In this age of technology, a lot of people are active social media users. The usage of platforms like Instagram and TikTok allows more popular users to make a living off of their posts. There is something glamorous about being an online star, but is being an influencer everything it’s cut out to be?
Sometimes, it seems the life of an influencer is a perfect dream. It’s a career many strive for, but few know about the silent struggles of their favorite social media celebrities. Learning about the dangers of being an influencer might make you think twice about romanticizing having millions of people following your every move online.
What Is an Influencer?
As the name suggests, an influencer is someone who has the power to impact the behavior of others. Social media influencers come from all walks of life and have tons of different target audiences.
Many fall under distinct niche groups, ranging from anime and gaming to fitness and sports. Whether or not their end goal is to make money off of their accounts, many influencers start out by creating content they like.
Sometimes, it's clear they tailor their posts to cater to a specific audience, like when a user posts “on-brand” drawing tutorials or recipes. Other times, influencers post regular, everyday content to give you a glimpse into their everyday lives.
When an account gains a significant enough following, companies will reach out to them and offer them deals for sharing sponsored content. It might be things as little as getting some free merchandise to review on their channel or landing huge brand deals that make them rich.
They are an effective marketing strategy for several reasons. It’s not just that their posts effectively reach so many people within a specific target audience. A chief reason their success is so big is that they add a personal touch to their posts.
It doesn’t feel like a company is reaching out to you through social media advertisements. Instead, it feels like these sponsored posts are like hearing recommendations from friends. Of course, most of us understand that influencers are just celebrities, however, some followers take their admiration up a level.
Does Being an Influencer Compromise Security?
Being an influencer puts your personal life and identity into the spotlight. Many influencers give out their full names or the cities they live in. It may help with their brand, but they may unknowingly leak the information to the wrong people.
Even if an influencer uses an alias, you put your face out there, and it doesn’t take much sleuthing to uncover more sensitive information. One of the biggest threats that come to people's minds is stalkers. Deranged fans can reach havoc and some people struggle with differentiation between fantasy and reality. Their obsessed fans sometimes go a little too far.
While tons of influencers are subject to the online stalker or hater who spams their inbox or creates multiple profiles, this is far from the worst-case scenario. There are tons of horror stories circulating on the internet about what can go wrong when an influencer accidentally lets too much information out. It’s scary to see what little information a motivated fan needs to locate their target. More recently, a stalker in Japan managed to track down and assault a Japanese singer using posts from her social media.
How exactly did he manage this? He zoomed in to one of her selfies and examined the reflection of the train station in her eyes. He figured out where she would be and then simply waited for her at the train station. This example is a bit extreme, but it can happen if you aren’t careful. Scary stalkers or obsessive haters aren’t the only things you need to worry about.
When influencers put themselves and their names out there, people may try to impersonate them online. These cases of catfishing or identity theft can cause serious problems.
Beyond what people can do with their faces, you need to worry about people trying to scam you, especially at the beginning of your career.
Influencers don’t start out representing big brands and landing huge deals. They need to start somewhere. Scammers know this and will jump at the chance to trick you into sending them private information for “a deal” or even ask for processing fees.
Becoming a successful influencer often involves taking some smaller deals to start out. Those desperate for sponsorship may demonstrate a lapse of judgment and end up the victim of some malicious schemes.
Aspiring influencers are the perfect targets for MLM members looking to recruit or scammers looking to phish or catfish young people.
Can You Have Privacy as an Influencer?
While influencers almost always need to show their face, they don’t need to abandon their privacy altogether. Plenty of influencers live relatively quiet lives where people don’t have to know everything about them.
Depending on the size and expressiveness of your fan base, this may be easier said than done. If you are very popular, it's not uncommon for people to play paparazzi or brag about seeing you in their university class.
It is difficult to keep things, like your name or nationality, a secret. However, you don’t need to offer your audiences everything in your life. You really should avoid that kind of oversharing altogether.
Tips to Stay Safe as an Influencer
Whether you already made a name for yourself or you are an aspiring star looking to get their big break, following these simple internet safety tips is in your best interest.
Protect Sensitive Information
There is some information your audience does not need to know. Sure, letting your audience know personal details about yourself like your first name or what you had for breakfast is one thing. Sharing your private address or where your children go to school is another.
Censor Minors
On the topic of children, you really should limit their exposure to your channel. Minors are at a heightened risk and it's important to keep them out of the limelight. Many experts criticize posting anything about your kids on social media.
Exercise Basic Internet Security
Keep yourself safe from scams by never clicking suspicious links or handing over the information in suspicious deals. Don’t engage with seemingly dangerous people and report illegal encounters or attacks.
Is It Safe to Be an Influencer?
Being an influencer certainly puts yourself out there and makes you more vulnerable to certain types of scams or attacks. However, there are several things you can do to protect yourself from scams and lead a safe life as an influencer. Never underestimate the value of your sensitive information.