I follow a woman on Instagram who is a self-described Influencer. She is “age appropriate” for me meaning that her suggestions, ideas, etc are based on my general age group and older. Her styles of clothing choices are often ones I like for myself, and I have purchased a few items based on her recommendations. While I don’t always agree on what she might present, I know that I have a choice in agreeing or not; she is not forcing anyone to do or purchase anything she suggests. She is also very open about partnerships, commissions and items she receives for free to promote from these brands. Meaning she gets paid for the promotion.
It’s unfortunate that all people who define themselves as Influencers aren’t as honest and open as she is. Some actually do prey on others who are often easily influenced, gullible or very naive. There are people who are elderly, those with mental illness, medical conditions, etc who get wrapped up in the gloss of an Influencer only to fall victim to something unscrupulous and destructive. And the destruction is often great and extends to families and beyond. There’s always a big picture; unfortunately, there’s no regulation or control being conducted with these individuals.
The Britannica Dictionary defines the word ‘influence’ as: “The power to change or affect someone or something; the power to cause changes without directly forcing them to happen”. If someone has power, which might mean a strong online presence, and/or someone who is very skilled in speaking/talking to sway people into doing what is intended for personal gain, who is regulating that person? There should be checks and balances and accountability.
If a person’s business is conducted online, and that person collects a fee, expenses and/or gifts for whatever it is they are promoting about themselves, then credentials (meaning resume, work experience, timeline) should be online, too. Potential customers or clients should be able to scrutinize beforehand whether or not to choose to engage with someone they might hire for whatever purpose. Legitimate businesses usually offer these things on websites. Why aren’t Influencers required to do the same?
Instead, we often see a reinvention along with new hashtags and word usage such as “I have extensive experience in…” Fill in the blank. And it seems to change often. What makes a person qualified in saying they do what they do or are? Superfluous words? I personally want to see their experience and have the ability to verify it. Most real jobs require a resume with recommendations; if a person is selling her ability to do something via online, she should have to do the same. It also used to mean lying on a resume was grounds for dismissal, so this very thing should apply to those who influence, or call themselves ‘digital creators’ too, I suppose.
I’ve previously mentioned in this blog the inability to understand why people follow Influencers and how it seemed to me a popularity or ego grab. Although I loosely follow the one mentioned above, I still don’t get it in general. It’s important to protect your online interactions and do due diligence when engaging with anyone you don’t know. Hopefully, there will be types of regulation and accountability for this “profession” in the future.
