Social Media Influencers and What We Can Learn From Them

Listen to Audio

- The birth of influencers, although surprising, is not entirely unpredictable. While older generations hold steadfast in their beliefs and upbringing, a generation of digital natives had already emerged. Tech-savvy and emboldened by social media platforms, they demand authenticity over formalities. They embrace the rawness of life, almost equating it to honesty and transparency. Influencers hold so much power that they can call their community into action. These got the traditionalists nervous as they push for regulations. As resistance grew, the wider the generational gap became.

To understand the changes brought upon by social media, let’s study the attributes of influencers, how they muster a community of like-minded people, and what we can learn from them. They may offer us a blueprint to traverse through the digital space, in the hopes that one day, generational gaps can be bridged with more constructive dialogues.

So what do they teach us in today’s time?

They Teach Us to Be More Confident in Ourselves.

Be it getting compliments or criticisms, what's important for influencers is that they took the risk of showing who they truly are and their unfiltered side. Not too many can own up to their true nature. They encourage their community to embrace their personhood and share their unique gifts with the world. It can be their talents, looks, wits, or humor. Nothing is wasted so as long as it is something they are proud of. They promote the culture of self-love, which is scarce in today's time. Indeed it takes a lot of courage to stand up for what you want.

They Teach Us to Stand By Your Own Truth.

Everyone has an opinion about certain matters whether personal, political, religious, or spiritual. They show that everyone is entitled to their views whether it is in agreement or disagreement on an issue. They stand by their truth while they challenge others to do the same. For them, the more diverse the contribution is, the better they can define their perspectives. Truth is not exclusive to one person or authority rather they lead themselves accordingly to the values they hold and validate them through their personal experiences.

They Teach Us to Be More Relatable.

We must hold on to certain standards as they guide us to lead a better life. However, in our effort to strictly adhere to these guidelines, we become less and less relatable to those who want to venture beyond the parameters of conventions. Influencers understand that these limitations could be detrimental to discovering ourselves and our place in the world. They boldly redefine these standards in an effort to prove their cause. They are not out of touch with what is truly going on. They are trying to offer solutions as much as the rest of us do but their approach to things is more empathic and relatable.

They Teach Us to Be More Empowering.

Influencers offer encouragement in many ways. They can be words of advice, actions they take, a particular approach, or a way of doing and they live it by example. It is empowering to see someone live their lives as they see fit, living them without assumptions and prejudices. They offer themselves as concrete example to those who want answers. They are a living testament to their choices and they empower others to be more forthright and do their feats in life.

They Teach Us to Be Where We Belong.

Finding our niches in life is the most fulfilling journey there is and yet a lot of people have struggled to find their place in the world. Influencers at their young age have made that journey seem effortless and have found their way by knowing what they want and what they are good at. Understandably, they attract so much influence because such an attribute is rare given the social pressures we have today. They became community ambassadors and represented themselves as leaders of certain movements. They support social causes and the community benefits from it.

We can say that the life of influencers also carries with it the burden of both balancing their social responsibility and their need to be authentic. On one hand, they can be our heroes and on the other, they can be our distractions. They must not use their influence to the extremes as it may lead a herd of people into harm's way. As for the rest, we should understand that influencers are only giving a part of themselves to emulate but not to consider their lives infallible. They too are going through their struggles in life. Let's be mindful of what to follow and have our independent stand on things. As for the traditionalists, be open-minded and accommodating because our role to them is to become their trusted mentors. We have to bridge this generational gap with more love and greater understanding.