A loose definition of an influencer would be someone who has the ability to influence the opinion of people, but the word lately has become so prevalent on social media, that it is now mostly associated with people who influence potential buyers of a product or service and recommend it to their followers.
Because the spotlight is on social media influencers, does not mean there are no influencers in other domains. Even this writer could be considered an influencer because of the persistent effort to influence the opinion of the readers of this publication for quite a while now.
There is a difference though, social media influencers even if their content is entertaining, informative, educative and free of charge, chances are with passage of time and once they buildup a sizeable following, these creators are attracted to monetising their effort, even if it was not the creators' intention in the first place.
As far as the consumer is concerned, they fully understand that whatever recommendation the social media influencers make, is paid for by the sponsor of the content and hence not taken seriously.
Same applies to mainstream media too, why on earth will anyone with common sense entertain Amitabh Bachchan’s or Sunil Gavaskar’s recommendation to consume some pan masala, even if they happen to be your childhood heroes?
In this case the consumer is fully aware the above celebrities are doing their job for a fee and therefore their advice is not taken seriously. On the other hand, if Gavaskar comments on cricket or Amitabh on films everybody pays attention, mostly because of their integrity.
People usually take opinions seriously when they know there is no money or quid pro quo involved and the person giving his opinion is doing it for the greater good even risking his reputation.
Mistakes might be forgiven but intentionally taking the people for a ride will never be forgotten. When you reach a position of such influence, it becomes important that people that follow your opinion are not cheated along the way just because you have a sizeable fan base. With election just days away, disingenuous influencers have now gone in hyperactive mode. Puts pressure on the voters to look beyond the noise, but that is exactly what the political class wants you to be, confused.
For example a narrative has been built by influencers in Goa at least, that some candidates are in the fray due to their historical background of social work and politics according to them seems to be a natural progression.
Actually, the situation is just the opposite as many knowledgeable Goans will tell you that politics is the last place to do any social work in Goa. Also, India is not a poor country anymore, we citizens are bombed out while taxed and with that tax money, the members of parliament are paid a hefty amount of salary and perks, the least we want is politicians telling us that they are entering this domain to do social work. We need salaried members of parliament who are made accountable and to listen to their constituents so that laws are made only based on voter’s feedback.
The Assembly elections took place in Goa not so long ago, Goans gave a fractured verdict and all sort of underhand dealing took place to attain majority in forming the government. Politicians who crossed over to the other party not only mocked the Gods but also insulted the people who voted for them.
How much money changed is anybody’s guess. Now in these parliamentary elections, the same politicians have taken the role of influencers, hoping their voters have forgotten their recent baloney and will vote for their inexperienced party candidate only on the basis of their influence. They are betting on Goans following them irrespective of the party they are in, now that they have changed the scarf round their necks.
These politicians have made it an art of keeping Goans under their thumb and followers for life, by not only outsourcing their influencer’s role to their subordinates but also bifurcate those into small manageable pockets of influence preferably ward wise.
They could be panchayat members or temporary vote managers who make arrangements to ferry Goans to the polling booth or visit at midnight with packets of crumb money. These can be called the last mile influencers of the worst kind. Unfortunately for Goa, it is here that the scales of the elections get tilted.
To be fair all Goans do not fall for these last mile influencers and have a mind of their own as to whom to vote, but many are still vulnerable, be it their financial position or lack of education, or their inability to review the incumbent politician’s performance, they usually fall prey to these monkey tricks. These vulnerable Goans are under the impression on their own or sometimes manipulated to believe that bribe money paid to vote or the transportation provided to ferry them to the voting booth is legal payment by the government.
For too long, the influential through their opinions and reputation have swayed people into believing that their words or deeds are always beneficial to Goa. The trick might have worked especially with the timid Generation Past, but not with the confident, in the know, digitally advanced, Generation Next. When a religious leader of a certain faith does the honourable thing of advising his faithful to cancel a pilgrimage on voting day, it’s a clear sign that days of taking the people for a ride are ending soon. Influencers with integrity are going to call your bluff, even if you keep reinvent yourself.
(The author is a business consultant)