Everyone sees them. They are all over. Before these influencers were just on our screens, on your TikTok page, or your Instagram feed, but now they are walking the red carpet at the Grammys alongside A-List celebs.
But should they be?
It’s first important to note, what exactly is an influencer? Well, they are the people that you mainly see on social media showing off their makeup routines, pranks, vlogs, etc.
Lately, influencers such as Chris Olsen and Dylan Mulvaney, have been spotted at big name events like the 2024 Grammys.
Neither of these influencers have anything to do with music. So why are they there? And should they have even been invited?
It makes you wonder if they had a seat, there is a good chance
License used CC 2.0 (Alan Light)
that some very talented artist lost their seat at the Grammys.
It takes years of preparation and auditions to become a successful actor in the industry and only “if it clicks it feels like it’s over night,” says Mrs. Lotyczewski, choir teacher and prominent member in our school theater community.
Acting is not something that can happen overnight. It takes years of training and even then it doesn’t always work out. There is a certain level of natural talent needed. But to put a phone up and hit record? Is it really talent?
Talking to my people in school many agree that influencers should not be categorized as a celebrity. Out of the 5 people I’ve asked, 4 said they are not. My informal conversations suggest that the majority of people don’t see these people on the same level as a celebrity. They often could not put into words exactly why they felt like they weren’t true celebs.
“I don’t know why, they just aren’t,” said Mia Labella.
However, one could argue that these influencers are putting on their own kind of show. Honestly, how different are they from the Karadashians who became famous for just being famous? Comparing influencers to the Kardashians or Paris Hilton is very easy. Like influencers, some celebrities are famous despite having no real talents. Maybe they attract attention because they give us insight into the life of the 1%.
Except for one large detail: the Kardashians have a TV show, with millions of viewers. On the surface it doesn’t seem different from a youtube vlog, but it is. They are popular enough, year after year, to be renewed for another season. Influencers go in and out of style so fast. Realistically they are popular for a couple months, maybe a year if they get lucky, and then they fizzle out. When was the last time you heard of anything happening with Charlie D’Amelio or Addison Rae?
It is up to interpretation on whether or not influencers are micro-celebs or just someone you see on TikTok. It’s important to note that the true talented artist and actors deserve to shine at awards shows, not someone you watch put makeup on. But no matter what, it doesn’t seem like there will be an end to seeing them on red carpets. If we allow it, influencers will become the new mainstream celebs, and will continue to crowd out the truly talented artists that people actually want to see.
