The Influencer Relatability Issue

Thus far in the 2020s, the concept and role of “influencers” has completely and utterly changed the way social media sites operate and has unlocked a new path to stardom for those who seek it. A term that clearly indicates a distinction from “celebrity” yet purports the idea of mass appeal and well, influence, “influencer” is a term that is extremely correlated to the social media age of the late 2010s up to today.  

However, that distinction from celebrity that I mentioned before is mostly used to describe the fact that influencers start off (most times) as just normal, everyday citizens. They gain their platforms by being relatable and serving as a semi-parasocial friend on the internet that people can resonate with. Yet we have seen some influencers rise up to the ranks of celebrity-status such as Alix Earle and Emma Chamberlain, and others fade into oblivion, either due to a scandal, break from social media, or other extenuating circumstances. 

Influencers both star-bound and small-scale must tackle a seemingly easy task, yet it seems to trip them up without fail each and every time– staying relatable. When I say relatable, I am referring to sharing the same experiences as their viewers, for example, many college-aged influencers share their experiences in school, with friends, going out, etc. However, when brand deals and commercial success come into the mix, that is when things become less black and white. 

It seems to be counterintuitive. The goals of success both socially and financially can ultimately be the things that contribute to your lack of relatability as an influencer—the thing that got you where you were in the first place. On top of that, more success means more eyes on you, and more eyes on you means more people to criticize you.  

Influencers have combatted this by ramping up their daily life content to water down the amount of brand deals and social events with others in the spotlight they share with the audience. In all honesty, it isn’t even those events or deals they get that come back to bite them; it’s when they say things that people simply cannot relate to. 

For example, recently a Pilates influencer came under fire for comments surrounding the notion that Pilates should not be aimed at inclusivity, diversity, or accessibility. Her followers were horrified by these statements, since she previously had platformed her page around encouraging her followers, no matter what gender, age, race, or class, to try Pilates.  

Another example is from Alix Earle, who rose the ranks of the influencer hierarchy in late 2022 and early 2023 as a UMiami student turned NFL WAG, fashion model, and businesswoman. In June, she posted a TikTok venting about seeing how people constantly speak negatively on the internet and added comments “I think we would all be happier if we all just collectively stopped caring so much”. Those comments quickly lit off a firestorm of backlash from the internet, calling her tone deaf and privileged.  

In all, influencers garner massive appeal on the backs of people genuinely liking them as people, the content they make, and the relatability of their words and experiences they share on the internet. However, with fame and money comes new opportunities, and it is important for that to not be the thing that lifts the veil of their ability to resonate with their followers. Everything that is said on the internet can and will last forever, yet fame and a good reputation often have a shelf life—and the internet can decide when that expiration date is.