Millions of followers, free stuff, and the idea of growing to become a recognized celebrity are what drive many people to become influencers. The glitz and glamor of it all seem enticing, but the reality of what goes on in the background to reach influencer status is something that isn’t as widely popularized and well-known. Many are lulled into wanting to become an influencer as a legitimate career, but the majority have no idea what it takes to get there.
The Kids Want To Be Influencers
This will definitely age me, but when I was growing up, there was no way that I could ever hope to become a social media manager. Social media didn’t exist yet. The internet existed, but the widely viewed and popularized concept of making money off of the internet wasn’t in the realm of reality. There was also no way for me to dream of one day becoming a social media influencer until after I had already gone to college and had chosen my career. Blogging was a thing that I did and still participate in, and adults did create careers from blogging. However, the next generation, Gen Z, has grown up with the possibility to aspire to become an influencer.
About 86 percent of people ages 13 to 38 are willing to try out influencing, according to a survey from Morning Consult. Around 12 percent of those surveyed currently consider themselves to be influencers. What’s most interesting is that over one in four Gen Z surveyed actually plan to become social media influencers, with 16 percent even claiming that they would pay to become one, according to a Higher Visibility survey.
The idea of gaining followers, traveling and holidays, and being a “celebrity” has enticed many into wanting the career. The likes of Charli D’Amelio, MR BEAST, Emma Chamberlain, Markiplier, Addison Rae, Kim Kardashian, CoryxKenshin, Jake Paul, and Kylie Jenner has–well influenced young people to want to become an influencer. Striving for that may not always be the best thing for anyone to do for their mental health and well-being, but the job, when held with morals and responsibility in mind, shouldn’t be demonized as a whole. I believe the problem comes from just wanting to be an influencer without direction and purpose.
The Best Way To Become An Influencer
Life is full of passion and purpose. You will most likely find a passion for life after you focus on purposeful thoughts and actions. Finding meaning and approaching life with the mission to improve the world around you is how you find “your thing.” Wanting to become an influencer just to become an influencer can definitely be achieved, but when you approach life with a purpose, you tend to fall into the role of an influencer without even knowing.
I’m in no way a social media influencer, and I most likely never will be an extremely popular social media influencer because I know I wouldn’t do well with actual fame. I’m just a writer on the internet that likes art, nature, and occasionally sharing vegan cooking recipes with people I have met in real life who have asked me to share them. I liked these things and continue posting online (mostly) for free because I actually enjoy doing it and love how I can express and share my creativity with others. However, I can say that posting online and creating content comes easiest when you enjoy what you are doing and have something to say.
I became motivated to share all of my crazy projects online because they are all things that I genuinely wanted to try and feel just go to waste if I don’t share with my friends and family. I do post things publicly, and a handful of other people occasionally look at what I’m doing, but the posting never was and never will be for them. It’s for me.
I’ve interviewed a lot of talented artists and musicians for a while and found that they had said similar things about creating good art and impactful and meaningful content. They created what they wanted to create and did it all for themselves, and worked really hard at it. They put effort and thought behind their passion and created art that was meaningful to others as well. The artists and creators that last are the ones that have that drive behind the passion in order to keep going. Posting fashion content just because you want free clothes can work for a while, especially if you can pay your way to do so. However, those who share their love of design and creativity through the medium of fashion tend to have an easier time becoming fashion influencers because the passion is there.
I’m aware that this blog post did not give all of the steps on how to become an influencer, but I hope it does help guide you into the right mindset for discovering direction and your personal meaning behind becoming one. A large portion of becoming an influencer is knowing what you want to say and figuring out how to share that with others. Becoming an influencer becomes more attainable when you are driven by passion and want to share that passion with your community.