#InfluencersVsReality: How influencers impact youth

Ryan Kaji. Tiana Wilson. Everleigh Rose Soutas. Charlie D’Amelio. Addison Rae. Many parents may not be familiar with these names, but if you ask your kids, there’s a good chance they know who they are. These young people have risen to followings and fame on social networks like YouTube, Instagram, Tik Tok and Twitch. Technically, they are known as influencers. But in reality, they are viewed as celebrities by our kids. And they wield a lot of power of persuasion. There are pros and cons to influencer culture. How can parents emphasize the positive impact influencers can have while highlighting the reality of influencers and the content they post? Understanding influencer culture is the first step. Familiarizing yourself with popular influencers and their appeal is the next. And incorporating a few simple but important strategies into your digital parenting is the critical third step.

What is an influencer?

According to Influencer Marketing Hub, a media company focused on social media and influencer marketing, an influencer has, “the power to affect the purchasing decisions of others because of their authority, knowledge, position or relationship with an audience.” In essence, they’re professional marketers who have turned posting, posing and promotion into a job.

Key characteristics of an influencer include:

• Expert knowledge of a specific topic
• Regular content posting on social media
• Large followings of engaged users
• Ability to set trends
• Encourage people with discounts/offers to buy the products they promote

There are different types of influencers. Mega-influencers are typically A-list celebrities with more than one million followers on at least one social platform. Micro-influencers capture a niche like beauty, fitness, parenting, gardening, gaming or travel. They are less celebs and more ordinary people that attract followers passionate about their niche.

The impact of influencers

More and more, and especially for youth, influencers shape how they see the world and themselves. Mashable, in its article, Influencers aren’t going anywhere. So what does that mean for today’s teens?, spoke with Dr. Ellen Selkie, an adolescent medicine specialist and researcher at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Selkie explains the phenomenon of para-social relationships on social media as a key driver of heightened media influence. “You can DM your favourite influencer or micro influencer and get a response; they do whole Q&As specifically for this. Celebrities and influencers pre-social media weren't so accessible.” What are the key challenges associated with consuming so much influencer content on a daily basis?

#1: Social comparison

Perfectly posed pictures showing smiling faces doing epic things and having fun can make kids (and adults) feel badly about themselves and the lives they are living. CBC did a story about the “fake lives” lived on social media. The story featured two high school students sharing their experiences about scrolling social media and how it makes them feel. One of the students said it succinctly. “Comparing yourself to others makes you feel completely worthless.” From unrealistic beauty standards to fear of missing out (FOMO) to the focus on the number of followers and likes your posts generate -- idolizing influencers and viewing their lives as a gold standard can affect kids’ mental health.

#2: Body image issues

Kylie Jenner is one of the most popular influencers on Instagram with 327 million followers. But Kylie also has a glam team and comes from one of the most famous celebrity families in the world, so for the most part, everything she posts is staged marketing. When kids see “perfect” people with perfectly filtered pictures, it becomes their standard of beauty. But it’s a celebrity standard, which of course isn’t realistic for the average person.

#3: Deciphering the marketing

The “unboxing” phenomenon is huge on social media. Mashable points to Ryan’s World, Ryan Kaji’s YouTube channel with more than 30 million subscribers, as an example of this popular trend. Brands pay Ryan to ‘unbox’ their toys and review them because he is popular and has a huge following. Kids don’t always have the critical thinking skills to identify that these videos are essentially live ads, intended to drive purchases. It’s important to point out that despite some challenges, there are also positive aspects to influencer culture. In the Mashable article, Selkie emphasizes representation. There are many influencers focused on size inclusivity and LGBTQ+ empowerment. She goes on to say, “It’s important for young people to be able to see themselves represented in positions of power, which influencers hold. That kind of work should be celebrated.” And with micro-influencers, there isn’t the same allure of celebrity. An influencer can be a very positive role model who is considered “like me” and more accessible.

Making sense of influencers with your kids

Similar to other aspects of your kids’ digital lives, helping your kids make sense of influencer culture requires you to:

• Educate yourself
• Have open and transparent conversations
• Encourage critical thinking and digital literacy

So what do those conversations look like? Be curious about who your kids follow and why. What types of messages do those influencers share? What types of products do they market and how do they market them? How do your kids feel after consuming the influencer’s content?

Internet Matters offers up some great conversation starters for talking to your kids about influencers.

• Do you understand that what you are seeing online is not always true?
• Does the influencer make money if they have more views, more likes or more clicks?
• Does the influencer’s lifestyle reflect real life?
• How much time do you think the influencer spends making their videos?
• What is the purpose of their videos? Why are they talking about particular subjects?
• How do you feel when you watch the influencer? (anxious, fear of missing out, happy, inspired etc.)
• How can you choose influencers to watch who make you feel positive?

Influencer culture is here to stay. In fact, it’s only growing. With the amount of time kids spend on social media, influencers will continue to be primary sources for learning, sparking curiosity and shaping values to a certain degree. Helping your kids think critically about influencer culture and giving them the tools to distinguish #InfluencersVsReality will help them continue to have positive and productive experiences online.