I have been in social media / youtube for last 10 years seen the growth of most of the creators. After few recent instances,
I’ve been rethinking who I let into my feed, and I’ve realized most of the people I follow didn’t earn that spot. They just showed up, felt familiar, and stuck around.
Here’s what I’ve noticed about how influence actually works on us, and why it’s worth being more deliberate.
We get swayed by the wrong things. The biggest reasons we trust an influencer are that they seem credible, they feel like “one of us,” and they’re good-looking or have a nice aesthetic. Whether they actually teach us anything useful ranks surprisingly low. That’s a problem, because feeling relatable isn’t the same as knowing what you’re talking about.
The #ad tag doesn’t protect us. Most of us assume we get skeptical once we see “sponsored.” Honestly, I don’t think we do. If we already like the person, the label barely registers.
Follower count means nothing. A creator with 5K followers can be more knowledgeable than one with 5M, and the reverse is true too. Big numbers just mean they’re good at getting attention.
So who deserves to influence us? My filter now:
- People with real, checkable expertise. Do they have credentials, a track record, or work that exists outside their feed? This matters most for practical stuff like money, health, fitness and tech, where bad advice actually costs you. In youtube there is both CIO of a Mutual fund and random influencer exist I would better prefer CIO than a influencer.
- People whose recommendations fit what they normally talk about. A tech reviewer recommending a laptop is fine. The same person suddenly pushing trading course is a red flag. Same goes for fitness influencer.
- People who’d say the same thing unpaid. If their opinion seems to change with the sponsor, it isn’t their opinion.
- People you actually learn from. Look back at their last ten posts. If you can’t name one useful thing, you’re following them for vibes, and that’s fine as entertainment, as long as you’re not taking their advice.
- People who admit when they’re wrong or unsure. Constant certainty is a sales tactic, not expertise.
And who shouldn’t? Anyone whose main appeal is “they’re just like me,” anyone who makes you feel worse about your body, money or life so you’ll buy the fix, and anyone pushing advice in areas where they have no background.
Should we follow influencers at all? I think yes, but as a curated input, not a default. Treat your feed like a group of advisors you hired. Would you hire this person to tell you what to buy, eat or invest in? If not, they can stay for entertainment, but they don’t get a vote on your decisions.
Nanbargaley share your thoughts in comments. Also, after ready atleast un follow 2-3 influencers clear your clutter share it in comment.