Celebrity & Influencer Culture As We Know It Is Dying.
who knew that COVID-19 would be the great equalizer to hit society? our livelihoods, lifestyles, and even long-term goals have all been obliterated in one single blow, causing the people who once made a living off the very things we no longer have access to — or reason participate in — to completely lose their minds.
over the last couple of months, we have seen influencer & celebrity culture as we knew it be pulverized into unrecognizable dust. no more Fashion Nova sponsored pics in the private section of the clue, because oop, they're all closed. no more taking trips to exotic destinations then teasing your followers for 3 weeks straight with backstock photos because… oop again, can’t nobody go nowhere.
Coronavirus, social distancing, and quarantine evened the playing field for those who used to exalt themselves over folks who didn’t “have it like them.” because the very things that used to be revered for how it placed others in a higher social status now have little to no value in the era of Corona, forcing influencers to figure out how actually they can be the ones that add said value.
but those crafty sons of guns eventually adjusted with at-home DIYs, TikTok dance challenges, comfy mirror pics, with just a dash of “transparent” captioning & viola! they finally found the secret recipe to their new normal. little did they know that a storm was brewing in the Midwest quadrant of the country, and the second wave we expected to come in the form of a virus, actually embodied itself in something more pressing: social justice activism.
on March 13, 2020, Breonna Taylor, a 26-year-old emergency medical technician, was fatally shot by Louisville Metro Police Department officers in her home.
on February 23, 2020, Ahmaud Arbery, an unarmed 25-year-old man was fatally shot while jogging in his neighborhood.
on May 26, 2020, George Floyd, a 47-year old man from Minneapolis, MN, was killed by 3 police officers after begging for his last breath for 8mins.
since the news of these tragic events swept the nations and the world, the landscape of social media seemed to shift completely overnight. now, people weren’t just looking for the next selfie to pop up in their stream of posts: folks needed information, they wanted to know how to take action, and to know that they weren’t the only ones scared of what new reality they would wake up to.
Instagram used to be the space you could use to “escape” from reality. in fact, social media would be the first space that we’d get the news of “yet another” Black life slain by the police. in all honesty, I think we were close to getting numb to it. I, too, had almost convinced myself that if I just numbed the pain of loss, then I was in some way protecting myself, my heart, my sanity. but there was something different about George Floyd’s death... something sinister that woke up a slumbering nation, across racial lines, political views, and backgrounds. now, it’s not just a hashtag that could be drowned out by what reality shows are trending or what hairstyle some anti-Black celeb appropriated, this time, it was everywhere. it was unavoidable, inescapable. and it’s come to the front door of every person with a phone & a following — no matter how big or small — calling the role of influencers in our society up for question.
the number of celebrities/brands/influencers that have shown their behinds over the last two weeks has been both comical and jarring. in fact, it feels like too many to count, but I will give it a shot: T.I., Trina, Shekinah, B.Simone, Desi Banks, Tokyo Jets, Kylie Jenner, Shameik Moore, all white youth on TikTok, and the entire white side of Instagram (& the list keeps growing).
social media apps & the marketing ploys from big brands that drive them & our capitalistic society, gave birth to a class of people who are famous simply for being famous. fame has become the only occupation that you don’t need any skills, talents, or qualifications for.
for most of the influencers we know for the wrong reasons, who have reached a level of notoriety and stardom, there really isn’t much they can do for us “regular” folks, but tell us what to buy. it’s like we are in some way their employees, and every time we clock into instagram and punch in our “likes” for the day, we continue to feed not only their wallets, but their inflated egos. our social consumption has birthed literal monsters, so no wonder they’re so lukewarm about the revolution taking place: it could take away everything they worked so hard to get.
class, wealth, and socioeconomic status can separate more than it can unite, and since a lot of these influencers have either never been broke, or never want to be broke again, there’s not much in it for them to relate to the plight of the people.
what was once considered entertaining and aspirational, now just seems wasteful, irresponsible, and tone-deaf. mukbangs have died down, comedy videos just don’t hit like they used to, and even hauls have most of us screaming, “READ THE ROOM!” cause don’t nobody want to see that right now. people are hurting. people are dying. people need hope & healing. and they’re tired of being taken advantage of. in short, people are waking up.
the instagram-funny girl, JessHilarious brought up an important question this week saying, “if y’all get rid of us, who else y’all gone have?” and Jess with the mess, I’m so glad you asked.
i believe that there is a new class of ‘influencers” rising who are going to take back the space of social media. individuals who aren’t just trying to manipulate their followers into buying products that will lose value overnight, but who are actually feeding them something that will last them for a lifetime. healers, thought leaders, poets, storytellers, and artists are reclaiming their space because true art is what’s going to last. this isn’t to say that all influencers are “canceled” indefinitely, it’s simply a letter to urge them to be quiet for a while, and let the truth-tellers speak.
a renaissance is coming, what side will you be on when it arrives?
〰 before you go: let me know your thoughts on the current state of influencer culture. has it shifted for you? have you gone an unfollowing spree? who are some new influencers that stand out to you, leave a comments letting me know, I’d love to hear!
peace & light,
ya girl, Aley.
follow me:
ig: @yagirlaley | twitter: @yagirlaley