by Dr Ajaz Afzal Lone
Social influencers play a pivotal role in shaping cultural norms and trends. However, those lacking sufficient education may lack expertise in certain areas, potentially leading to the spread of misinformation or the endorsement of unfounded beliefs.
Social Media Influencers, including content creators, gamers, and vloggers, hold significant sway in today’s media landscape. Their reach extends beyond entertainment to areas like education and business, challenging traditional communication methods. Social Media Influencers contribute to brand authority and reputation, but their influence raises both advantages and concerns.
Benefits
Cultural Transformation: Social influencers wield the power to reshape cultural norms and values, introducing novel ideas, lifestyles, and trends. This dynamic can either challenge or reinforce existing practices in societies deemed as less progressive. Influencers play a pivotal role in moulding consumer behaviour, thereby impacting local economies. Their promotion of products, lifestyles, or businesses has tangible effects on the economic fabric of a society.
Education and Awareness: Social influencers in less progressive societies have a complex impact, offering positive change and awareness but facing challenges like economic disparities. Balancing benefits and risks requires a nuanced understanding and responsible use of influence for societal development. Influencers can use their platforms for education and awareness on crucial issues, collaborating with institutions to enhance learning experiences and providing insights into effective studying and stress management, fostering positive societal changes.
Business and Marketing: Businesses are increasingly capitalizing on Social Media Influencers (SMIs) to foster brand growth and expand their reach. Termed as influencer marketing, this strategic approach involves utilizing SMIs to promote products or brands. Integrating influencers into marketing initiatives generates enthusiasm around the brand and boosts website traffic. Furthermore, influencers amplify the buzz surrounding the business, potentially enhancing brand recall among consumers for months. Engaging influencers to showcase a brand to their audience opens up new consumer segments, extending the reach and garnering attention for offerings at a fraction of traditional advertising costs.
Concerns
While the advantages of utilizing social media are substantial, there are notable areas of concern, particularly in matters of privacy and security. One misrepresentation or false piece of information disseminated through an individual’s social media posting can have adverse societal consequences. Key concerns include:
Uneducated Social Influencers: Social influencers play a pivotal role in shaping cultural norms and trends. However, those lacking sufficient education may lack expertise in certain areas, potentially leading to the spread of misinformation or the endorsement of unfounded beliefs. This dissemination of inaccurate information among followers can inadvertently contribute to societal harm, reinforcing stereotypes or negative behaviours. Some influencers, focusing excessively on material possessions and luxurious lifestyles, may contribute to a culture of consumerism and materialism. This encouragement to prioritize material goods and instant gratification over meaningful experiences or personal growth can have societal implications. Additionally, influencers’ political impact is considerable, as their opinions and endorsements can significantly influence public sentiment.
Cultural Imperialism: While social media acts as a connectivity source for intercultural activities, its predominant influence often flows forcefully from economically powerful nations to developing ones. The overlap of cultures across borders gives rise to virtual communities, predominantly composed of homogenous participants. This phenomenon reinforces the dominance of foreign societies over pre-existing cultures. The influence of more developed societies, particularly Western cultures, may lead to cultural imperialism, overshadowing and eroding local traditions and practices. This dynamic, facilitated by social media’s provision of intimacy and engagement irrespective of space and time, results in unclear and unfolding hybrid identities.
Lack of Accountability: Uneducated influencers may not fully grasp the consequences of their actions or the power they wield over their followers. This lack of awareness can lead to a deficiency in accountability for the content they produce and its potential impact on society. Influencers might not face substantial repercussions for endorsing products or services that prove detrimental or ineffective. This underscores the importance of promoting critical thinking skills, media literacy, and responsible use of social media in society, emphasizing the need for consumers to be discerning about the content they consume and engage with reliable sources.
Lack of Authenticity: Some influencers may endorse products insincerely, resulting in inauthentic content and a loss of trust with their audience. Exaggeration of product benefits or making false claims to boost sales can mislead and potentially harm their audience.
Legal Regulation: The Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) upholds its Code for Self-Regulation to ensure advertisements align with legal, decent, honest, truthful, and hazard-free standards while promoting fair competition. Guided by the Consumer Protection Act, of 2019, influencers are mandated to disclose promotional content. Non-compliance with these guidelines may incur penalties, aligning with the commitment to regulate advertisement content without hindering the sale of potentially offensive products, as long as the advertisements themselves remain non-offensive.
Conclusion
Social media platforms, driven by algorithms that prioritize engagement and sensationalism, wield substantial influence in amplifying misinformation. This poses a challenge for influencers and users alike in discerning between reliable and false information. Effectively tackling this issue requires a collective responsibility shared among influencers, social media platforms, and users.
Crucially, it falls upon young individuals to recognize potential drawbacks associated with social media influencers and make informed choices about the content they engage with and the products they endorse. In tandem, parents, educators, and policymakers play a pivotal role in actively fostering critical thinking skills and encouraging responsible consumption habits among the youth. This collaborative effort is essential to navigating the evolving landscape of social media and mitigating the impact of misinformation on society.
(The author is currently working as an Assistant Professor at the University Institute of Legal Studies, Chandigarh University. Ideas are personal.)
