I think the internet has changed the way we decide who to believe. Before social media became such a big part of our lives, if you wanted medical advice, you probably went to a doctor. If you had a legal problem, you looked for a lawyer. If you wanted financial advice, you tried to find someone who actually understood finance.
Today, things are a little different because sometimes all a person needs is a phone, confidence, and a large following.... And somehow, the number of followers they have has started looking like a qualification.
I have seen people with millions of followers give advice about health, relationships, money, business and even mental health and Sometimes they are right.. But I always find myself wondering as to how we got to the point where popularity became a measure of expertise?
Now Imagine two people standing in front of you.... The first person has spent years studying medicine gone through medical school, completed practical training and has spent years treating actual patients.
While the second person has five million followers on TikTok and Instagram and has become famous for making health videos.
Now both of them give you different advice about a serious health problem.
Who would you listen to?
For me, the answer should be obvious. I would listen to the doctor, or at least I would use the doctor's knowledge as my starting point. But I have noticed that a lot of people don't necessarily think that way anymore.
Sometimes the influencer actually sounds more convincing because they speak confidently... They use simple language... They tell you exactly what to do... They may even have thousands of comments from people saying, "This worked for me."..
The professional on the other hand might say something like, "There are different possible causes, and we need to examine you properly before making a conclusion.".... And unfortunately, uncertainty doesn't sound as attractive as confidence.
This is one thing I think we need to be careful about because Someone sounding confident doesn't mean they are correct and someone having one million followers doesn't mean they understand what they are talking about.. also because a person has a small audience doesn't mean they don't know anything.
The internet has made it possible for people with genuine knowledge to reach thousands or even millions of people. I actually think that is a good thing because They are doctors, lawyers, engineers, traders, teachers and other professionals who use social media to educate people and Some of them explain things better online than they ever could in a classroom.... So I don't think being an influencer is the problem.
The problem is when we start confusing influence with qualification because a person can be an amazing influencer without being an expert in everything they talk about...
For example.. if someone becomes famous because they make excellent business content, that doesn't automatically make them qualified to give medical advice... If someone is a popular relationship coach, that doesn't mean they understand every psychological condition... And If someone makes millions from trading, that doesn't mean everything they say about investing will work for everybody and Sometimes we forget this because we've become familiar with these people.
We watch their videos every day.
We hear their opinions.
We laugh at their jokes.
We start feeling like we know them personally.
And once we trust someone emotionally, we can start accepting their opinions without questioning them enough and i think that's where things become dangerous.
There is nothing wrong with listening to someone online. In fact, I have learned many useful things from people on the internet. But there is a difference between learning something and blindly accepting everything a person says.
I believe we should always ask ourselves a few questions...
What qualifies this person to speak about this subject?..
Where did they get their information?...
Are they presenting facts or simply giving their opinion?...
Do they admit when they don't know something?..
And maybe the most important question of all should be "what happens if they are wrong?"
That last question is very important to me....
Because if an influencer tells me to watch a terrible movie, the worst thing that happens is that I waste two hours of my life...
But if someone gives me bad medical advice, I could put my health at risk, If they give me bad financial advice, I could lose money I worked for years to earn and if they give me bad legal advice, the consequences could be even worse.
That is why I don't think the number of followers should be the first thing we look at.
And I'm not saying professionals are always right either. Doctors make mistakes. Lawyers make mistakes. Financial experts make mistakes. Having qualifications doesn't make anyone perfect.
But there is a difference between someone making a mistake after years of professional training and someone giving serious advice simply because they have become popular online.
We have to learn how to separate the two.
Maybe this is one of the problems of our generation... We have given people the ability to reach millions, but we haven't always taught ourselves how to decide who deserves our trust....
A microphone doesn't make someone knowledgeable...
A blue tick doesn't make someone an expert...
A million followers doesn't make someone qualified... because popularity can make people listen to you, but it doesn't automatically make what you are saying true.
So I will keep listening to influencers. I will learn from them when they have something useful to teach. But when the subject becomes serious, I would rather ask "What qualifies this person?" than "How many people follow them?"
Because at the end of the day, being famous can give you a platform.
It can give you attention.
It can even give you influence.
But famous doesn't mean qualified.
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