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What is an influencer?
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Well, that's what we're going to get into today.
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So much more.
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Please keep an open mind.
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You never know how or when you might be inspired.
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Peace, love, and life.
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Hello, Radiant Souls.
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Welcome back to another episode of the High Vibes Lifestyle Podcast.
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Wherever you are in this huge wide world, I hope that you are doing well.
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Taking care of yourself and others.
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Staying true to yourself as best you can.
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And enjoying the moment.
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Staying present.
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Well, today we're gonna talk a little bit about the term influencer, and this episode is inspired by a person recently asked me what is an influencer.
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They really weren't trying to be sarcastic or funny, they generally don't know had never been explained to them.
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She said, you know, let me ask you, what what is it?
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Can you explain what an influencer is?
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And that question stayed with me a little bit, and at first it sounded like a straightforward question.
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But we think of social media, followers, likes, brand deals, and people whose lives seem to influence what we wear, what we buy, how we look, and sometimes even how we think, and especially how we think of ourselves.
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And that is where it can be, I think, a little dangerous because if somebody already doesn't have a good sense of self or strong self-esteem, then yes, a lot of these images, videos of people showing their best selves and living their quote unquote best lives, it starts to take an effect on some people.
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Maybe they start to compare themselves and say, Well, I don't look maybe I'm not pretty enough, maybe I'm not living a great life, maybe I don't have enough money or whatever it is, and it can really spiral and affect the psyche.
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This is where I feel that it's important for people to be mindful of how much they're consuming, what they're listening to, what they're watching, when they're watching it.
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You can get so wrapped up in a spiral of maybe watching some YouTubers or people on Instagram, and next thing, you know, eight hours has gone by, and you start this starts hitting your subconscious, and some people they might say, Oh well, I don't look good enough, and oh my gosh, well you know, putting down their body, putting down their everything, their whole life, and that's where it's can be dangerous.
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Well, on the positive side, there are people who are promoting some wonderful art or music or their meditation or mindful mindful practices that can be helpful, and they're simply sharing what helps them to shift out of quote unquote low vibrations or just be more present.
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And this can help some people to sleep better, to think better, to come back to self.
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There are certainly many videos, you know, sharing information about lunar cycles and you know about maybe some herbal teas that somebody's made and how to make them at home.
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Or how to make toxic-free candles, for example, for people who like candles, so on and so forth.
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So there are some beautiful things.
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Again, in life, there's always so many choices, and it's just up to each and every one of us to just just choose which which direction we want to go.
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Certainly there's enough things that are low vibrational that someone can look at and then get themselves all worked up and maybe become a disgruntled, bitter person.
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And then there's also nice, happy, fun things, people who are putting out videos just to make you laugh, or vibrant colors of their fashion.
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It's all out there.
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But let's bring it back to influence.
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Influence.
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What does it really mean to influence somebody and who gets to decide what makes a person influential?
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Is it the number of people who follow them?
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Is it their ability to persuade others?
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Is it the image or project?
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Or is it the impact that they have on another person's life?
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Well, think about it.
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Some of the most influential people in our lives may never have had a social media account.
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They may be our parents, a teacher, a partner, a friend, or even a stranger who said something at exactly the moment we needed to hear it in the grocery store line.
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And that brings me to a more personal question.
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If we are all influencing one another, what kind of influence are we?
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Are we encouraging people to trust themselves or teaching them to doubt themselves?
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Are we inspiring growth or feeding comparison?
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Are we helping people reconnect with who they are or convincing them that they need to become someone else to be worthy?
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So let's look beyond the controversy surrounding influencers and explore something that concerns all of us.
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The power of influence, the
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search for validation, and the responsibility we have to remain connected to ourselves in a world that constantly tells us who we should be.
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So I invite you to consider reflecting on these three questions.
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Relative to your social media or life in general, who you listen to, who you respect, and whose opinion or information matters to you?
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What am I learning to value?
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Am I becoming more aligned with my own values or increasingly preoccupied with external approval?
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And thirdly, who am I becoming?
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Does the influence I consume help me grow into a more authentic version of myself?
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The intention is not to label every account or person as good or bad, it is to simply develop awareness and choose more consciously what deserves your attention.
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And then turn a few questions towards yourself, really turning inward and ask yourself when people spend time with me, how do they feel?
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What values do my actions communicate?
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And do I practice the things I encourage others to believe?
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Again, a very short episode, but just wanted to share a few questions that we can ask ourselves relative to this word and the power of influence.
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So maybe the real controversy surrounding influencers, it invites us to look at something much closer.
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We live in a world that often measures influence through the visibility, popularity, and the ability to capture attention.
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Perhaps the deeper measure of influence is what we awaken in one another.
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I remember several years ago I was invited by a publicist who wanted me to do some photography for him, and invited me to an influencer brunch.
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This was hosted at a country club in a very affluent area, and it was this exclusive party, I suppose.
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I didn't really take it that seriously, I just thought, okay, well, let me go enjoy, mingle, take some photos.
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That's that.
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Well, it turned out that I met some some people, some wonderful people, and it turned into a lot of other opportunities for me, so I'm glad that I went.
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However, I remember the first woman that came out to me, she said, Hi, my name is so-and-so, and I have 200,000 followers.
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And it was all it was very robotic the way she spoke.
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Like I thought I was in a whole nother world.
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It was I you know she was being completely serious, and after I had gone to a few other events that were focused on supposedly these influencers that are popular, I guess maybe they were promoted by Instagram or other social media outlets.
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However, when you first go to them and you've never been to something like that, and this is how people introduce themselves instead of just saying their name.
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Hi, I'm Sally, or hi, this is Jose, or whatever, they add the number of followers behind and have this tone, or at least her tone was so like robotic.
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It's like, hi, I'm Sally, and I have 200,000 followers.
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And she shook my hand and and she was wearing some very sparkly short dress and makeup perfectly done, and eyelashes have been put on and hair slicked back, and it was in in high heels, it was just okay, I I get it.
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I don't know if she was a makeup influencer, so maybe that would make sense there, or fashion.
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Somebody else spoke the same way, and I said, Wow.
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You don't it just seemed very surface level, shallow, phony, if I can say that was those are the first things that came to my mind.
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But then I said, Okay, but this is for some people their lives, and they really believe this is how I guess they need to speak and be.
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Maybe that's how they are, you know, and that's how they became these I got these all these followers, and it's the world we're in.
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There is there are people out there that will follow people who are like that, you know, the longer your eyelashes, and you can show somebody how to glue them on with the right lighting and the right outfit, and maybe you're a certain size that society thinks is is right, and your nose and your cheekbones are perfect, all these things.
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Yeah, I guess there is an audience for it.
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Now, attending many a runway show, high fashion shows, this is huge in the scene, and some of these people they get to sit front row, which is a big deal in the fashion world at these top brands uh runway shows for five to ten minutes, and they literally come in lambda you see outfits that are extraordinary that real people are wearing in the streets to be seen, get their photograph done, and gain more followers.
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And that is their life.
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And some of them now have agents and they're getting paid pretty well according to society.
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So, hey, good for them.
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And that's kind of where people think.
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They think of these young, attractive socialites for the most part, who are on camera all day, all the time, on YouTube, on Instagram, on TikTok, and whatever.
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But these days it's become all kinds of people.
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People you know in their 50s, 60s, 70s, and 80s are also doing maybe they're showing how to do some dances or you know, how to make a vegan chocolate cake and make it look so delicious, how to garden, how to set up lights for an event, whatever niche it is, you can find it.
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We return to the overall subject of influencers.
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Let's think, do we leave people feeling that they are not enough, or remind them of their inherent worth?
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And do we encourage dependence on our approval or we support the ability to think, choose, and grow for themselves?
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And perhaps the most important question is before we spend so much energy deciding who we should follow, can we become more conscious of the person we ourselves are becoming?
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Because influence is not only about being followed, it is about the impact we leave behind.
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And the most meaningful influence may be the kind that helps another person discover their own inner wisdom rather than convincing them that the answers to their life exist somewhere outside of them.
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Initially, influencers were many glammed up people in fitness and fashion in makeup or anything to make their aesthetic look great.
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And also, some people are using filters to change their appearance just to look super thin and their face bone structure may look completely different than what they really are, and that's where you know some parents and critics claim that it was really poorly affecting their teenagers or young adults, maybe people in general, especially young young women.
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So I think we all can ask these questions to ourselves before we follow certain content creators or content in general.
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I also I would say parents or people who have young people in their lives, young adults, you have the power to influence them, teach them maybe to ask themselves certain questions as they develop their self-esteem and grow to be more mindful.
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Well, we hope that you enjoy this episode.
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It's short, sweet, a few questions to ask.
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Yes, we wish you a high vibe moment wherever you are in the rest of your week.
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Thank you so much for your support and tuning in.
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Peace, love, and lots of gratitude.