Social Media

Social Media Influencers

The internet is making fame more accessible, here’s an explanation for it:

Social media influencers are individuals with a significant presence on the Internet. They have a significant number of followers, ranging from thousands to millions. Some local social media influencers are Melissa Celestine Koh, Christabel Chua (BellyWellyJelly) and Jian Hao Tan (The JIANHAOTAN & Co).

There is a wide spectrum of work that these social media personalities can be involved in. Some gained online recognition through their YouTube Channel with their videos on makeup tutorials, or fitness and health. Others, like Jian Hao Tan, specialise in comedy sketches and gaming.

To tap on their significant presence online, companies sponsor these influencers their products or services, so they may “influence” the market and bring heightened exposure through their social media accounts.

On YouTube, influence is measured by the number of subscribers an account has. Apart from this, it is also important for a Youtuber to have consistency in the average viewing rate for each video. This is crucial for those whose social media career is solely dependent on YouTube. The number of views per video will determine one’s income for the month. Also, if the YouTuber does not upload regularly, their influence may wane over time and result in less content views and subscribers.

On Instagram, influence is measured by the number of followers one has. Like YouTube, Instagram is a very competitive platform. There is a constant pressure to be different and outstanding from the rest. Instagrammers are also on a race to post the most creative, the most beautiful and the most enviable photos, in order to garner more likes.

However, the disturbing trend is that many will do anything it takes to make stardom happen, going as far as posting suggestive pictures of themselves to get more likes on Instagram, or even posting controversial content – all in the hopes of attracting more attention.

It is important for individuals, especially youths, to know why they want become a social media influencer. Their intentions would shape the kind of content or image they want to portray. If taken to the extreme, they might resort to costly and undignified ways to boost their self-esteem.