I attend James Madison College in Harrisonburg, Virginia. With greater than 20,000 undergraduate college students, simply think about a typical U.S. college, and that’s JMU. There’s Greek life, soccer after all, many golf equipment and organizations to affix, an array of majors, and a really pleased and alluring ambiance. With social media at an all-time excessive, we’re seeing a a lot bigger inhabitants of on a regular basis individuals turning into social media influencers.
I’ve been a advertising/communications intern with Discover Your Affect since January and coincidentally, as a author for a student-run way of life journal, I used to be given the chance to interview 5 college students who’re thought of social media influencers at JMU. My aim was to achieve a greater understanding of what the influencing world was actually like for younger faculty college students. I wished to unlock the reality; the nice, the unhealthy, and the ugly of the influencing world. I wished to get a greater sense of how these college students stability being influencers whereas nonetheless attempting to have a traditional faculty expertise.
Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, and the ever so addictive app, TikTok, have taken the world by storm. We scroll for hours till the blue mild, illuminating from our smartphones, in the end exhausts our eyes. 5-minute break; time to scroll once more.
Social media influencers have develop into a rising phenomenon. Influencer tradition has exuded a pristine picture of perfection. It has develop into the life that almost all adolescents envy; model offers, sponsorships, cash, fame and followers. Seems like the final word dream, proper? However what about what’s behind the digicam? What about what’s off display? The time, power, tears shed, self-shame, loss of life threats, humiliation. Welcome to the not-so-perfect facet of being a publicized punching bag.
Megan James | 604.3K on TikTok
What do you do as an influencer?
“I do your relatable sort of content material on TikTok, trend content material on Instagram and work for Snapchat by posting movies on their Highlight Function every single day.”
Do you really get pleasure from being an influencer?
“I don’t suppose there’ll ever be a degree in my life the place I might sit in entrance of all people and complain about what I do. I can inform you that it’s loads of work, however I wouldn’t need to do the rest. So, if I’ve to work for nonetheless many hours a day, then positive I’ll do it as a result of that is what I need to do with my life. I benefit from the hell out of it. Is it exhausting? Do I need to rip my hair out typically? Completely. However who doesn’t once you’re working? It’s what I like, it’s what I’m captivated with, it’s my work, it’s every little thing.”
What are your targets for the longer term after faculty?
“I’ve some fairly enjoyable plans developing! I graduate this Might after which in August I’m shifting to Los Angeles, California. Once I transfer on the market, I’m not getting your typical job, I’m going to focus totally on social media. In the intervening time, I simply began engaged on this enterprise thought so I would begin up a enterprise whereas I’m there. I’m actually simply going on the market and throwing every little thing at pursuing a dream. The best way I see it’s that I received’t let myself fail, I can’t. I’ve on a regular basis on the planet to place every little thing I’ve obtained in direction of this one factor. Now, say it doesn’t go how I need, then I simply get a job. I dwell, I like, I can do no matter I need, so why the hell not?”
Anna Medykowski | 322.6K on TikTok
What do you do as an influencer? When did you first get began and why?
“I first began out in December of 2020 largely posting my outfits and dancing movies. I believe the primary video I ever made obtained round 50,000 views and I assumed that was the good factor ever, so then I stored going and my account simply slowly began going up.”
What’s the most tough half about being an influencer?
“The hate on the web. You possibly can submit one thing and never even suppose something is incorrect with it, however individuals will decide it aside and discover something to touch upon. I’ve my very own humor and my very own type. In case you don’t prefer it, I don’t actually care, however on the identical time it’s nonetheless aggravating to see these hateful feedback.”
How has turning into an influencer affected your faculty expertise?
“Regardless that I’m consistently filming TikToks and dealing to maintain my followers, I’m nonetheless having the identical faculty expertise I’d have even when I wasn’t on TikTok. Typically it’s a bit annoying as a result of I don’t get to increase and do every little thing I need to do with TikTok. I’ve had many photographers ask me to return out to LA, however I’ve to say no as a result of I can’t miss class. So proper now, I’m simply specializing in the individuals which might be in my space and people who are keen to return see me.”
Spencer Aitken | 2.3M on TikTok
What do you do as an influencer?
“I sometimes make story time movies on TikTok. I’d make story time after story time after which final summer season I had my most considered video which was near 60 million views. That’s after I actually began to achieve extra followers.”
Is it arduous to stability doing TikTok and college?
“Yeah, positively. I’ve been placing much more emphasis on college this 12 months quite than TikTok. Earlier than the college 12 months began, I had the chance to not go to JMU and exit to LA to be part of a content material creator home, however I made a decision to go to high school as a substitute as a result of my mother and father all the time emphasised getting a level first. Regardless that TikTok is nice cash, it was necessary for me to concentrate on the long-term.”
How has turning into an influencer affected your faculty expertise?
“It’s positively positively affected my faculty expertise. I really feel prefer it’s made me right into a extra assured and confident particular person. I believe that has mirrored on my relationships and the individuals I’ve met. A number of years in the past, I wouldn’t have the social abilities that I do now. I can now be myself with none repercussions. I’ve additionally gotten much more organized. Earlier than TikTok, I used to be horrible with time administration, however when firms provide you with deadlines, it’s a must to meet them. It’s correlated to loads of my college assignments as nicely.”
Tram Tran | 881.7K on TikTok
What do you do as an influencer?
“I went viral by making all you may eat sushi movies on TikTok. My pals all the time knew that I ate rather a lot and as a joke they advised me to movie a TikTok and my first video ended up getting round a half 1,000,000 views.”
How a lot time, work, and energy does it take to maintain your following?
“Earlier than turning into an influencer, I by no means realized how a lot work it takes to maintain up along with your following and keep related. I needed to e mail my advisor and ask to do all my courses on-line for this semester as a result of it’s so arduous to maintain up with courses together with my work. Simply posting a 15 second video can take me nearly three hours to make. I even have sure deadlines I’ve to satisfy for manufacturers. I’m a part of an company the place they assign me sure deadlines and if I don’t meet them, not solely does it look unhealthy on me, nevertheless it appears unhealthy on the company as nicely, so there’s loads of strain to make sure every little thing is filmed on time.”
Do you really get pleasure from being an influencer?
“I’ve this platform the place I get to make individuals pleased which is so rewarding. I nonetheless don’t suppose I’ve grasped how many individuals watch me every day. Like I’m simply that lady that eats on TikTok, nothing particular. My favourite half about influencing is the response from my followers. I get loads of DMs from women saying how a lot I helped them with their consuming problems and the way I inspired them to eat at present. To know that I’m making somebody’s day just a little brighter signifies that that is all value it.”
Kendall Vertes | 7.3M on TikTok
How did you get began?
“I’ve accomplished aggressive dance my entire life and finally we obtained a name from the TV present, ‘Dance Mothers.’ After seven years of ‘Dance Mothers,’ that was the steppingstone that opened loads of doorways for every little thing that got here after. We have been getting sponsorships and loads of us obtained into music, performing and modeling.”
Do you really get pleasure from being an influencer?
“General, my life is a revolving door of posting on Instagram, filming motion pictures and making TikToks. My life is figure, however I find it irresistible. That’s what I do. The hatred that individuals will submit about you is the toughest half. I’ve been by means of rather a lot and I’ve powerful pores and skin however on the identical time it’s tough to bear typically. It’s arduous to not reply, however more often than not I simply must let it go. I suppose it comes with the job.”
How has being an influencer affected your faculty expertise?
“It was positively a transition. Coming to a giant campus in a completely totally different state the place I knew nobody was positively a giant change for me. Everybody right here at JMU has been so good and I by no means imagined having the variety of pals I do. I didn’t need my pals to love me for being ‘Kendall from “Dance Mothers”’ I wished them to love me for who I’m now. I don’t actually take into account myself an influencer at JMU, and I don’t even like to think about myself well-known as a result of I got here to school to be a traditional particular person and get the standard faculty expertise. I didn’t need to mix the celebrity a part of my life and the conventional faculty a part of my life, so I attempt to maintain these separate. Typically I simply must take a step again and bear in mind to dwell my life for myself too, not only for my followers.”
Influencers are function fashions, public figures, comedians, fashion-icons, and extra, however they’re additionally actual people too. They go to high school, watch method an excessive amount of TV, fail assessments, get their hearts damaged and even do the dishes. Via arduous work, dedication and a robust work ethic, Megan, Anna, Spencer, Tram and Kendall have developed the energy and resilience to make it within the influencing world and have preserved by means of the challenges of balancing faculty and thousands and thousands of followers.
Freelance contribution particularly written for Discover Your Affect by Jordan O’Connor.
