Don’t be that guy who does something stupid he saw from an influencer and who ends up in the hospital because he wanted to be a cool copycat.
Influencers have found their way into the hearts of many admirers and have impacted us in various ways. Without thinking twice, we take their thoughts on matters to heart and agree with their viewpoints. Unfortunately, we have also found ourselves trying to mimic their lifestyles. The online copycat syndrome is contagious, and all you need to do to see that I am right is check the Instagram reels and their reel audios. It is popular to be the same even though we all want to be individualistic. In the end, where do you draw the line between what is right for you to do and what everyone else is copying or agreeing to for recognition or to feel like they are a part of someone’s online “tribe”?
An example of how influencers can influence is the online challenges that are so popular on TikTok and Instagram. The general assumption is that people copy challenges to get noticed and get likes and more followers. An example would be the milk crate challenge in 2021, where people got physically hurt from running up and over unstable milk crates. What was the point of the challenge, and what was the gain of it? People laughed at people who fell and got hurt from trying this. We find pleasure in the pain of others for entertainment, and even worse, we are willing to risk getting hurt for that attention and recognition.
Would so many people have participated in the virtual crowds were not there? We want to be seen and heard for things we would not normally do. We need to learn to set aside the unrealistic expectations we have for ourselves to gain instant fame and recognition for doing something that can genuinely harm us. But it would be best if you decided your dos and don’ts.
So whether it is hearing advice and opinions or seeing challenges, you need to make the time to find out if what they say is true, valid and aligns with your morals and values; and if it is worth copying what they are doing.
Life can be tough most times. It helps to get sage advice and upliftment from an influencer online, especially if you can apply that to your life and see the benefits of following it. You need to remember that God gave you a mind of your own, and you are capable of exploring and finding solutions for yourself. You are allowed to make mistakes and learn from them.
When it comes to challenges, I’m all for doing fun stuff that brings you joy and happiness and if you can bring a smile to others’ faces, great! There are plenty of no-sense-making activities you can do that you can be a part of, like the dance challenges. You don’t have to be a good dancer to dance. It is clean fun that does not risk your body or life. You can get creative and start challenges that can uplift you and your followers on social media. Fun doesn’t always make sense. It makes us happy and lightens our hearts and minds, so be that. Be the light.
When you watch all the stuff people get up to online, it’s easy to forget that you, too, influence your sphere. You are a valued member of this human tribe, and you can share the beauty of who you are by sharing your unique creativity with others. Some might not recognise you as an official content creator or influencer, but you are all that and more to the people who love and appreciate you.
Join Given and Charl to learn more about what to look out for when you follow influencers online and where to draw the line on their impact on you. For tech news and opinions tune in for Tech Talk daily at 12 pm and find all our podcasts on iono.fm.
I Am Youth web radio is the go-to platform for today’s young adults. Our team of young, charismatic influencers is based in South Africa. We produce high-quality content on TikTok social media and YouTube. Our primary goal is to infiltrate the spaces that young people already occupy.
