The coming of technology opened us to new realities and possibilities. In a world where everything was once analogue, digitalisation was introduced, giving rise to various new opportunities. Social media is one of the innovations that technology has brought, which in turn has brought about new possibilities and opportunities. Several opportunities are gained through social media, and one of those is what we know as influencers.
With the advent of social media, people have found a place and opportunity in what's called influencing, and these people are called influencers. They are people who have become popular on social media, through creating content in various or distinct niches. They ammass themselves a massive number of followers on social media, hence, using this audience and following they have to promote people's products or services who pay them for that.
We can agree that's the power of social media. Who would have thought an opportunity like that could be; from making content, gaining a massive following and becoming an influencer. But social media is a space open for all, to some extent, and so are the opportunities that come with it, as well as the destructive tendencies. This is why more than ever, today we have kids open to the influencing opportunities, hence the conversations here.
The conversations are if it's okay for kids to be influencers, considering there are opportunities therein, financially especially, which will be of benefit to the child, and an extension to the parents or family who will ultimately be the ones in charge. What makes it more of a conversation, if this is okay or not is mainly the harmful effects of the social media space. We've seen it with adults, so how much more with kids who have less control of themselves?
It's a valid concern, because not only that, but some influencers are not really personalities to emulate, hence that concern. To expound on this concern, fame is not easy to deal with. It can make a person lose focus. Managing it all can be so much of a daunting task for a child who's still developing. Talk about managing criticisms that might come. This is where parents come in, to guide the kid and regulate their behaviour, should they go down that path.
If parents decide to make their kid go down the path of a content creator, they should consider what they intend or hope to make out of this, while also considering the future effects on the kid's privacy, and the media or public pressure. Careful consideration is necessary, as well as what kind of content. I've seen people do appalling things with their kids in the name of content that leaves a concern should they decide that path for them.
No child should be forced into this. People do a lot of things for money, and forcing a child into content creation individually or with them, against their will and consent shouldn't be. It's not far from what we know as exploitation. Some kids might not be cut out for this, and it should be respected. But I've seen kids create content and some become influencers, possibly inspiring other kids and bringing them benefits as well. That could be something good.
