Beyond Diaries

It’s been a while since I left Instagram for good! Trust me, it feels better and healthier. Not that I was addicted to it but the eerie feeling of seeing so-called influencers giving rampant advice left me feeling angry and dissociated with social media.

This blog is coming from a personal experience and in no way is advice to anyone reading through it (of course I would love to see people detach from so-called influencers and build a thinking of their own). I clearly remember social media taking over the lives of some of my close friends/family members almost a decade ago when I was studying bachelor’s (yes, I am old). Over the years, reels and shorts have become a major part of our lives because guess what, it provides a quick entertaining video that does not require reading or watching for more than 2 hours. How easy can life be?

Well, this technology has put our cognition at stake, and trust me, it is not good! Although you get the pleasure of seeing nice cat or dog videos for 30 seconds it really bothers your concentration and the ability to focus on a task for a long time. To add to the misery, you won’t even learn anything from those videos. Okay, I get it, you want to spend some time relaxing by watching those cute videos of dogs dancing or that lady describing some makeup product, but at what cost? The so-called leisure time that was supposed to last only a few minutes has now turned into a daily ritual of about 2-3 hours. And boom, that’s what it wanted! To seep into your brain and take control of it.

Tell me honestly, is this what someone would want out of life? To spend time endlessly scrolling through social media and in the end gaining nothing but spending a ton of money buying products that you would never use? Yes, that’s very much true. That’s another disadvantage of social media. You get to spend a lot on products advertised by the influencers (that they would not even use once – but money is valuable) without even doing research by yourself. The result- you are sometimes broke at the end of the month and then cry on your couch regretting all the products that you bought. The cycle repeats and you never learn. I might sound like an old granny teaching their kids what life is but that’s the sad truth. We have become so absorbed in technology that we hardly use our brains to do meaningful things like reading or writing or anything else that brings out the creativity in us. This again has a consequence on how we feel about ourselves – do we feel empowered or do we feel like a failure? That’s on you to think.

Having said that, I am putting down certain points that we all can look into before following that next influencer (my favorite type being – skincare influencers! That’s sarcasm)

1. Expertise and education: I would certainly check before following a skincare influencer if they have the necessary skills or education to talk about skin and what products to use when you have acne or melasma. Now, this might sound horrifying but most of the skin care experts out there would not even know the pathophysiology of many of the conditions they talk about so easily (I have talked to one such expert and busted her). When it comes to skin or hair I would never take it from anyone but a dermatologist. They have studied human biology and diseases for over a decade, can anyone beat the level of knowledge they harbor? Do you really think that girl/guy out there on reels with a formal background in Information Technology has the right tools or expertise to guide you on what cream to use for acne? The root cause of acne could be anything and we are not the ones to make a diagnosis but a qualified dermatologist is. Take my word for it and you’ll be happier financially and mentally. In my experience, most of the so-called skin care experts are in paid partnerships with brands and all they want is money. Therefore, there is very little chance that a product they advertise would really have any effect on your skin. Hence, think wisely before you hit “add to cart” based on their recommendation. Do your research and take medical advice from a trusted professional before using any product for a skin condition.
2. Commercial bias: My previous point already covers this but it is a white truth that many influencers benefit from the products they promote. These products may not even prove to be beneficial for the larger audience that follows them, yet huge paychecks make them do it. For instance, a financial advisor with no formal education in finance advising to start using an investment app is a red flag. I would never trust anyone for financial advice except for someone with a formal education in finance and years of experience in the domain. Similarly, influencers promoting certain wellness brands or supplements usually have no formal education on nutrition and yet they are here. I would again be very careful with this and avoid following such people.
3. Unrealistic lifestyle: Sure, being an influencer might give someone a fair amount of money but I would not get fooled with those aspects. People usually put their best days on social media which leads to unrealistic expectations rising among the audiences. Let’s get one thing straight here – making money is not easy until and unless you have generational wealth. I would rather wait for my money to grow than go through a shortcut to create money. Most of the influencers surely do have a luxurious lifestyle but they are still not wealthy. There is a thin line between having money and being wealthy. Of course, there is no harm in buying the things that you desire but I would also save up or invest for rainy days.

I would love to keep on writing because I really care about people and wish to bring positive change in society. The intent of this post is to share my feelings about the rising industry of influencers and how it can negatively affect us into spending more and thinking less. If I were you, I would revisit the people I am following on social media and try to analyze the effect they have had on me in the past few years or months. If they have led me to believe that a luxury lifestyle is all that we need, I would just unfollow them and move on.

A genuine influencer would try to help their audience by making them grateful for each day and not setting up unrealistic expectations. A genuine influencer would also try to guide people on the correct path with the education and expertise they have. A genuine influencer would not fool you into buying things and would do legitimate research before advertising any product. Lastly, a genuine influencer would make you feel one with them and not below them.

I hope this post inspires you to think critically and lead a better life by watching the right kind of people. If you would like to have a further reading on such topics, here is a LinkedIn article that I found useful. Thanks for reading through!