Egos and Influencers

The trick is to realize that one is not important, except insofar as one’s example can serve to elucidate a more widespread human trait and make readers feel a little less lonely and freakish.

-       Phillip Lopate (from The Art of the Personal Essay)

The section of Lopate’s book titled “The Problem of Egotism” struck me the most while reading. He explains the struggle of the essayist in avoiding the ego when their very craft requires the presence of one. An ego, while still essential to the personal essay, must be handled carefully to avoid bragging, defensiveness, or self-victimizing. As articulated in the above quote, the essayist is not important— their message and its impact on the reader is.

As a creative writing major, I have sat through many lessons that taught us to "turn the camera outward," if you will, and focus on something other than the “I,” even if (especially if) you’re writing in the first person. Centering the lens too much around the “I” would disengage the reader and make the narrator rather annoying and unlikeable. This, while of course relevant to fiction (and nonfiction) writing generally, seems especially relevant to the persuasive personal essay. The purpose of such an essay, after all, is to persuade the reader of something, which will prove difficult if the reader is put off by the focus on the “I.” The reader should be engaged the entire time in order to have the best chance of persuading them of the essay’s argument.

Nowadays, such persuasive personal essays tend to take the form of a post on social media. Essays of this kind have the power to influence their audience, something they share with social media platforms. People on these platforms have an immense power to influence their audience with their posts on Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, etc., especially if they have a celebrity status with thousands, if not millions of followers.

As with anything, there are positive and negative aspects to the influencing power of social media. On the one hand, the posts on these platforms can facilitate jealousy or shame in individuals who see them. Not to get too political, but this is especially true for women and young girls, who constantly see pictures of beautiful female bodies on social media that may make them feel inadequate or unworthy. On the other hand, though, social media has the power to inform people about important issues, which is especially helpful given the pandemic currently sweeping the globe. People can post information about how to stay safe and the importance of social distancing, which has the ability to influence people all around the world to take action. Plus, I know of several Instagramers and YouTubers, such as Venetia Falconer, Zanna Van Dijk, and Niomi Smart who constantly inform their followers about sustainability, fast fashion, food waste, climate change, and other issues related to the environment and what one can do to help make a difference.

I think it’s also possible for people to influence others without the intention of doing so. The only example of this I can think of though is when people on social media post pictures and videos of themselves wearing certain brands or possessing certain items that may influence others to purchase those things without explicitly promoting those items or doing a sponsored post. In the comment section on many YouTube videos, you often see people asking things like: “What lipstick are you wearing?” “What kind of coffee machine is that?” “Where did you get your yoga mat from?” Even though, the person had no intention of influencing others to buy that lipstick, coffee machine, or yoga mat, their audience still notices them and want to get them for themselves.

When thinking about the potential of myself as an influencer, I’m not sure I could have the same effect as those with thousands and millions of followers. I never post on social media anyway, so my lack of a presence on these platforms surely inhibits my influencing abilities. However, I do believe that every individual has the power to influence those immediately surrounding them, such as family, friends, and members of their general community. For instance, having recently learned an extensive amount about climate change, fast fashion, veganism, etc. (through the social media accounts linked above) I have been able to inform my family about these important issues and influence them to change their ways and become more conscious of their habits and consumption choices. This kind of influence doesn't involve social media, or any kind of written/visual communication for that matter, but it still demonstrates the power each of us has to change the perspectives of those around us (despite perhaps not having a massive Twitter following).