A Dive into the Lenses of Influencers
Influencers have become a staple and an acknowledged profession in today's world. I was given the opportunity and privilege to interact with two influencers who have the qualities of a so-called "news influencer" in an online setting. One of the two whom I interviewed through Zoom was Sir Reb Atadero. In the interview, I learned how he started making content on TikTok as a way to pass the time because his whole world of being an actor stopped during the pandemic. Fast forward now, he has 400k+ followers on his page, and he still continues to upload consistently, all the while doing a whole other job as an actor and teaching in acting classes.
He started out making content because during the pandemic, he saw that students weren't really getting anything from it, and so he decided to make fun educational and informational videos on TikTok due to the app's popularity among the youth.
Sir Reb's inspiration in making videos came from his wife, who showed him the ropes in the basics of navigating social media. For him, his love for acting and his job of being an actor became a really good foundation in his digital content; his content mainly talks about the things his interested in or, according to him, which he's "nerdy" about.
As Sir Reb's following and audience grew, his reach did as well, because of this, he realized that not everyone has his best interest, he learned that no matter what he does, there will always be people who will hate or dislike his content, he said that "you can't please everyone and that's okay." He learned which comments/feedback he should listen to and take into account when it comes to improving his content.
When I asked him the question about his goals for the next 2-3 years, he said how he wants to evolve his content, but not in a way that he will be a "cog in the machine" where he's pressured to commodify his content and upload on a daily basis. The way he wants his content to evolve is in a way where it comes from him and the audience, not just the audience itself.
When I asked Sir Reb's thoughts regarding ethics in the influencer world, he told me about his way of doing things. Before he uploads content he does rigorous amounts of research on the topic/subject of the content he's going to put out. Because he knows that there are people who will listen to the things he says. He is his own scriptwriter, editor, and of course, the person in front of the camera.
Sir Reb Answering the Bonus Questions
The Bonus Questions he answered:
How do you balance entertainment with educational or informative content?
With so much information online, how do you ensure your content is accurate and responsible?
Have you ever felt pressure to address certain social or political issues because of audience expectations?
Now moving on to the second influencer I interviewed, but instead of a Zoom interview, it's through Instagram chat, Ms. Chersie Zulueta, the current UAAP correspondent for the University of Santo Tomas. She only recently started documenting her journey as a correspondent on TikTok. Initially, she only uploaded music content on the app but recently she decided to use the platform as a way to document her journey as a UAAP correspondent for her university.
Ms. Chersie has always wanted to become a digital creator, so she went and did it, simple as that. It seemed an exciting thing for her to explore, and she gets to be herself which is the most important thing.
Just like Sir Reb, Ms. Chersie started to make content during the pandemic, and she decided to dive in headfirst.
Ms. Chersie was inspired by fellow women influencers, but who she looked up to the most is Ms. Angelique Manto, just like her, she was a UAAP correspondent and content creator. Because of how authentic Ms. Angelique Manto carries and expresses herself. Ms. Chersie was inspired to do the same.
Ms. Chersie's goal in the next 2-3 years is to grow not only as a content creator but also as a person who inspires others.
Ms. Chersie's take when it comes to ethics in the influencer industry is staying true to oneself and knowing your values by heart. Being mindful and having a constant sense of self-awareness and correction is a must.
I asked a total of 4 other questions for Ms. Chersie to find an angle that relates to being a "news influencer." One of the four questions is her perspective about how sports journalism influences broader social and political conversations. According to her, there is a lot of gender equality, racial equality, economic disparities, and other topics that can be highlighted in sports journalism.
https://www.instagram.com/rebranger/?hl=en
Comments
Post a Comment