Irrefutably, the present day millennial’s social media reality is aspirational, larger-than-life and often evokes bouts of envy and feelings of not being enough. But, FOMO (Fear of missing out) catches up and often takes over the need to detox. Turns out, influencers are sitting up and taking note of how much impact each Instagram story or a Facebook promotion may have on their followers - and are finally using their power for good. A volley for city influencers are now exposing more reality on mediums that exist in the first place because of our innate desire to appear bigger and better than our true selves. From speaking up about a mental issue to a niggling thought about a societal norm; Bengaluru Chronicle talks to influencers, who share their inputs on the same.
“Social media is a fantastic tool to share your thoughts on pressing issues. A topic that I recently addressed was water conservation,” begins influencer Shanu Suresh, who further elucidates,”Almost everyone uses water purifiers at home and for every litre of water stored, close to 4 litres of water is wasted. This waste water rich in minerals, can be easily collected and used to mop the house, wash the car, water plants, etc. One follower even responded saying he has routed this discarded water to the washing machine, which I think is brilliant! A small effort initially goes a long long way!” Thinking along similar lines, blogger Nandini Swaminathan believes that her platform should be used for both her own content but also to show her audience that as bloggers we too, like them, have our own real moments. “I once got told that I seem to have a perfect life. That’s when it struck. me how far from reality this platform is. I’ve posted instances of me without makeup, use filters mostly for basic touch ups and not more, and have also mentioned when I’m not doing ok. I’ve received DMs telling me how much they appreciate me for this. I’m also an outspoken advocate for mental health and an ally for the body positivity movement, and LGBTQIA rights.”
Brands today prefer associating with social media bloggers and influencers today as they feel that their product will receive the social media hype and buzz that the brand would like to create. But today bloggers / influencers have also moved away from only posting about marketing collaborations to also talking about generic issues and issues that they strongly believe in and I feel that’s a good thing. Since they have the following and reach as influencers / bloggers if they want to talk about how they create content, how hard batter deals are because let’s be real they too have bills to pay that sometimes barter deals don’t work very well for bloggers / influencers they should be given the freedom to do so,” opines Ayushi Guha, an independent media consultant, who adds that it’s important to respect their opinion, “Blogging today has become serious work for many as there’s a lot of time, effort and dedication that is put in. And sometimes it is vital for their fans and followers to get a real idea of what happens behind the scenes”.
Concluding how she uses her platform to optimise in terms of spreading positivity as well, Nandini Swaminathan concludes, “I’ve also been a panelist to talk about this issue, and regularly talk about my own issues with depression, which has formed a connection with my audience. I support and speak out against bullying, against body shaming and in favour of equality for women and the LGBTQIA community as well. And regularly talk about my own issues with depression and how I deal with them on my Instagram stories.”
