The influencers are influencing us too much.

MrBeast shot to fame by counting to 100,000, but his is the 2nd most popular account on YouTube.

By Scott Raines

You and I, like many of our relatives, friends and neighbors, pop in our headphones every day (or turn up our phones) and invite into our once-peaceful minds the voice of a favorite influencer or podcaster. It could be a man chopping vegetables, a woman lifting weights, someone updating us on the whereabouts of Kate Middleton or Taylor Swift, or someone, in any one of myriad ways, telling us how to live.

As almost all social media companies now turn toward the TikTok model (endless streams of short videos), the number of options screaming for our attention becomes overwhelming.

And yet, ironically, there is a certain intimacy in all these conversations. In some cases, you and I do more than hear these influencers; we see their kitchens, their bathrooms, their bedrooms — all of which, of course, are more beautiful and luxurious than ours. They speak as if talking directly to each of us, one on one. Yet we can’t ever respond.

But what real-world influence do the voices of internet influencers actually have? The answer: too much.

A study out of the Pew Research Center showed that 3 in 10 adults who use social media have purchased something after a content creator recommended it. “When looking at users who follow these accounts that number rises to 53%,” Pew reported.

The study showed that “younger social media users are the most likely to say influencers affect their purchasing habits: 54% of 18- to 29-year-old social media users say influencers impact their purchasing decisions a lot or a little.”

Beyond the measurable impact of influencers on spending, of course, is the social, mental and emotional impact as well, which isn’t always positive.

According to a study out of Emory University’s Goizueta School of Business, researchers found that “when followers consume idealized versions of popular figures on social media there is a social comparison process that results in these users experiencing negative feelings and a substantial decline in their state of self-esteem.”

https://www.deseret.com/opinion/2024/03/23/influencers-social-media-mrbeast-ballerina-farm/