right and which are wrong. But let’s be honest with ourselves for a moment.

I, on the one hand, can count the number of my fellow students who regularly post well-thought-out social or political opinions on social media, and I bet if I were to walk up to the average student on campus and ask them to respond if you were in one If you share your perspective on the war in a thoughtful interview for The Colonnade, most of you would decline to comment.

In my experience, these are the main reasons students do not want to have their name permanently associated with a current issue – be it a war, the recent election, abortion, or any other issue that represents social, moral, and for many, political issues Arguments – because they don’t want to become the target of those who disagree, to be attacked because they say something wrong or uninformed, or because they make a mistake because they are simply out of step with world events and uninformed.

Although I bet many of you would agree with me when I say that being well-informed is important, it actually requires some effort and regular research that many people simply don’t put in. Fortunately, as normal people, when we are stopped on the street to speak out on a polarizing issue, we can refuse and no harm will be done. However, this is much more difficult for an influencer.

I specifically remember seeing comment sections from comedians and people just making silly TikToks full of calls to “use your platform” to make a statement and encourage action on events and issues at home and abroad. But just because these people have a platform based on humor and jokes doesn’t mean they are more informed about politics or international relations than the average person, and yet they are treated as if they are.

Influencers are expected to take a stand. If they don’t, they will be demonized if something they say is wrong or ages poorly, and demonized by anyone who disagrees with what they have to say. There is no right answer, no way to please everyone, and no way to politely refuse to speak just because you’re not a political scientist.

Brittany Broski, for example, is an influencer and comedian with podcasts, YouTube channels, merch, and a fairly large following. Like many others, she started by making a name for herself on TikTok and continued to grow because she is creative and just plain fun. However, she became the target of attacks for her comments when she had yet to make her stance on the conflict in Gaza public, as hundreds of thousands of her followers demanded to hear from her.

Let’s pause and remember that influencers are real people and have lots of side jobs. These people must continue to go about their daily lives, but are forced to carry all their political, social and perhaps even controversial opinions on their chest. Influencers are not the Taylor Swifts and Elton Johns of the world who can go about their lives every day without having to interact with angry followers.

What if a dramatic statement on the Internet had an impact on your everyday work? How do you want them to do serious, balanced research between full-time work, internet content creation, and just living their lives? It’s far from impossible, but we all need to remember that the fact that we have a following and do comedy, cooking videos, crafts, hair, or other creative media does not oblige anyone to express their opinion on anything and to consolidate, especially when it does so, which risks jeopardizing their ability to live a good life outside of the internet. Essentially, being funny doesn’t mean you’re an expert on social issues.

I encourage people to reflect and remember to show empathy. While influencers who take a stand or encourage people to get involved in politics can be applauded, this should not be expected of them or warrant attack if they choose not to. Remember that we normal people don’t wear our personal opinions on our sleeves every day, and it is hypocritical to hold others to unreasonably higher standards that could make their lives even more difficult.

Kate Verity is a correspondent for The Covington News. She can be reached at [email protected]