A Very Pretty Pedestal: Why do we Value Random Internet People So Highly?

Has your favourite influencer recently been cancelled? Wondering why this seems to keep happening? Well then, this article is for you.

With the magnitude of social media in this day and age, pretty much anyone can get famous overnight, without necessarily having certain talents or skills to warrant it. Obviously looks have always been highly valued in our society, but with the current opportunities that social media provides, they’re now more commodified than ever.

If we continue to give people a platform purely based on their looks and superficial behaviours, then can we be surprised when they don’t turn out to be a good person, or even far from it?

Influencers seem to be getting exposed for their problematic behaviour on a daily basis nowadays, and whatever your opinion is on cancel culture, there has to be a reason why so many people with a big platform have said and done horrible things in the past.

For example, L.A. Influencer and TikTok star ‘Brooke Schofield’, who co-hosts the popular Cancelled podcast with ‘Tana Mongeau’, came under fire this August when a string of her racist tweets resurfaced from 2012-2016, including one defending George Zimmerman for murdering the unarmed black teenager Trayvon Martin.

While she did come out and apologise for her actions, Schofield’s case seems to be just one in a cycle of events where conventionally attractive Internet personalities are exposed for incredibly problematic behaviours, then claiming that they’ve “changed” (unsurprisingly after they gained internet traction).

Their comments then flood with comments of disbelief that their “fave” could have EVER done such a thing.

Why do we keep putting people on a pedestal just because they’re attractive? Especially when they arguably haven’t really done much to deserve it.

Listen, I love nothing more than seeing a TikTok of a cool girly going about her day-to-day life, so I’m not suggesting that every single person you like or follow HAS to be politically outspoken, especially when the content they make doesn’t call for it.

I definitely agree that it’s imperative for people to use their platforms responsibly, and that huge influence can and should be used to call out injustices and create change. However, when people who lip sync and fit check for a living are harassed for not speaking on complex political issues, part of me wishes that people would invest that energy in doing their own research from trusted news sources and academics, rather than forcing an uninformed influencer to be a spokesperson for a topic they know nothing about, and spread potentially harmful information.

As privileged as it is, some people just aren’t politically informed, because their lifestyle allows them not to be, and choosing them to be the one drive and spread information becomes a potential issue. We really can’t be surprised when people that are looked up to for more surface level or materialistic reasons aren’t walking encyclopaedias for injustices that have never affected them. So, while I definitely think people with huge platforms should use them for the greater good, I just don’t think we should be surprised when they don’t.

This all probably sounds quite cynical, so I want to point out that I actually do have a lot of faith in humanity. I just think we need to question our investment in the opinions and actions of certain famous people, and instead put our trust in people that actually know what the hell they’re talking about.
So, snuggle up and enjoy that daily vlog, you deserve it.

Words by Anna Lawrence-Wasserberg

Cover Image Credit: Getty Images