BEWARE OF SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCERS

 

 

I am sure you must have come across this recent species in the social media. They are called influencers. They are experts in everything. They know how to make quick money, how to cook the best dinner, which restaurant to go to, which foreign locale to visit, which property to rent or purchase, which dress will look best on you, which spectacle frame, lip shade and eyeliner will make you look like a wow, which stock to buy and even which man or woman to marry! I really envy their confidence, though not their knowledge. 

 

Facebook has stock market gurus growing all over it like rashes. The only problem is that they can be allergic rashes which can leave you poor and shattered if you go by their financial acumen to pick stocks. Why are they not getting rich themselves and so selflessly want me to get rich, I often wonder!

 

They get their traffic by identifying the most vulnerable soft spot of their target audience. Teenagers already suffering from body dysmorphia may fall deeper into Chiborg and other rabbit holes, becoming critically desperate to look a certain way. I don't mind a wonder cook advising how to cook the best Rajasthani Lal Mans, because the worst case scenario is even the street dogs will refuse your generous hospitality that day, but the guy who is peddling magic cure of diabetes or hypertension can wean you out of your physician's prescribed drugs and kill you!

 

Influencers can very easily indulge in disguised motivation for pitching a diet supplement or a real estate property or a stock and deprive you of both health and wealth. These fitfluencers and finfluencers if let loose on the society can create havoc and the government agencies must check their credentials and force them to undergo accreditation. They are not just a menace anymore, they are downright dangerous.

 

 

A positive impact

Genuine Social Media Influencers are individuals who have established credibility in a specific industry with access to a large audience and the power to persuade others to act based on their recommendations. They represent a new type of independent third-party endorser who shape audience attitudes through blogs, posts, tweets, and the use of other social media. I would be the first person to admit that Social media influencers are renowned for their quality and engaging content. Their positive impact is felt in areas such as mental health awareness, where they highlight its importance and offer people a platform to talk and vent their emotions. They also bring attention to the importance of sustainability, feminism, and animal welfare.

 

They have become incredibly popular in the last couple of years, and people have started looking up to them. Across categories such as fashion, tech, travel, food, or even parenting, they help people learn about the latest trends. They are also in a position to help people buy useful and effective products by posting authentic reviews and making smart choices. Moreover, influencers also support brands’ and small businesses’ grow by reaching out to a large audience, thus helping the country’s economy.

 

 

Who is a Social Media Influencer?

A Social Media Influencer may be anyone from a blogger to a celebrity to an online entrepreneur. Some of the top Social Media Influencers in India are celebrities such as Alia Bhatt, Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar, Disha Patani, or sports personalities such Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni. Social Media Influencers may not necessarily be celebrities only. The list of Social Media Influencers also includes fashion bloggers such as Diipa Buller Khosla, Santoshi Shetty or food bloggers such as Richa Hingle, Saransh Goila or comedians such as Kanan Gill, Kenny Sebastian, etc. International Social Media Influencers who have a huge follower base include Hudda Kattan (make-up expert), Cameron Dallas (song reviews), Kylie Jenner (modelling), Cristiano Ronaldo (football star) etc.

 

 

Influencer marketing

This is the newest form of marketing, consists of companies or agencies reaching out to Social Media Influencers for their brand promotional purposes. Nowadays companies engage in such strategy by sending social media influencers products free-of-charge so that they can post reviews or share a photo, invite them to attend events where everything is taken care of by the company, or share a certain message with their audience. A travel blogger may be invited to a 5 star resort for a free on the house weekend in exchange of a good review. A food blogger may not only get a free dinner for two but an extra remuneration for a favourable review.

 

 

The darker side

People worship social media influencers, treat them as mega-celebrities, create fan pages for them, and even send them expensive gifts. This has risen to blind faith, which has its own challenges. The other issue is that it has created disparity among businesses. Brands with a big marketing budget are able to get their products promoted by collaborating with larger social media influencers. This makes it difficult for small businesses and start ups with low marketing budgets to beat the competition.

 

Some social media influencers are also often seen posting inauthentic reviews to get more brand deals and generate revenue. Their audience, in turn, purchases products on their recommendation, leading to unnecessary hoarding of products and immense competition among teenagers.

 

Lastly, a certain section of social media influencers promote a life of luxury and independence, dismissing the idea of working sincerely 9-5. Then, on the other extreme, some influencers promote constant hustle, how one needs to be productive all the time. This can negatively impact the minds of young people who have just started their careers, setting wrong precedents for them.

 

 

Legal standpoint

This statement made by the Single Judge of the Bombay High Court brought into the limelight the impact and responsibilities of Social Media Influencers “Social Media Influencers, whether their audience is significant or small, impact the lives of everybody who watches their content. They do have a responsibility to ensure what they are publishing is not harmful or offensive.” 

 

A statement by a Social Media Influencer about a certain product may be construed as defamatory/disparaging by the brand. Then, the first test is to separate statements of fact from opinions. Opinions cannot form the legal basis of a defamation or disparagement lawsuit. Any person can have an opinion about a product/service, and freedom of speech allows him/her to express the same. However, if he/she were to state that a particular product can harm the user, then they are stating a fact. To establish defamation, in such cases, the burden would be on the company/brand to establish that the Social Media Influencer whom they were suing acted with “actual malice” i.e. the person acted recklessly, with full knowledge that their statement was false and with utter disregard for the truth.

 

A Social Media Influencer should never promote something that they don’t support or lie about a product to generate sales for the brand. This may harm their image and their trustworthiness, which in turn can erode their fan base. They cannot make up claims about a product that would require proof the advertiser does not have – such as scientific proof that a product can treat a health condition.

 

The Social Media Influencer ecosystem is all set to change soon. The government is thinking of releasing guidelines to bring more transparency and help protect consumer interests. This would mean a similar set of regulations, if not the same, will be in place to put sponsored influencer and digital creator posts on Instagram on the same page as regular advertising on digital platforms. A step towards regulation of such Social Media Influencers would be to follow the footsteps of many nations and adopt guidelines similar to the guidelines in those countries.

 

 

The creator economy, which comprises social media influencers, content curators, bloggers, and bloggers, is almost a decade old. The pandemic expedited the rise of social media influencers. In 2022, there were over 50 million social media influencers. Over 500k professional individual creators on Instagram have over 100k followers each. These people are considered active influencers. The number is only going to increase in the coming years, which means social media influencers’ impact on society will also grow. So, beware of them.