The Other Side Of Being a Social Media Influencer — My Own Experience
Being in the spotlight is tough. Fame seems glamorous, but most people don’t know about its dark side. Whether you are a Hollywood celebrity or a billionaire, fame has its consequences. Similarly, the life of a social media influencer is no different.
A while back, I became a social media influencer on Instagram (For privacy reasons, I won’t share the profile details.). But I soon realized that it wasn’t always what I thought it should be. There’s another side to it, which is ugly and dark.
Today, I’m going to share my experience of becoming a social media influencer with you. So buckle up for some crazy insights.
The Other Side Of Becoming A Social Media Influencer
You Get Addicted To The number Of Likes And Impressions
As a human, craving attention is natural. However, being addicted to it is terrible.
For me, it was the number of likes and impressions on Instagram. It became almost a high for me to receive a ton of likes and impressions anytime I would make a new video or post.
As a content creator, I put a lot of effort into my craft. So if my post or video didn’t get the attention I thought it deserved, it became a source of disappointment for me. And sometimes, it was a genuinely depressing thing.
So my recommendation to every content creator just starting is: Instead of counting the number of likes, focus on the quality of your content, and stay positive.
As a Social Media Influencer You Have a Responsibility To Your Followers
Becoming a social media influencer is like becoming a leader. You have an audience; people who look up to you. So you have a responsibility on your shoulders to treat them with care.
People get emotionally connected with their leaders. However, one should not use this emotional connection to spread negativity and manipulate their followers into something.
I have seen this practice many times. People manipulate their followers into leaving nasty comments or reviews, bullying other people, or even lying or promoting terrible products to get them to give up their hard-earned money. That’s not even considering the truly repulsive ones who manipulate people in a romantic sense.
I have learned how to treat my followers the right way a long time ago, and I abide by it every day. But it can be shocking at times, thinking about how some people misuse this power.
You Will Receive Hate And Even Death Threats At Times
This aspect is one of the worst sides of becoming a social media influencer. The hate you receive impacts your self-esteem and self-worth in an awful way. And the reason behind this hate is: some people don’t like you.
It’s funny how some people use their keyboards as weapons. Most of them probably won’t say the same things in person as what they say online. But they don’t realize what condition they are putting the reader in as far as their mental state goes.
It’s almost unavoidable. Anytime you put yourself out there, there’s going to be people who disagree with you and leave negative comments. As you get bigger, this will only worsen. And there will even be those who will send you death threats simply because they may envy you or misunderstand you.
The same thing happened to Dr. Anthony Fauci recently, where he received death threats, and his daughters got harassed. The reason is again the same: they disagreed with his statements about Covid-19.
It’s imperative to be able to handle the hate and keep yourself centered in those situations.
It Can Be A Roller Coaster Ride For Those Who Rely On It As Their Main Source Of Income
Let’s be honest here. It’s the kind of job where some days you’ll get big brands approaching you. And some days, you’ll have to work without sponsors.
And sometimes, the platforms change their rules and regulations, and you get into more trouble. For example, YouTube will change their rules and cause someone to lose a ton of ad revenue. Facebook will update their guidelines, and all of a sudden, your organic reach for your posts drops. I have even seen people’s accounts get suspended indefinitely without warning or their channel demonetized.
Except for your hard work, you rely entirely on the platforms to decide your fate. The worse part is you cannot challenge them for dropping you (because you have agreed to their Terms of Service). It can be a huge gamble when you are becoming an influencer. Things can change fast and leave you broke if you aren’t careful.
My advice would be to always have your website with multiple income sources, such as Patreon or your membership offering. That way, you won’t entirely rely on social media as your primary source of income.
It Can Inflate Your Ego And Make You Feel Too Special For Your Good
It’s something that happens to almost every famous person. You become self-centered. Well, the reason is apparent: You are at the top level, and you get approval every day.
As you begin to amass a large following, it can quickly inflate your ego. You will start being bombarded by people who make you feel like you are unique. But the truth is that you are still a human being. You have to remain down-to-earth; otherwise, your ego will bring you down.
The tricky thing about being an influencer is learning to remain humble, even when everyone around you tells you all of these fantastic things about yourself.
Final Thoughts on being a Social Media Influencer
I have shared my experience of becoming a social media influencer on Instagram. It’s not always as easy as it seems from the outside.
You should use your platforms to spread positivity. You have a responsibility to help the people who follow and look up to you. And remember that reaching millions of people does not make you better than anyone else. Remain Humble.
So do you have a story about becoming a social media influencer? Or maybe you have something to share about being on the internet in general?
Be sure to tell me in the comments. I’d love to hear it.
