Social Media Star or Professional Inspirationalist

Social Media Star or Professional Inspirationalist??

Getting paid to post on social media? There are many social media stars that are getting paid to post on a specific platform. Whether it be YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, etc. But how many of these people are doing this to actually inspire people, rather than just doing it for the money.

So, in order for a social media celebrity to become just that, they have to be posting content that people want to see. Something that is either entertaining or relatable. We all follow that one person who likes to do the same things that we do, or is able to do something that we may not be able to do. Like travel the world or be insanely into fitness and a healthy lifestyle. While there is all this that draws attention, how much of it is actually “real”? Now, when I say real, I don’t mean that the pictures of them by the Eifel Tower or on a beach with crystal clear water are fake. I mean how many of these posts are real with what that person is feeling. Are they including just the good and shiny parts of their life just to keep and gain followers? Or are they getting in touch with their feelings and sharing that with their followers?

For example, we look at a post from Rachel Brathen, also known as yoga_girl on Instagram.

In this post, she is mourning the death of one of her good friends. As she goes through this tough time, she continues to post her real and raw emotions. This ultimately causes her to lose followers.

This makes me think. As followers, do we only want to get on social media to avoid the real-world problems that we may have? Is it a virtual escape from some bad emotions or feelings that we may be going through? Although this may be the case for some of us, these negative emotions could serve as some inspiration. As yoga_girl was going through this, her followers were able to show her love and support and show them that these celebrities don’t live these picture perfect, fantasy lives. We are able to connect with them and see ourselves almost as equal to them. Thus, finding the motivation to push through any hard times that they may be going through.

Now I want to use a video game streamer named Ninja as an example. Ninja is known for making thousands of dollars every month for streaming a newly popular game called Fortnite. He is one of the most popular streamers on Twitch with millions of subscribers. Now, being that he is so widely known for his entertainment, he is able to use this to help some of his subscribers in during hard times. Below is the link to a clip from one of his streams where he talks to a viewer about depression. Even though it isnt a long and deep piece of advice, it is something that can provide some inspiration to that particular viewer, as well as any others who may be battling depression.

https://twitter.com/Ninja/status/983368409017614336

With that, I believe that there are some social media celebrities who are more into inspiring their followers than just getting paid to post, like yoga_girl. And as for people like Ninja, there are ways for these stars to use their fame as a pedestal to inspire and influence others.