The emergence of social networks has generated the emergence of media figures known as influencers, people with enormous power in these networks. But from this exposure also arise serious problems of social pressure.
Being an influencer is one of the “fashionable” jobs in the society we live in. The growing use of social networks allows these public figures to dedicate themselves and live from it even in cases where they have no formal education in any particular profession or trade. Therefore, it is a dedication, or rather a lifestyle, that many young people have as a reference.
But is everything really as easy as it seems on the other side of the screen? In the vast majority of cases, the answer is no. To the need to be constantly producing content is added the difficulties in distinguishing between private life and work, a phenomenon through which a form of intense discomfort sneaks in: social pressure and the idea that you have to become what the audience wants to see in an influencer.
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What is peer pressure?
As we have anticipated, the profession of influencers generates great social pressure on the individual who shows his image and life on the networks, since it is impossible to please everyone. Sometimes this pressure materializes in the form of negative and hateful comments towards the person and even their relatives, but it can also exist through the praise and behavioral dynamics of the fans, who constantly ask the person to show certain facets of his life and not others.
Content creators need to be talked about, to be popular, to be known by more people, in order to reach companies and brands that collaborate with them and sponsor them. But this increase in popularity also entails an increase in criticism and an increase in pressure from followers to adapt, give their opinion and act as they want.
But… what is social pressure? We understand by social pressure the influence exerted by the social group to get a person to change their attitudes, thoughts or even their values . This is an influence that can be put into practice even without those who participate in it being aware of it.
This concept is related to a loss of freedom, since the individual to feel accepted and not be different, can ignore their principles, beliefs, tastes… In short, their individuality, to feel similar to the group.
The life of an influencer and the need to adapt to certain roles
As already noted, we currently live in a society where social networks are constantly present. It is rare the person who does not have any social network and who does not connect at some time of the day, either to upload their own content, or to watch the content uploaded by others on the network.
To get an idea of the constant vertiginous increase that occurs in the use of social networks, the “Digital 2021” report prepared by Hootsuite and We are Social, indicates thatthe average user spends around 7 hours a day connected to the network and using the internet on all devices.
This growing use continues to increase both in terms of the number of daily minutes that we use the networks, and the number of users who use the different digital platforms. This constant increase in the relevance of social networks in our lives has meant an opportunity for a group of people to dedicate themselves to work. As mentioned above, influencers are people who work by influencing, forgive the redundancy, other people through social networks.
The influence generates an increase in popularity of the individual that helps him to continue adding followerstag. Working with a digital platform allows your message to reach many people easily and quickly. Given the high number of hours we spend connected to social applications, there is an almost constant and immediate interaction between the influencer and his follower, creating an increasingly close bond between them.
In other words, the constant sharing of information from the influencer generates in the user a feeling of knowing him personally and even feeling him as a friend. This fact gives the content creator greater credibility, being able to become a claim for brands to sell and promote their products.
The collaborations that influencers carry out with the different companies that contact them, allow them to work dedicating themselves to social networks. This means thatyour career, your salary, will indirectly depend on your followers , since brands will only continue to work with them if they remain popular and influential for people.
loss of identity
, because his image always has to be good, always be willing and delivered to his followers, give them what they ask, want to know or know about him and meet expectations sometimes difficult to achieve.
Social pressure generates in the influencer a loss of security in their thoughts, as well as feeling these more superficial, a decrease in self-esteem and a feeling of inferiority, or not being at the level of other content creators, always needing more and never being enough. In this way, the influencer can lose his own identity, that is, there may come a time when he no longer knows if he acts freely according to what he wants or likes or gives his opinion and shows the image that his followers want to see and claim him.
As we have already seen, the constant use of social networks creates in public figures a constant sensation and pressure to upload content, to continue increasing their popularity and to be able to continue dedicating themselves professionally to it. The increase in interaction between influencer and admirer generates in the latter a feeling of knowing, even friendship, with the influencer.
But the close relationship that is created does not only bring positive things, since seeing the influencer as a friend, the followers begin to believe in the right to comment, criticize, thus exerting social pressure on the content creator, being able to produce in the same way a change in him or making decisions not in accordance with what he would like to do, in the face of the claim of his followers to change or not change his content.
Also note that the influencers to be continuously and so easily sharing their image with their fans, it becomes difficult to separate the private life of the profession, since the follower always seeks to know more about him and each time notices closer. This will mean that on many occasions people who make a living from generating content on the networks end up sharing part of their private life on it.
The fact of showing oneself as one is, the most private part of one, can generate confusion and a loss of limits between the public figure who sells and the private person, thus making it difficult to separate work from daily life. Therefore, social pressure will not only appear in the work area, but also in the personal area, thus affecting the influencer’s own person, as well as his or her closest social relationships, such as his or her family.
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To the classic question “what do you do?” I always answer “basically I am a psychologist”. In fact, my academic training has revolved around the psychology of development, education and community, a field of study influenced my volunteer activities, as well as my first work experiences in personal services.