29) the unswayed

April Awakening: Day Twenty-Nine ☔️☔️☔️

Just who in the hell are all these so-called “influencers” influencing? I see new ones pop up every single day. My news feeds are flush with stories about how an “influencer” got shamed on a plane, or someone becomes an unlikely “style influencer” because they dress nice, or how a “momfluencer” lied about someone trying to kidnap her kids. That’s not to mention every single day I see another story about that guy pretending to be a woman come across my feed. Surely we’re not that starved for guidance that we need an unrelated person to show us the way? Would these people still be “influencers” if they didn’t post online? If a tree falls on an “influencer” and they don’t snap a selfie, did it really even happen?

I come from the days of YouTube notoriety when we all watched the first channel to pass one million subscribers. It was a novelty. Now, it’s absolutely nothing for a TikToker to accumulate a couple million after a few months of virality. It’s something that’s entirely passing me by, and by no means a desirable option for myself. I just want to understand it all. I want to know what makes someone so intriguing to where they can actually generate a living by doing so. I just don’t get it. It’s all a game of who sells themselves the best, and my star power seems too lackluster to really shine.

I guess I’m just too cynical for this internet world we’re in. Anyone can shoot to fame based on things I don’t even believe are that noteworthy, but then again, who cares what I think? I don’t dictate what’s popular, and I don’t really understand who does. It may be high time for me to take a break from my favorite sites again, as I’m getting tired of the “I’m a (blank) influencer, here’s why I think (blank)” articles overrunning my feed. Maybe that will make way for a world where outside validation is a side effect, not a goal. I can hope for my own version of influence which doesn’t involve turning myself into the product. Been there, done that, onto the next incarnation of life, where we influence responsibly this time. Who knows. Maybe this idea will catch on too.

Words yesterday: not enough. All I did Friday was sleep. I’m working on finishing yesterday’s and today’s right now.