Be An Influencer: A Word of Advice to Gen-Z
According to a 2019 survey by research firm Morning Consult, a shockingly-high 86% of Gen-Z and Millennials want to become social media influencers, and 54% of them would actually make the move to become one "if given the opportunity." These are staggeringly large numbers, especially compared to previous generations. While the idea of making a career out of being an online influencer may seem like a strange fad to older folk, young people see influencers as mainstream players in society and even trust them for lifestyle advice more than they trust celebrities.
What's driving the desire of these younger generations toward this aspiration? Certainly there's the element of envy and comparison. Since they see their generational peers making it big on popular platforms like YouTube and Tik Tok on a regular basis, they are led to believe that it could happen to anybody, even to them. This way of thinking is similar to the mentality of regular lottery players; since they see someone winning the lottery every time they play, they rationalize that someone has to win, and that someone might as well be them.
“At no other moment in the history of humankind has there been one job or field that 86% of a generation aspired to.”
Of course, the numbers do not support the fantasy. The chances of winning the lottery are exceedingly improbable, just as it's exceedingly improbable to become a viral online sensation. For every B-list influencer, there are literally hundreds of thousands of competitors trying to take their place in the rankings.
There's also the element of pride and vanity. Gen-Z is not the only generation to suffer from these traits; they're endemic to all generations in every place. The only difference is that social media has amplified—by many orders of magnitude—the desire for attention and the need for affirmation from others.
At no other moment in the history of humankind has there been one job or field that 86% of a generation aspired to. At the height of the Industrial Revolution, 86% of the people didn't want to go into manufacturing. At the height of WWI and WWII, 86% of the population didn't want to serve in the military. At the height of the dot-com bubble, 86% of young people didn't want to go into IT. This statistic can only be explained by the disproportionate effect that social media has had on Gen-Z, an effect that cuts across gender, ethnic, and socio-economic lines.
True Influencers According to Scripture
The desire to influence others in itself isn't a bad or sinful thing. After all, God has designed the human heart to pursue influence and impact in order to find fulfillment and meaning in life. But what perverts this natural desire into something worldly are the motives, the methods, and the metrics behind it.
The motives of true influencers, according to Scripture, are God-centered and gospel-driven. Matthew 6:33 says, "Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you." Philippians 1:27 tells us to live our lives in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Worldly influencers, however, seek first their own digital kingdoms and live their lives for views and hits. They are driven by the desire for attention and success.
“It's a shame that the people most worthy of imitation are often the ones most unnoticed and unappreciated.”
The methods of true influencers, according to Scripture, are the very methods Jesus used during His earthly ministry. "Love the Lord your God with all your heart. Love your neighbor and your enemies as yourself. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." Jesus influenced others by spending great quantities of time with them (John 3:22). Paul influenced others by leading them by example: "Imitate me as I imitate Christ" (1 Corinthians 11:1).
Worldly influencers, on the other hand, love themselves more than they love others. They're in it for the fame and the money, not to transform other people's lives. YouTubers spend virtually zero time with their viewers and are hardly paragons of virtue by any standard. It's a shame that the people most worthy of imitation are often the ones most unnoticed and unappreciated.
“The Bible's advice to young people today is clear: be an influencer, just not the kind you're thinking of.”
Finally, true influencers use very different metrics to measure success (or faithfulness, to use biblical parlance) from worldly influencers. Godly influencers go by the 1 Corinthians 10:31 rule: whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. If they can say they did something with the primary motivation to please and glorify God, to make much of the name of Christ and to build His kingdom on the earth, then they can say they succeeded, regardless of the outcome.
Worldly influencers, on the other hand, measure their success by analytics (views, clicks, sources, average viewing time) and by how much money they make. Whether they glorify God is the farthest thing from their minds. Their goal is to make much of their own brand, even at the cost of their souls or the souls of others.
Conclusion
The Bible's advice to young people today is clear: be an influencer, just not the kind you're thinking of. Digital fame and glory is fleeting, more fleeting than most kinds of fame. It's not worth pursuing. Christ, however, is the most worthy pursuit a mortal can strive after. The impact one person who is totally surrendered and devoted to God can make is incalculable; it cannot be measured by mere hits and average view times.
Dear young person, think bigger than what society or the culture teaches you to think. As the Apostle Paul, arguably the most influential human being to ever live after Jesus Himself, says in Philippians 3:14, pursue as your goal the prize promised by God’s heavenly call in Christ Jesus. Then you'll be a true influencer, one who actually changes the world for the better.