Why Influencers Are Powerful

Anybody can be somebody on social media. Everyone can be a star on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, among others. But why are influencers so powerful?

An influencer is someone who causes a group of people to act on something. According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, an influencer is "a person who is able to generate interest in something (such as a consumer product) by posting about it on social media."

Some influencers produce engaging content for people. They are relevant and relatable. Since they have a wider audience, they greatly influence the public's opinion.

Celebrities are influencers. Some of the most notable social media influencers in the world are the following: Christiano Ronaldo, Justin Biber, Ariana Grande, Selena Gomez, Taylor Swift, Katy Perry, and Dwayne Johnson. The list goes on.

Here's a quick look at the top 10 influences across social media platforms, as of Wednesday, July 14.

Aside from celebrities, we have also seen netizens rising to fame over the years because of their content. Non-celebrity influencers include Lele Pons, Dr. Mike Varshavski, Bella Poarch, Bretman Rock, among others.

Influencers are sources of information. People also follow them because they are entertaining and engaging. These qualities make them powerful.

If you are on TikTok, you probably know Addison Rae. She has more than 80 million followers on that social media platform, making her one of its popular influencers.

Rae recently made headlines when she posted a photo of her holding the UFC microphone in front of the UFC's backdrop on her Twitter handle.

Read more about this story here.

She captioned the post saying: "I studied broadcast journalism in college for 3 whole months to prepare for this moment."

Tweeps immediately commented on the photos. Some did not agree with Rae getting a job at UFC, saying that she is not qualified, while others were supportive.

This is a perfect example of how powerful influencers are. When I read the caption again, I realized that she did not say that she got a job at the UFC. What she mentioned though was that she studied broadcast journalism for three months. What was not clear about her post was the "moment" that she was supposedly preparing for.

If she got a job at the UFC, good for her. The question should be pointed at the UFC. What was the company looking for? Why did they invite Rae? What will she be doing for UFC?

At the end of the day, she is a social media influencer. Organizations need influencers.

What is not okay is when she gets a journalism job at the UFC even if she only studied for three months in broadcast journalism. If that was true, it would be unfair to journalism graduates or journalists in general because we have journalists who are more qualified to do the job.

A day after netizens called her out for her post, she retweeted it with a caption: "nvm y'all got me fired."

It is still not clear what she meant by preparing for "this moment." Whatever that is, only she has the answers.

What about you? How powerful do you think influencers are? What are your thoughts on Rae's controversial Twitter post? Let me know in the comments section below.

Talk to you soon.

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P.S.

This post is part of my 30-day diary, an assignment for my Journalism in Public Life subject. All the embedded links and visuals are attributed. Feel free to leave your comment below or send me a private message if you have questions or clarifications. Thanks for dropping by.