Pop culture: influencers

Self-tutoring about cultural trends: the tutor mentions the concept of “influencer.”

I recently completed my third degree, this one in computer science. One might argue it was superfluous, but I started it around the COVID era, when things seemed uncertain. Anyway, the certificate itself arrived in the mail in mid June.

Perhaps naturally enough, various people – for instance, my wife – wondered about opportunities linked to a comp sci degree. It seems to me they might be better than one might first think, because of competition from other fields people might prefer. One key one is a job that, it seems, never used to exist: influencer.

It seems the most popular career choice among Gen-Z people is influencer. Moreover, perhaps around 40% of people from previous generations also might choose it if they could.

The reason the role of influencer exists seems to be the natural tendency of human beings to watch others and copy what they see them doing. As a kid I recall hearing that someone could be a bad influence, someone else a good influence, for instance. The concept was that children would inevitably be influenced by someone, so it was important that the influence be positive.

As a young adult, I met someone a generation older than I was who admitted – without embarrassment – that they were prone to being influenced by other people. Looking back, I realize they were correct: much of what they said and did was cliché. Back in the Maritimes, it seemed to me that adults didn’t seek influence or respond to it. Not too surprisingly, the cliché person was West Coast.

The interesting concept about the phenomenon of influencers is that it suggests how much guidance people are seeking: it seems people might be looking, actively, for input much of the time.

While I understand the phenomenon of influencers to be reality, I’ve not been much influenced by people in my life. That’s been disappointing to some people who thought I should have clued in to be “more like that person,” etc. Then again, I don’t see myself as an example for others, either: for instance, I don’t recommend “tutor” or “professional student” – two labels I’ve achieved – as career choices.

While I don’t follow influencers, I do find them fascinating. It must take determination and creativity to come up with, then offer, guidance of how people might navigate life.

Source:

pewresearch.org

cnbc.com