Should influencers and brands speak out on political or social issues?
Mateo de Obeso is a high school junior in San Antonio. In this article, he will consider both sides:
Social media has come a long way since its beginnings in the mid-2000s. We went from funny cat videos to a place where people could freely share their views on many political and social issues. But who’s the new generation going for this type of advice? Is it the mainstream channel news? Or maybe even the local news? No, people are looking at their favourite brands and influencers for political advice. We then set the question of, should content creators and brands even speak about these types of issues? While it is true that influencers are free to express their opinions, they shouldn’t be seen as reliable sources for social and political guidance.
Why do we trust influencers? For many of us, influencers seem as much more honest people than your average politician. They often share things like what they eat, what they do throughout the day and most importantly, how they feel about certain issues. Research shows that 71% of consumers trust influencer content. On top of that, people now see traditional media outlets as outdated or even hard to understand, that's why people now go to places like social media for breakdowns on bigger social or political issues.
Why Influencers Aren’t the Best Source for Political Advice While influencers are great at connecting with people, that doesn't automatically make them a reliable source for these big topics. We often forget these public figures are people just like us, that one way or another, got thrown into the spotlight. We shouldn’t expect them to share their thoughts on some of these topics just because they have a platform and we should instead leave that job to people who are more educated on the topics at hand. That said, even though they don’t have a responsibility to educate us on these issues, content creators should also feel free to share their opinions if they choose to. At the end of the day, they have the right to share their thoughts on their platform without public backlash or repercussions.
The Risks of Relying on Influencers for Politics Influencers can reach countless people almost immediately and their words travel way quicker than the mainstream media. This is great if it is for entertainment or a product review, but risky when the topic is political. Social media videos are usually made to entertain and not for explanations of difficult topics. If an influencer shares even a little bit of inaccurate information, the fact is it will probably reach countless people before fact-checks and corrections arrive. This is not always a deliberate action, creators might genuinely believe what they're sharing, but the speed and scale of social media mean that a small misunderstanding can evolve into a great misunderstanding.
Conclusion Social media has changed the way people get information, and now the voice of anyone can be heard by millions of people. Influencers capitalize on this and are quick to start conversations and make engaging content, often with their opinion, that's why even though they are free to express their opinions, they shouldn’t be looked upon for social and political advice.
