With the rise of social media, comes the rise of internet celebrities. Here’s the problem: they really are just internet celebrities. While yes, the fame that has come from TikTok or Instagram may lead to better careers within the industry, it is not a substitution.
These so-called “celebrities” are taking the place of people who are just trying to do their jobs on red carpets like the Met Gala, or other red carpet events. Sure, it was fun at first when it was the occasional celebrity appearance like Liza Koshy for Vogue at the Met Gala 2018 but now it’s just getting plain annoying.
I get it, it’s so they can grow their brand but it’s reached a point. Hailey Baylee appearing at every red carpet known to man to do the same Glambot pose or Chris Olsen failing miserably at dressing for the event because guess what, it is just another part of the clickbait.
Maybe, yes, it’s purposeful rage bait but some influencers also don’t know how to interact with people anymore. Are people forgetting how Addison Rae made a TikTok in front of her fans because the TikTok was more important? Or the entitlement some people have from even just a sliver of fame? I’ve seen a number of people complaining about how “influencers” come through their jobs and are just downright disrespectful to the premises.
Now, I do feel strongly that there are some real talents that stem from internet fame. Without the internet, people wouldn’t have made it as big as they did, like Chappell Roan and Sombr. Or comedians like Brittney Broski. But I feel like those are small numbers in comparison to the amount of people who are appearing that have little to no sway or influence? I feel Broski also has a more approachability about her than every other influencer, because while she’s meeting all these celebrities and going to events of high profile she’s still remaining herself.
I mean, she met Harry Styles and spoke to him in a British accent and called him “disgusting” to his face. And with Royal Court, where she interviews celebrities for a place in her council, she also somehow makes all the celebrities feel like normal people and incredibly relatable. She gave Cole Sprouse a fanfiction she wrote about him, Aaron Taylor Johnson was making me die of laughter and David Corenswet was geeking out over Star Wars.
With all other celebrity influencer interactions, I feel like the celebrity is being held against their will to speak to them. The point being made is that influencer and celebrity interactions and when those are the only people at these events just makes fame feel that much more fabricated. I think the relatability that comes from something like Broski’s interactions feel more human and not polished to perfection.
The other day, a video came onto my TikTok feed about a bakery in Arizona. They were sharing screenshots regarding a conversation with a woman who claimed to be an influencer who was asking to do a food review for them. While stating that she was going to be 100% honest, she set the demand that she would need the meal including the tip comped in return for her review. The bakery refused citing that they didn’t need the help but the woman went anyway and left a scathing review.The entitlement that follows some of these people over one viral moment or mediocre performing video is absolutely insane.
Forcing influencers down viewers throats, like the D’Amelio family, is so undeniably irritating. No, I don’t want to listen to you talk about how hard it was for you today as you sit in your mansion that you’ve also most likely had before you were famous, too. And when they were mocking cashier workers for a photo shoot just felt so wrong.
Or Mikayla Nogueira, a makeup influencer, who said, “try being an influencer for a day” and who posted days ago about her thousand-dollar luxury shopping haul. The disconnect feels particularly bigger lately, and maybe that’s a representation of the state of the country.
To further the idea that they aren’t celebrities all one has to do is look at the “Dancing with the Stars” line up this year. Half of them aren’t celebrities, I hadn’t heard of most of them. Sure, I don’t live under a rock and recognize Alix Earle but again, she doesn’t do much. Or at least, not enough that makes me actually interested in who she is as a person. The Mormons? Literally who are you guys besides getting a talkback tv show about your religion.
This is not to say that celebrities are saints, because they aren’t. But as a journalist who would love to have even a fighting chance at covering some of the biggest events of the year, I would like to see trained journalists, who know how to talk to people, at these events. Not people who are just there because it looks good for their image and their managers thought it would be fun. I just believe there’s a disconnect when companies put influencers into spots that journalists or other people should have. I get it, sometimes it is fun to see the interactions between them as it often feels more natural.
But what about how hard they worked to get where they are? Did they really though? On the off chance that a video they posted went viral, these people went from living ordinary lives to making hundreds, thousands, possibly even millions of dollars overnight. Not to mention some of these famous influencers already came from rich or well-off households.
If they made more of an effort to connect with their audience or help people in need, the tone would be different. Though I mentioned Broski earlier in a good manner, I’m not excusing her from this. The point is that no matter how relatable these people seem online, they aren’t.
Maybe all of this discourse is heightened now more than ever given the political climate of the world. Now certain internet celebrities are becoming increasingly insensitive to the world around them in response to the views they receive. I’m sure that people will also make the argument that all of it is a stunt to get more views, but the problem is that it just means more interactions, which will bring an increase in money in their pockets.
Maybe the argument is bigger than internet celebrities. Maybe it’s just a representation of how everyone is losing their capability to be original, real, relatable and genuine human beings. Why must everything now become so incredibly fabricated that no one interaction is genuine but rather a ploy to get views?
