Casmin Bui Week 12: Just Post It
Living in the era of technology, we’ve all heard about the pros and cons of social media. Even though it does promote self expression and communication on an accessible platform, new aspects such as anonymity and fear mongering seem to also become a rising issue in the media… and so on and so on. It seems redundant at this point, but perhaps what the adults are telling us does not accurately evaluate the extent of social media in influencing the youth. Social media’s influence is so prevalent, and sometimes we don’t realize how truly powerful it can be, whether good or bad.
A lot of the stories of how people become viral are the same. One night, you were debating whether to hit the big red button written “post” on a random video you made for fun. Well, it didn’t really matter anyways, you told yourself. You post it anyways, ignorant of how people would react because it’s just one small post, right? The next night, your phone is flooded with messages and likes. That sounds like a cool story to tell. But the viewer's response may differ. That’s what life is for almost all of the influencers I know on social media.
For highly known figures in media such as influencers, the power that comes to these roles is not being talked about enough. Imagine posting a 10 second video about anything, and at the press of a button the post is already sent to thousands of screens worldwide. Even though these posts are usually tame like silly seals dancing, these posts can become extremely powerful once they are manipulated in different ways.
Being an influencer comes with certain responsibilities that I think more and more influencers are continuing to ignore. Some don’t truly understand the reach they have, and when they just decide to post negative or diminishing content, these can greatly affect the mindset of developing individuals such as teens and younger people. Not to downplay any of her content, but Clara Dao has recently received a lot of backlash for getting plastic surgery on her breasts after she was one of the only few influencers who embraced being flat chested. Even though I understand both sides of the argument to a certain extent, I agree that Clara should have recognized her responsibility as a body positivity creator who created a community and impact in uplifting the youth. Even though plastic surgery is her decision, she should have acknowledged a valid reason for doing such an impulsive decision, because now the people who were once motivated by her content now question their own bodies. The one creator that had promoted body positivity for 3 years eventually also fell to societal standards, so was her entire career just a fake?
Trends don’t only just apply on a screen. Slang such as “flowkirkenuinely” and “67” go viral so fast that it’s practically in an instant where everyone starts to hear about it and use it 24/7. Do you remember when the term “67” was hated on and was considered cringe? Nowadays even though it has died down, many of us still used these terms for a long time because they were considered not necessarily “cool,” but more as a joke because it had such a cringey connotation. For me, the switch was insanely fast. I remember when that term started to become the most used word in my classes in the span of a week.
No matter the content, influencers today have such a wide influence on teens. If any of us go viral sometime, I hope that we can understand the true influence we have on a little kid’s screen.
I absolutely agree with your view on social media and being an influencer. While influencers are trying to be as real and relatable as possible nowadays, I feel like the content is curated to a very specific audience and tries to send a very specific message. As an influencer, they need to be aware of the message they are trying to send through their videos and how much of an impact their choices end up having on their followers, no matter how popular they are. As they get more and more popular, they have a bigger and bigger impact, and it's important for them to understand that. I remember watching Clara Dao's videos and thinking, "That's really cool of her and I respect her for it." But a couple years later, once she got plastic surgery on her breasts, I couldn't help but think, "Why?" She had sent this message to all of her followers, many of whom might have related to her before, and then suddenly went against it. She got rid of one of the things or ideas that she was known for, and completely shifted the genre of her content. As a result, she lost a lot of her followers, as well as her message. How would this have affected her viewers? As you mention Dao fell to societal standards herself, so would her previous message really have had any lasting impact? Honestly, it's just more proof of how harsh body standards are. Although we don't know the exact reason why she decided to do what she did, people easily believe what they see online, and body standards are no different.
ReplyDeleteHi Casmin! I totally agree that social media and influencers have a huge power on teens. Reading your blog, especially the paragraph about how ten second videos can be powerful when manipulated, reminded me of the Netflix documentary The Social Dilemma. In the documentary they talk about how social media platforms use algorithms to manipulate the viewers. This power the algorithms have is just another layer in the complexities of social media on teens that you pointed out in your blogs.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I haven’t seen any of Clara Dao’s videos, or if I have I don’t remember, I can also understand where the backlash is coming from. For those who looked up to her as an inspiration they must have felt betrayed and, like you said, started viewing their body differently. I hope that with our generation growing up with social media and seeing the impact it has on the young audience, the influencers of our generation will be a lot more informed and considerate when it comes to the power they will have over little kids screens.
Hi Casmin! I love your title very much and the fact that it is a bit contradictory with the message you share. This perspective helps improve my understanding about influencers very much. I always assumed that if you became viral and are being “flooded with views and likes,” this is completely a good thing. However, I never thought about the “viewer response” and how they may “differ” compared to the likes. Only now, I realize that the poster may not obtain positivity and the video may even foster negative engagement. I wholeheartedly agree about the power that “highly known figures in media” have especially when they start utilizing it for brand deals or business opportunities. However, I disagree with your opinion on Clara Dao. It is like you mention “plastic surgery is her decision.” While fans might be upset, at the end of the day, it is her body and she can do what she wants as an adult. There does not need to be a “valid reason” because it is her choice and she does not really owe any explanation to her fans. But, of course, if she does take a drastic decision like this without much explanation, she should also be ready to accept the consequences online. I think that is what makes our freedom of expression so great because of how we all can have any opinion we want. Overall, I really enjoyed this piece and how it reminds the audience of the importance of social media in an ever increasing digital world.
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