Anonymous users shout their accusations at influencers, unjustified aggravation. This toxic expectation of social activism from every content creator does nothing to further a cause. Graphic by Jolie Carlile and Zoie Carlile
By Rohan Portteus
Puppies, wars, fashion, disease.
Apps like TikTok and Instagram lure in users with targeted content from their favorite influencers, kickstarting the next hour of senseless scrolling. Now they provide a disharmonious array of content.
As a result, viewers are pushing for influencers to address pressing global issues on their large platforms, to spread awareness. However, this treatment is ineffective and careless. Content creators should be given the same level of respect and security provided for regular citizens, regardless of their social status.
Celebrities and influencers alike have to watch carefully what they say online, but with an extreme rise in "comment bombing,” their silence could have a similar, if not more extreme, impact on their success.
To raise attention to crucial issues social media activists go into popular celebrities' TikTok videos, and flood their comment sections with content focused on the issue at hand. This form of activism is intended to give important issues a spotlight, but can turn sour in the blink of an eye.
While most just ignore comments and keep scrolling, several choose to voice opposing viewpoints, fueling arguments below the video. Users begin complex debates through comments, debates left in the hands of unprepared influencers to mitigate.
A recent victim of these conflicts was popular "story time" TikToker Elyse Myers. Her account was bombed by comments insisting that she spread support for Palestine. When the conversation began to turn south Myers deleted the original videos, and stayed silent. In the weeks following, Myers received consistent hate for not using her platform for "good.”
With over 7 million followers, TikTok served as a main source of revenue for Myers, who was too focused on her infant's heart surgery to post a video addressing the war. Now she is left stripped of her income just for staying silent.
Stripping away influencers' rights to stay silent or speak out in an attempt to protect others, does nothing but spread more hate in a world already riddled with it. Americans are entitled to freedom of speech, including a freedom to silence. A person should not be forced to reveal their political alignments simply because they are a popular figure.
Additionally, the factor of credibility is crucial in spreading awareness about global issues. Regardless of whether content creators want to discuss controversial topics on their profiles or not, users need to make sure the information they consume is from a credible source. TikTok was never intended to be used as a news source, and anyone can post a video as long as it follows "community guidelines". With that, comes a sea of misinformation, posted online for mass consumption.
Most influencers produce content following a specific aesthetic and targeted towards one group's niche. Influencers whose entire channel is dedicated to cooking videos may feel uncomfortable posting videos about gardening. With this in mind, viewers should not place pressure on influencers to make content about political issues they have no knowledge or expertise on.
People search out social media platforms as a place to decompress and escape the cruel realities of the world. By bombarding influencers with social activism comments, users are distorting the purpose of the apps, creating only more friction as opposed to their goal of social justice.
We’ve come to a point where influencers are at risk of losing their source of income for keeping their opinions private. It is clear that social media “cancel culture” has gone too far.