How To Live With Them, Or Live Without

“Influencer”– it’s a word we didn’t even know until a few years ago. Today, they are everywhere, like the word. In every industry and at all levels, there are “influencers.” So help us, God.

Most of us found them interesting when they first appeared, but now they are quickly fading in status. Do they have a place in our fossil-fueled culture, or should we ignore them?

The answer isn’t a yes or no, but rather, hmmm. Some influencers are very good and fair in their mission, while others truly are a waste of time. How to spot the ones to follow and who to drop is an individual task, and it is difficult to generalize.

We suggest leaving it up to the influencers themselves to prove their worth. If they deliver relevant and usable information or make you smile when watching their entertaining productions – great, then they may have passed your test. If they don’t – drop them and go work on your machine or spend time with family and friends.

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A Question For Generations

Admittedly, I am old-ish and know I might be stirring things up here, especially among younger generations, but I would really like to know what you think and if I am wrong in my criticism. Please, express your sentiment in a comment below, – and next time the beer is on me. MB

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What motivates influencers?
It is not an easy task being an influencer building a following. Of course, it all depends on your level of ambition and motivation. If the end goal is to make a living, you are looking at several years of hard work. If, on the other hand, your purpose is to spread relevant content to a dedicated group of followers, your task is a little easier. But in any event, succeeding as an influencer takes relevant knowledge and committed work.

For many, however, setting sail as an influencer is motivated by a combination of several factors. Earnings, social status, free stuff, passion for the topic, and the pleasure from generating the material. The case for some influencers is chasing fame and becoming stars. This is prevalent in the photo & video field, but sometimes spills over in other areas, like motorcycle riding. Building a studio, installing lighting, reversing your baseball cap, dressing the part… all the steps of becoming a YouTube star. Sure, image, good sound, and a nice picture make for a greater viewing experience, but too much isn’t always a good thing.

Playing the YouTube game requires frequent posts, and while you know a lot about motorcycles, at some point you run out of material to post. At that point, it would be better to take a break, instead of becoming “an expert” on fields where your expertise clearly is skating on thin ice.

Algorithms and Click Bait

Clearly, if money was taken out of the equation, most influencers would probably disappear in weeks or months. Just a few with valuable knowledge would remain, and some might even start a business. They would sell books, videos, and offer courses through their own businesses. They would pay taxes, and in extreme cases, generate work for more than themselves.

The way it works at the moment, the thousands of influencers do not run it as a business, but as a hobby with a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. We have read about a few that have arrived at the gold-filled pot, but at what price? In far too many cases, they resort to prostitution.

Earning a few bucks for gas and a burger, even this requires befriending the all-mighty algorithm. This is why almost all YouTube content includes the creator begging for “clicks”, “likes”, and to “watch this video to the end”. Even those with millions of followers do it, which ought to tell us something.

And, as the number of influencers grows, the requirements for scoring cash are getting tougher – say hello to clickbait – how to lure viewers into watching your uploads. It can be done with smart graphics, but easier and quite obvious to spot, is the 20-minute video of someone riding without drama through fields on a sunny day, with the bold caption: “I ALMOST DIED.” (No, you did not.)
Every time you should resist clicking on the video, because such headlines are designed to satisfy the starving algorithm.

Some influencers live up to every stereotype imaginable – but don´t let that fool you. Motorcycle riders are cool cats, but it is what they say and do that separates the cats from the posers.

Just Be Critical

By not playing dead, but using our best judgement, there´s a chance we can contribute to a slow change and be rewarded by better content in the future. This is also a hidden message to manufacturers, to be critical and help increase the standard of reviews and “unboxings”.

Social Media without product marketing is an impossible goal. All SoMe platforms are born in the US, where money is God. Brands sell products and make money on social media – and with printed magazines and glossy ads soon being extinct, social media is the only game in town.

What we ask for is a clear distinction between marketing and editorial content. Some things we can spot by being critical, but this does not apply to everything. The way we experience it now is everything mixed into a smoothie that doesn’t taste of neither foul nor fish.

How about if the influencers themselves take an initiative and start labeling their productions? That would mean a lot to everybody’s credibility.