"real people"

social media influencers aren't real people

what i mean is, the ones on Snapchat and Instagram who call themselves "lifestyle influencers." they're wealthy, usually born into their money and not "self-made". and trust me when i say i'm doing the readers a favor by not derailing into a conversation about capitalism right now. but my point is, they're all rich, conventionally attractive, typically white, cishet people. here's why they're not real people:

they wake up early to go to yoga or the gym. they spend their days by the beach or the poolside. they're always traveling across various States or countries. they eat at fancy restaurants three times a day and attend exclusive events at night. they're always seen with an alcoholic drink in their hand come evening. they're self-proclaimed models or public figures. they have a blue checkmark on their Twitter account. they've likely never worked a shitty retail or food service job, if they've ever worked at all. they never were and never will be part of the working class.

they're spreading dangerous ideas to young, impressionable people. teens and twenty-somethings follow them to live vicariously through their posts, to have an infinitesimally fractionally small taste of the "good life." they sell makeup products, weight-loss pills, and cryptocurrencies. they're completely detached from the worries of regular folks. most importantly, they don't deserve to be idolized. they're mini-Kardashians and wannabe-Musks.

please don't take my criticism as jealousy. i'm not jealous in the, "i wish i had the power and influence they have," sort of way. i find it detestable that the average person isn't able to do half the things these influencers do without having to grind. and the working-class folks will end up nearly broke just trying.

do you think these micro-celebrities are going to suddenly go bankrupt if a major medical emergency happens? not only do they probably have incredible insurance, but they could likely pay their hospital bills out of pocket. yet they're still going to conjure up a GoFundMe when they run into anything that could cut into their massive vacation budgets. their fans will pour tens of thousands into them for being pretty and privileged. don't believe me? find one of these influencers and click on their linktree. they're likely charging obscene amounts for their Patreon or OnlyFans account subscriptions. in some cases you can even see how much they make a month off of these kinds of sites. it's worse than a pyramid scheme, because there's not even the miniscule chance that the buyers will get any sort of kick-back. the influencers are sponsored by niche brands and marketing their toxic positivity to vulnerable people. "you'll be happier if you have more money, look as pretty as i do, and travel as much as i do."

it's extremely dangerous to worship the rich. don't let some pretty face on the Internet sell you insecurity. you'll begin to believe you're not wealthy enough, not attractive enough, not cultured enough, not good enough, because you don't live like they do. you have more in common with an unhoused veteran than you ever will with a social media influencer. and you're closer to becoming homeless than to striking it rich.

escape the grind. focus on the people in your life. build communities. read a book.

but do yourself a favor and stop buying in to influencer culture. it could save your life.