Influencers need to grasp their strength and the potential dangers of it
Many of you know me as a Mayor but not all of you know that I am also a streamer. In addition to my day job and duties as Mayor, I fulfill one of my life long passions and hobbies by streaming videogames on Twitch.TV. For those of you who are curious, you can find a link to my channel here. In light of this non-traditional overlap of interests and recent events like the tragedy in New Zealand, I feel compelled to speak out. After nearly a decade of public service, I like to think that I know a thing or two about influence, messaging, and how it affects the public at large.
During my time as Mayor, I have seen very direct examples of how much influence that I have. Due to the weight of my title, people believe what I say. Whether it be during a public hearing, on the news or on social media, most people believe in what their elected leaders say because it is my job to serve the public and they believe that I have information and resources at my disposal. As the internet and streaming community continue to evolve however, I find that many, if not most streamers, YouTubers and “influencers” don’t understand that they wield the exact same power.
It may seem wild at first to compare the power of a Mayor or an elected official to that of a streamer or content creator, right? It really isn’t. An elected official is someone who has been chosen to lead a community, manage government and is generally entrusted to care for those that live in their jurisdiction. Now what is an influencer? An influencer is someone who has a community that trusts them for entertainment, recommendations, insight, knowledge, education, news, information and more. Are the two really that different? No, they’re not. Both elected officials and online influencers are people who have followers who believe in and trust what they say.
Now think about that. Advertising companies realize how powerful influencers are. That’s why EA just paid Ninja over one million dollars to play Apex Legends. They realize how many people turn to Ninja for advice and insight on what games to play. EA understands just how massive Ninja’s influence is. This influence doesn’t end at Ninja, however. Any streamer on Twitch, content creator on YouTube or any platform on the internet that has a following whatsoever, wields this power. This can be an extremely positive thing. Many influencers and content creators use their power to help teach people, share information, motivate people or guide them toward practices or products that may benefit them. That’s great, right? But what happens when influencers either knowingly or unknowingly lead their communities down the wrong path?
The horrific events in New Zealand have sparked a discussion around just how grave and dangerous the power of influencers can be. Right before the recent tragedy in New Zealand unfolded, the shooter urged people to subscribe to a certain YouTube content creator and proceeded to live stream the carnage that they unleashed. This content creator has been known to flirt with and promote content that is based on hateful ideologies. While he himself may not be creating hateful content, he is directing his following of millions to content that flirts with dangerous and hateful ideals.
Before I go any further, let me be clear that I am not blaming this YouTuber for the shooting. What I am blaming him for is not understanding just how strong his influence is or not caring about the repercussions of promoting hatred like this. No matter what his motivations are for leading his followers to this type of content, he did it. He can say that he was just trying to have an engaging conversation, he can say that there was other content on those channels or websites that he was drawing attention to and that it wasn’t the hateful message, he can say whatever he wants but the fact is, he lead millions of people to read or listen to hateful propaganda meant to influence the viewer.
So what did we just establish? This guy is a one of the largest influencers in the world. He has the power to influence the way that millions of people think. In his mind, he may have just tried to be edgy or controversial or get some attention to continue growing his channel but he is doing it by promoting hatred. This is what influencers and content creators need to grasp. As influencers, we are literally influencing the way that people think. Everything that you do and say is being looked at and thought about by your followers and community. When you’re live on Twitch or when you post a video to YouTube, there are children watching your video. There are probably mentally unstable people watching your video. There are people who you have influence over, watching your content, whether you realize it or not and we have to hold ourselves accountable as content creators to live up to that standard. We owe it to our communities to guide them in a direction that is at the very least, safe and stable if not anything else. There are a million different reasons to start an online community but if you aren’t leading your community in a direction that is at least safe to them, their families and friends, what are you doing?
This particular content creator has said that he was sickened that the shooter in New Zealand uttered his name. We now see that this content creator is trying to distance himself from the ideas that he was peddling that were connected to the tragedy but here’s the thing; He should have realized this before he ever did it. I believe that he never wanted to hurt anyone. I believe that he is legitimately sicked by what has happened and the thought that he may have had some level of influence on violence and this act of sheer evil. I believe it. But he should have known that leading his viewers and community to dangerous and disgusting thoughts could have consequences. And now they have.
This particular content creator isn’t the only person guilty of this, either. All kinds of people do controversial things to get attention in hopes of growing their influence, getting their name out there, building their brand, getting elected or furthering their cause. It’s very common today and for some of us, it’s easy to spot. I think that influencers on the internet and in the streaming community however are having a particularly hard time grasping this concept by nature of the internet.
Many streamers and influencers are literally just people sitting in their homes with a webcam on them. That’s what’s appealing about streamers and YouTubers right? You feel connected to them and it feels intimate. At the same time however, it creates a disconnect. Sitting in the comfort of your home and reading Twitch chat, doesn’t give the content creator an idea of just what kind of impact that they can have. If you’re being interviewed by a crew of news casters or if you’re an elected official, you can grasp this idea because you know that all eyes are on you and you can see the action real world applications of your actions. If I suddenly go on my Mayoral social media accounts and tell people to start evacuating, do you think that some people will? Yes, they will, because they trust me and my words and actions have an influence. When a professional athlete talks to reporters, they know that people are listening because there are people right there with them. When a streamer sits at home and plays Fortnite however, do they really understand how many people are trusting them? Even if your viewership number is huge, do you really grasp how much faith people are placing in you? Probably not, because on your end they’re just a username and you probably think that they’re just there to watch you play Fortnite. But the reality is that they’re listening to you and what you say, matters.
As online influencers, professional gaming and esports continue to grow and evolve, we have to grasp just how powerful we are. The internet, gaming and streaming communities needs to start understanding just how powerful they are. Those followers and viewers that you have are real people, with real lives. While many streamers and influencers may be taking actions to create a “spark” we have to realize that a spark is still fire and no matter how the fire started started, it is dangerous and it cannot be controlled. We have to remember that we all have a great power and with that, comes responsibility. Please think about the impact that your words and actions have on your community and strive to lead in a safe and positive direction. The alternative is far too scary, dangerous and unfortunately becoming more and more apparent in the real world.
