An enterprising social media influencer
> Despite being a social media influencer, Muhammad Faiz is juggling his studies and work
happened drastically after I got an offer to do a little bit of acting on TV. That’s when I started to really gain followers; people started to acknowledge my presence in a way,” Faiz states.
“That’s when all these brands started to approach me”.
Have you had to deal with negative comments? How did you deal with it? Of course. I just ignore it (laughs). I mean, you can’t get everyone to like you. If you entertain them, it’ll keep on coming back to you. It’s easier for me to ignore everything. You can’t really get everyone to like you.
As you feature yourself in many fashion ensembles, what is one fashion trend you avoid completely? wanted to try it, to get a feel of acting. I was in a drama on TV3 in a supporting role, and I have to say, acting is not an easy job. From the outside, it seems easy, but when I got into it, I had to deal with the “chaos”. I even got scolded quite a few times.
What do you enjoy most about travelling? Experiencing different cultures and food. If I never travelled, I wouldn’t know how to snowboard, know a little bit of foreign languages, and I wouldn’t meet other people. I guess I like to experience all these things outside of Malaysia, and in a way, for me, I have a plan of having my own thing businesswise. I like to see all these different perspectives and maybe someday I can bring whatever they have outside to Malaysia and make it my own. is a side thing, like it provides a different set of opportunities to me. It’s something that I did not expect, and it’s nice to have it, but I wouldn’t prioritise it. When I decided to study, I have a different set of goals.
If you asked me if I’d turn it into a full-time thing, I wouldn’t. My priority is studies and work.
But then again, the good thing about being a social media influencer is that you have that self-branding; you gain followers. I might take that opportunity to integrate it with my future business, maybe? Branding, marketing and networking.
What is the hardest part about being a social media influencer? I guess negativity and negative comments. Because you’re putting yourself out there. Sometimes when you post a photo, and people have different judgements. When people start viewing you, they have expectations on what you should be and what they want you to be. It’s the expectation that you have to live up to.