We’re all influencers
Sometimes I feel like an old lady, because I have the thought "what's up with so-called "influencers" these days?"
It used to be that the "influencers" were celebrities...mostly from TV or movies, some musicians, athletes or models. And we tried to be like them: Personally, I wanted to get the adorable haircut that Jennifer Aniston's character Rachel Green from Friends had in the early 00's. Unfortunately, with my curly hair and inability to use a round brush, it didn't end well. Cindy Crawford drinking a Pepsi was supposed to make everyone want this (sugary and awful for your) beverage. Style, like capitalism, loves a spokesperson.
But now, it feels like everyone is trying to be a spokesperson, they want to be influencers. Why do they all look so similar...with the same creaseless foreheads, puffy lips, and long fake nails. It's like a few of these "tastemakers" got together and put out the manifesto "thou shalt not show any signs of aging" and so we're supposed to be influenced to buy certain products / procedures. That's weird right? To have everyone look the same. The attempt to have everyone buy the same products, look the same and be "on-trend"
Now the companies are sending products to random humans that are good at creating reels and slick little marketing pieces. I don't care if it's Taylor Swift or some "verified" account, why would I trust a stranger to make a decision for me when I don't really know them? If the goal is to get me to buy something so that the influencer can get a kickback, is that something I want to support? I'm not interested in celebrity culture which places certain people on a pedestal. And I'm certainly not interested in the promises of "trust me" from strangers. I'm interested in real human connection, no strings attached.
If I like the way I feel in something, I will wear it. If it's a piece of functional gear for the task or activity then I will use it. When someone, a stranger no less, who I have absolutely no relationship with, is telling me she loves a $40 lip gloss, or couldn't live without a new pair of yoga pants, it makes me shrug my shoulders in a "so what" gesture. When people say, "the Instagram ad got me" I do not agree. I have never purchased something from an IG ad because I refuse to be influenced by the product endorsements of a person who I might not align with.
Because really, we're all influencers...and we're doing it all the time.
The way we live our lives and the products we consume (or don't) are influencing the economy, environment and humans, even if we don't tell anyone about it or use “trending audio” or hashtags. The way we speak to hospitality folks. If we beep the horn immediately when the light goes green but the car in front of us doesn't move. If we're consistently late picking up our kids from school. When use DoorDash 4x / week rather than making fresh food for ourselves at home. These are just some ways we're influencing the world around us.
What I want is to be influenced by a community of kind humans, to feel their vibes IRL. I don't want them to be pushing a capitalist agenda of over consumption, I want to surround myself with people who influence me to be the best version of myself.
So who / what do you want to influence? For me it looks like this:
** I don't want to influence consumption...I want to influence compassion and resiliency.
** I don't want to be good at making reels and stories on one social media platform that might not be here in 5 years...I want to be good at making myself the most authentic version of me.
** I'm not creating content...I'm creating a life that I love and I’m proud of, knowing that the ripples will extend far and wide.
What influences you? I'd love to continue this conversation.