A significant developmental change in social media that has caught my attention is the ability to make money online by being yourself. Individuals around the world have the opportunity to become influencers by just posting pictures or uploading content. For instance, many brands reach out to individuals with a large following to promote their product. Influencers massively migrate to YouTube, Instagram, and Tiktok. This major shift in social media has caught my attention because now being an influencer is considered a job, which is a tremendous change. It is fascinating that posting videos or pictures of your everyday life can create opportunities. For example, Whitney Simmons has amassed over 2.8 million followers on her fitness account. Simmons post workout videos and promotes a healthier lifestyle. Her Instagram account lead her to create a workout line with GymShark, which sold out in less than an hour.
The ability to make money online changed my personal use of social media because I have begun to treat these individuals like celebrities. I follow influencers and feel like I know them. Relating to Whitney Simmons, I bought a pair of leggings from her collection. I have been a follower of Simmons for an extremely long time and believed her product would be amazing. Further, I wanted to support her career due to how much knowledge I gain about fitness from Simmons. Before being able to become an influencer, social media was about staying connected to finds and family. Now, we find new individuals to look up to, who are not in ‘Hollywood.’
Being an influencer has changed education in a few ways. First, individuals now see this as a desired career. Being an influencer appears to be a simple job; thus, individuals may skip going to university to attempt to make it big online. Striving to be an influencer is not necessarily a negative idea. However, it is challenging to become famous online and risky if individuals do not have a backup plan.
Second, influencers can spread knowledge online, anything from academic, fitness, and social. For example, as I said, Whitney Simmons helped me learn the basics of working out. Bob Ross gives us a tutorial about how to create a painting. John and Hank Green give us a 10-minute lecture. James Charles teaches me how to create a smokey eye. Influencers provide an advantage to our generation to learn something that is not common knowledge. No matter how much we love our parents, there are some topics they are not experts.
I think social media will continue to promote influencers. Being an online personality is not taken seriously and not considered a real job. However, more influencers will likely begin to rise and will work towards mainstream media and taken seriously. One notable influencer stepping into mainstream media is Liza Koshy, she recently was a guest at the Met Gala. It will be interesting to watch how long influencers stay relevant. Some influencers have lost the interest of their audience, and it will be interesting to see what life path they take after.
