by Jonathan Bauman, M.D. LFAPA, Editor
At the risk of sounding like an old fogie (full disclosure: I qualify,
and have never used Tik Tok or Instagram, and I only watch
YouTube music videos occasionally), the concept of “influencers”
makes me roll my eyes. Now that the esteemed institution of
Harvard University, no less, (Harvard Cozies Up to #MentalHealth
Tie Tok, NY Times 10/16/23) is studying how these extraordinary
individuals are having an impact on mental health care, I am
convinced that the dumbing down of our society is almost
complete.
According to SproutSocial, which I found on a Google search
(yes, I know how to do that), “Influencers have specialized
knowledge, authority or insight into a specific subject. Their pre-
existing presence in a niche makes them a useful launching pad
for brands in search of credibility.” So this is basically advertising
in the digital age. But these don’t sound like the influencers that
I’ve heard or read about, the ones that invite you into their
bedroom, bathroom, or broom closet to watch them dance,
prance, sleep, snore, poop or coop. According to Merriam-
Webster an influencer is “a “person who inspires or guides the
actions of others”. Well, you might define TED talk presenters
that way, but really, the influencers I’ve heard or read about aren’t
quite at that level. So what does this say about the people who
are being influenced, such as many of our adolescent and young
adult patients?
According to the Times article, Harvard invited a number or
mental health influencers to their campus to discuss their
methods for reaching their audience and, hopefully, make their
presentations more clinically informed. This, on the surface,
seems like a good idea, as one guest influencer was a part-time
bartender and 19-year therapy patient; another was a farmer who
counsels about attachment while baling hay; a third, who
narrates during her bouts of depression while confiding that she
hasn’t brushed her teeth for days (good thing she doesn’t have to
worry about bad breath!); and a fourth, who made a video on
“manifesting”, or using the mind to bring about change. Really?
You use your mind to bring about change? Who watches this
stuff? Well, evidently, our patients do.
The Harvard group conducted a study with 42 “responsible”
influencers to see if they could get them to integrate public health
messages on several different themes into their videos. One of
them found no way of integrating the messages into her videos,
which feature her dancing uninhibitedly or gazing at the viewer
with an expression of unconditional love. Another influencer
couldn’t do it because the messages didn’t click with his shtick
discussing issues that feed his viewers’ “victim” mentality.
According to a report by Jennifer Liu of CNBC, more than half of
Gen Zers think they can easily make a career in influencing,
which they see as a reputable career choice. One poll found that
being an online celebrity was the top dream job of 13-17 year
olds — above doctor, nurse, pro athlete, musician or actor. Hey,
in my youth I wanted to be a rock star, but since I couldn’t sing or
play an instrument, doctor won out.
In an article in Forbes, Peter Seclu reports that one in four Gen
Zers currently wants to be an influencer and a substantial
number would pay to become one. But can a quarter of our
youths make it in that field? Perhaps they can if the number of
suckers who are willing to buy snake oil continues to proliferate.
As for those Zers or their parents willing to pay to become an
influencer, we now have...drum roll...Influencer Camp! Taylor
Lorenz, for the Washington Post (11/7/23) reports that camps
teaching kids to be YouTubers are cropping up across the
country. Oh, but first pardon me. The less pejorative name for
“Influencer” is now “Creator”. In Texas, “Creator Camp”
attracted nearly 1300 six to twelve-year-olds across 11 locations
this past summer.
Becoming a, ahem, creator is one of the most popular career
goals among schoolchildren. In a study by the Harris Poll in
2019, 30% of 8 to 12 year olds listed “YouTuber” as their top
career choice. Another study that year of 13 to 38-year-olds
(Gen Z and Millennials) revealed that 54% wanted to become
social media influencers. After-school programs and summer
camps like Creator Camp are appearing across the country for
kids. Even some reputable colleges have courses or programs
on social media marketing and content creation.
In the Post article, Taylor Lorenz quotes a fourth grade camper as
saying, “YouTube is a good path to getting rich because once
you upload a ton of videos, that’s when you start getting likes
and money.” Another camper, a second-grader who has dreamt
of being a YouTuber since age 4, said, “As a YouTube star I could
buy whatever I want, like an iPhone, a computer and AirPods,
and a Barbie Dreamhouse.” A more sophisticated fourth-grader
pointed out that creating YouTubes pushes you out of your
comfort zone to do things you’ve never done before.
Psychologically minded middle-school kids see YouTubing as a
way of dealing with social isolation, with lack of confidence, and
with bullying. One such kid said, “Being a YouTuber would make
me more confident, because if I had a hater, I would not care.
My fans will say how awesome I am.” Gotta love those fans.
It’s great that these young people are learning computer skills,
both technical or creative. But it’s not likely that the market will
absorb the number of youngsters aspiring to be “influencers”.
Hopefully those left behind will be prepared for disappointment,
not to mention being prepared for the dangers lurking on the
internet.
So here is your test. When your teenage or young adult patient
(or your kid) pronounces that they want to be an influencer, you
respond by saying (pick one):
1. What’s an influencer?
2. Who do you want to influence and what do you want to
influence them about?
3. Are you kidding me?
4. I thought you wanted to be a (enter one): fireman, policeman,
doctor, teacher, pilot, investment banker (or anything that
appears on a “Careers” game board)?
5. Tell me more about that.
For the correct answer, visit my YouTube channel ;-)
