English Version | Post-Doctoral Degree in Influencing

12 Oct 2023
By Esteban G Villanueva

The Fame Issue

In a world of Get Ready With Me videos and Morning Routines, who are we looking at for prescriptions in life and why?

When we’re sick, common sense dictates to seek medical attention. When our teeth hurt, the natural path is to search for a dentist. When we have a rash or an allergic reaction, the first responder would be a dermatologist. Or at least it should be, but most recently, it hasn’t been. Most recently, we’ve just been logging online. Whilst social media, streaming platforms and the overall world wide web have allowed for the globalization of the sphere and a connection amongst societies like never before, it has also allowed for DIYs to become a solution to everything and for professional advice to be replaced by a search engine that likes to change its logo daily. And while having access to information at the tip of our fingers is certainly something we should be grateful for and value properly, have we — inadvertently — shifted the dynamic of knowledge, confidence and most importantly, trust?

Like never before, society has seen the rise of the influencer as a pivotal and breaking character within our social and daily dynamic. Sure, in one way or another, influencers have always existed. From the royals to the aristocrats, the movie stars from abroad and the politicians in our offices — being influential has always been “a thing”. Nonetheless, nowadays being an influencer could and most likely is “the whole thing”. When broken down, the concept and luster behind being an influencer comes down to living an aspirational life people wish to obtain. Whether this is as a whole organic and integral life or just in certain areas of it, influencers are the current classical paintings of the baroque time, those who exaggeratedly celebrated human life, over and within the divine; or the ones from the rococo era, where the art depicted imagery that was completely removed from social reality with life being portrayed as aerie, free and solved, with no hardships or economic challenges. Perhaps that rings a bell?

That being said, there is nothing wrong with depicting a dream life, and even better, living it. At the same time, there’s no harm in being interested and invested, curious if you may, in how these modern reality stars live their day to day. How they get ready or their morning routine becomes prime entertainment and its consumption is more than just fine, it’s almost expected. The problem arises when the line between entertainment and guidance is crossed. Because there's nothing wrong with being interested and enjoying the view, but one must never forget that following its curiosity ended up killing the cat.

Now, what does one mean by curiosity and how could pressing a follow button lead up to our own demise? Well, it can't — technically speaking. But our actions could, if poorly made choices are made one after another. A big part of influencing in recent days has become the recommendation of products, items, routines and in general, lifestyles. The one with the dream house and special holiday collection of clothes, cars and appliances shares amongst their many followers the steps and key moments of their day in order to make their perfect-life perfect. The key products for taking an already flawless skin into a somehow perfect-er complexion. The secret steps for taking their already tousled hair into a more voluminous rendition of the same style. The must-have ingredients for a smoothie that allegedly detoxes or the calorie-conscious recipe they just developed. Whilst certainly entertaining, when did it become socially acceptable to take these renditions and modern multimedia versions of column articles and make them into actual medical prescriptions? When did the heartbroken New Yorker columnist become a therapist?

The line is fine and the line is delicate, as there is no harm in following product recommendations from someone we’ve bonded online with when it comes to how pigmented a new eyeshadow is or how pretty a new lipstick looks. But why do we stay attentive with open ears and an eager mind when the conversation steers to dietary recommendations, active chemical products, radical lifestyle changes and quite literally, potentially life-threatening matters?

Taking advice is not the issue, as taking advice from our best friend in real life is argumentatively as valid as it is from someone on the other side of the screen. Nonetheless, if our friend told us to completely change our way of life because they changed theirs, we’d most likely question them, reiterate the fact that we have different existences, different realities and most likely, different outcomes to the same formula. We do this in real life, yet we seem to fail to do it online, when the result from online can still and very much will affect real life. It all comes down to the overbearing and always-present “Terms and Conditions May Apply” clause that is intrinsically and spiritually linked to every advice and decision we decide to take on in our lives. Always, no matter what, special terms and conditions may apply, as our reality is never going to be the same as the one who is giving the advice. A well-understood and commonly-known matter in real life, when transferred online, drives people to ignore the clause and nonchalantly accept advice from someone who doesn’t even know we exist.

Now, this is when another character comes into play — the realist influencer. But before that, for the sake of understanding and inter-media bonds, here is where our own terms and conditions come into screen, as in no way does this article mean to deter or undermine social media influencers and their contribution to society, whatever that one each individual assumes and determines is. What it means to do is to reflect on the amount of trust and blind-following that we’ve collectively, as a society, given to people in these positions. Morally, one could argue they’re doing nothing wrong and no ill intention is behind their content creation and that would most likely hold in court — the issue comes when we as receivers don’t do our due diligence and take their word as law and holy answer.

But moving on — the realist is they who portrays “real life” through the screen. They who don’t abide by a filtered society and who swear that radical honesty is always the best policy. Through their content you’ll see them done, but also undone, with a full glam, but also with no makeup, happy, but also depressed. While this new era of influencing ushered a breath of fresh air, relatability and honesty into digital social circles, this still doesn’t entail that they who showcase their honest life have the knowledge or position to recommend — pass anything further than just a personal preference or taste — matters of life, physical and mental health. One wouldn’t go to the butcher for the best loaf of bread and while the kid of the chemist might know his way around the lab, the one who signs the formula has to be the actual scientist.

This is where the veil tears. This is where we bite the fruit of the forbidden tree and understand that perhaps, there was more to know than what God himself set within the four walls of the garden. Influencers, content creators and social media moguls will always have opinions — and that is great, applauded and needed — but they’re just that. Opinions. Opinions that are based on their personal experiences, personal knowledge and most importantly, personal life.

Look at it like the undupable dupe. Playing into one of the beauty industry’s current hot-terms, we’ve seen the net plagued with cheaper, more affordable versions of the hero products of the heritage brands. But not all that glitters is gold. Not one product will work the same in two different people, thus, not one product is really ever a full dupe for another one in the market. It might perform similarly, but one must always beware, as most of the time, dupe recommendations come from first impressions, personal experiences and in the best cases, a brief degree of research and detailing of the matter beyond the packaging. But in most cases, not.

Nonetheless, it’s not all dark when it comes to matters of influence, as there’s more characters in the game. Beyond entertaining, current days have seen the rise of profiles that share not only a passion of content creation and social mingling but that also are properly educated members of their fields and thus, stick to it when it comes to their recommendations. Doctors, dermatologists, nutritionists — aware of the power of influence have taken to their social channels to reach further audiences and share their own perspective and professional thoughts, always with their own terms and conditions in mind. Some call them experts, some call them key opinion leaders, some call them influencers with a day job.

At the end of the day, it’s not about not listening to the one that has the perfect house, hair and skin or being blatantly loyal and blindly following they who hold a degree and also a social following; rather it’s about fencing for ourselves and always questioning the grounds from where a recommendation was given and how it applies to one’s self. Not everyone with thousands of followers knows what they’re talking about, some might, others might not. Either way, it doesn’t matter how many zeros one’s account following might have, as it’s up to us to filter who we believe, who we trust and who’s going to be the one that prescribes our recipes for life. Most likely, it’s someone you’ll find in a medical center, not online in 15 second videos.

*Originally translated from The Fame Issue, published October 2023. Full credits and stories in the print issue.

Esteban G Villanueva By Esteban G Villanueva

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