Day 79: Influencers

The Real Influence

The world that we live in. Filled with a bunch of these 'influencers'. Yes the Kardashians and what nots of the 21st century. People who know everything, known by everyone and somehow seem to dictate how we should live, the standards the people we should hang around the filter we should use on our photos and when to post and not post on our timelines. We are not going to talk about that kind of influence today. Today we talk about a different kind of influence, one that inspires people not to do more but to be more. Influence that inspires people to grow and become the best versions of themselves.

The Blue-Tick Validation (Because That's What Really Matters, Innit?)

Let's be honest, shall we? We've created a bizarre ecosystem where individuals famous primarily for being famous tell us how to live our lives. They've mastered the art of the perfect selfie angle, sponsored content that doesn't look too sponsored, and captions that somehow combine vulnerability, aspiration, and product placement in three perfectly crafted sentences.

I'm reminded of that exchange between Socrates and his student Glaucon (alright, I'm paraphrasing liberally here):

Socrates: "What is influence, young Glaucon?"
Glaucon: "To shape the thoughts and actions of others?"
Socrates: "And what if one has nothing of value to shape those thoughts with?"
Glaucon: "Then I suppose one promotes detox teas and teeth-whitening kits instead."

The ancient Greeks didn't have Instagram, but they understood the hollow nature of fame without substance. As Ecclesiastes 1:2 reminds us: "Vanity of vanities, says the Teacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity." (NRSV)

Or in modern parlance: all those filters won't fix your soul, love.

Beyond the Blue Light

Real influence, the kind that reshapes destinies rather than just shopping habits operates at a different frequency altogether.

Think of Moses. Hardly what we'd call an influencer by today's standards. Man had a speech impediment, for crying out loud. Terrible personal branding. No coherent aesthetic. Probably would've been rubbish at flat lay photography.

Yet he led an entire people from slavery to freedom. No sponsored content required.

As Exodus 4:10-12 tells us: "But Moses said to the Lord, 'O my Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor even now that you have spoken to your servant; but I am slow of speech and slow of tongue.' Then the Lord said to him, 'Who gives speech to mortals? Who makes them mute or deaf, seeing or blind? Is it not I, the Lord? Now go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you are to speak.'" (NRSV)

Moses wasn't selling anything. He was serving something. Therein lies the difference.

The Psychology of True Influence 

According to research from the Harvard Business Review, genuine influence stems from a combination of warmth and competence. People trust those they perceive as both caring about them and capable of delivering on promises.

Your average Instagram star might nail the perceived competence bit they certainly look like they've got life sorted in their immaculately curated feeds but the warmth? The authentic concern for others' wellbeing? That's where the wheels come off the influencer bandwagon.

In his surprisingly non-rubbish book "Give and Take," organisational psychologist Adam Grant categorises people as givers, takers, or matchers. The most influential people long-term, he argues, are the givers those who contribute to others without expecting immediate return.

Most modern "influencers" are professional takers, extracting attention, engagement, and eventually money from their followers while giving what? Discount codes? Lifestyle envy? Ten-second dopamine hits?

Bloody bargain, that.

The Quiet Revolutionaries (The Ones Not Posting About It)

Ever notice how the people making the most profound difference are often the least visible on your feed?

There's your secondary school teacher who believed in you when you were being a right little terror. The colleague who quietly mentors newcomers without broadcasting their generosity. The friend who checks in when you're struggling, not to post about their supportive nature but because they genuinely care.

Proverbs 27:2 tells us: "Let someone else praise you, and not your own mouth; an outsider, and not your own lips." (NIV)

True influence doesn't announce itself. It doesn't need to.

From Followers to Fellow Travellers 

Perhaps what we need isn't influencers at all, but companions. Not people walking ahead of us, showing off their perfect path, but people walking beside us, sharing both the stunning vistas and the blisters.

In the surprisingly insightful book "Community: The Structure of Belonging," Peter Block argues that real transformation happens through invitation and possibility rather than persuasion and pressure.

The best influencers don't make us feel inadequate about our current state; they help us imagine new possibilities for our future state. They don't showcase perfection; they model honest striving.

The Algorithm of Authenticity (See What I Did There?)

If there's one thing more transparent than an influencer's attempt to make a sponsored post seem candid, it's our collective hunger for something genuine.

We're drowning in perfectly curated content while dying of thirst for authentic connection. We're bombarded with lifestyle aspiration while craving life inspiration.

Isaiah 55:2 asks: "Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labour for that which does not satisfy?" (NRSV)

Why indeed are we investing our precious attention in those who offer hollow calories rather than soul nourishment?

The Way Forward (Or Just My Thoughts at 3 AM)

Perhaps instead of asking "who should I follow?", we might ask "who helps me become more fully myself?"

Instead of "who has the lifestyle I want?", perhaps "who embodies the values I aspire to?"

Rather than "who makes me feel I need more?", maybe "who helps me appreciate what I already have?"

The measure of influence shouldn't be follower count but life impact. Not engagement metrics but human metamorphosis.

Because This Is what we do NOW.