My take on influencers
ARe influencers good or bad? I personally think it’s neither. An influencer is defined by Forbes as “someone who has the power to influence the perception of others or gets them to do something different.” It made me think, who is influencing me, and how?
As embarrassing as it sounds, I used to be a part of that percentage of people who kept up with the Kardashians. At some point in my life, I wanted to look like them, to be like them. I am proud to say that time of my life is over and so are their days of influence on me. This opened my eyes to how much “influencers” on the internet are selling you an idea that they were literally paid to advertise.
Don’t get me wrong: As a future marketing associate, having someone with a huge following to endorse your brand is such a powerful move. However, it raises the question of how these chosen influential people really connect with the brand and the product being marketed.
Just last week, I had a high school friend who was sent by a brand PR packages for posting on her Instagram. She had the audacity to say that this brand helped her clear her skin when in fact I have never seen a single bump on her face, to begin with.
To be clear, not all influencers are like this, who merely conform to handed-down ideals for the exchange of free goods. I stand by beauty and lifestyle influencers like Marj Maroket, who voices out honest reviews.
In February, Sunnies Face came out with their new “lashlift” Mascara. Marj released a Tiktok video reviewing the product, saying “I had high hopes for this but unfortunately it did nothing for my lashes.”
That to me was refreshing; to finally see someone with a following who didn’t need to sugarcoat the drawbacks. Influencing does not stop there. It branches out to lifestyle also. I am a big fan of Kryz Uy and Slater Young’s Sky fam branding where they Vlog their family’s everyday life, talk about their marriage on their podcast, and how cute Scottie boo is on her Instagram.
Do I want my future lifestyle and family to look like that? Of course. Am I seeking for a Filipino entrepreneur, actor, engineer, and television personality from Cebu? not really but that does not sound bad at all. My point is, we are all influenced daily, may it be by our family, friends, or that stranger you pass by on your page on Tiktok. It all boils down to how we choose to be influenced.