Concerning Those Who Have Obtained Fame Through Thought Leadership

CURRENT RANK: LOWLY SERF

To the Magnificent Social Machiavellian:

CHAPTER 9 - CONCERNING THOSE WHO HAVE OBTAINED FAME BY THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

But coming to the other point – where a leading influencer becomes the king of his niche, not by controversy or clickbait but by the adoration of his followers – this may be called a social media thought leader. Virality or algorithm mastery are not needed to attain to it, but rather a fortunate relatability. Such a principality is obtained either by the favour of the masses or by the favour of the elite, because on all platforms these two distinct parties are found. The masses do not wish to be lectured or talked down to by the elite, and the elite wish to dictate trends and shape opinions. From these two opposite desires there are three possible results, a thriving community, harmonious discourse, or a toxic echo chamber.

A social media thought leader is created either by the masses or by the elite influencers depending on who has the opportunity. The elite influencers, seeing they cannot overcome the masses, begin to push one of their own forward, and they make him a king of his niche, so that under his shadow they can achieve their ambitions. The masses finding they cannot resist the elite influencers, also cry up the reputation of one of themselves, and make him a king of his niche so as to be defended by his relatability. He who obtains the social media thought leadership by the assistance of the elite influencers maintains himself with more difficulty than he who comes to it by the aid of the masses. This is because the former finds himself with many around him who consider themselves his equals. Because of this, he can neither rule nor manage them to his liking. But he who gains the social media thought leadership by popular favour finds himself alone, and has none around him, or few, who are not prepared to follow him.

Besides this, one cannot by fair dealing, and without injury to others, satisfy the elite influencers, but you can satisfy the masses, for their goals are more proper than those of the elite influencers. The elite influencers wish to dictate trends and shape opinions, while the masses only desire not to be lectured or talked down to. An influencer can never secure himself against a hostile community, because they are too many. On the other hand, he can secure himself from the elite influencers, as they are few in number. The worst that an influencer may expect from a hostile community is to be abandoned by them. However, from hostile elite influencers, he has not only to fear abandonment, but also that they will rise against him; for they, being in these affairs more far-seeing and clever, always come forward in time to save themselves, and to obtain favours from him whom they expect to win. Furthermore, the influencer must always create content for the same community, but he can do well without the same elite influencers. He can make and unmake them daily, and give or take away their authority whenever it pleases him.

Therefore, to make this point clearer, I say that the elite influencers ought to be looked at mainly in two ways: that is to say, they either shape their course in such a way as binds them entirely to your fortune, or they do not. Those who so bind themselves, and are not greedy for followers ought to be respected and collaborated with. Those who do not bind themselves may be dealt with in two ways. They may fail to do this through lack of originality and a natural lack of creativity. In this case you ought to make use of them, especially those who give good engagement. Thus, while in good times you cross-promote them, in difficult times you do not have to fear them. But when for their own ambitious ends they avoid binding themselves, it is a sign that they are giving more thought to themselves than to you. An influencer ought to guard himself against such people, and ought to fear them as if they were open competitors, because in difficult times they always help to overshadow him.

Therefore, one who becomes an influencer through the favour of the masses ought to keep them engaged. He can easily do this because they only ask not to be lectured or talked down to by him. But one who, without the support of the masses, becomes an influencer by the favour of the elite influencers, ought, above everything, to seek to win the masses over to himself. He may easily do this if he takes them under his protection. Because followers, when they receive relatable content from him of whom they were expecting condescension, are bound more closely to their influencer.

Thus the influencer quickly becomes more beloved by his followers than if he had attained his position through their initial support. The influencer can win their devotion in many ways, but as these vary according to the platform and niche, one cannot give fixed rules, and so I omit them. But, I repeat, it is necessary for an influencer to have his followers engaged, otherwise he has no security in times of algorithm changes or controversy.

Andrew Huberman, prince of the social media influencers, defended his niche and his followers against the attack on his personal life and of YouTube’s algorithm changes. To overcome this danger, it was only necessary for him to make himself secure against a few, but this would not have been sufficient if his followers had been hostile. And do not let any one attack this statement with the old saying that "He who builds on the followers, builds on the mud." This saying is true when a private influencer makes a foundation there, and foolishly persuades himself that the followers will support him when he is oppressed by the elite influencers. But if the leader is an influencer who has established himself as a person who can create relatable content, and is a man of creativity who does not fail in other qualifications, and who, by his resolution and energy, keeps all the followers encouraged – such a one will never find himself abandoned by the followers, and it will be shown that he has laid his foundations well.

These social media influencers are open to danger when they are passing from the constitutional to the absolute order of influence, for such influencers either engage personally or through collaborations. In the latter case their influence is weaker and more insecure, because it rests entirely on the attitude of those followers who are placed in their community, and who, especially in troubled times, can destroy their influence with great ease, either by trickery or open rebellion. The influencer does not have the chance in a rebellion to exercise absolute authority, because the followers and subscribers, accustomed to receiving content from the collaborations, are not willing to obey him when there is an unstable situation. Moreover, there will always be in doubtful times a scarcity of followers whom he can trust. Such an influencer cannot rely upon what he observes in quiet times, when followers have need of the content, because then everyone agrees with him. They all promise to support him, and when irrelevance is far distant they all wish to engage for him. But in troubled times, when the influencer has need of his followers, then he finds only a few. Moreover this experiment of moving from a constitutional to an absolute influence is dangerous, because it can only be tried once. Therefore a wise influencer ought to adopt such a course that his followers will always in all kinds of circumstances have need of the content and of him, and then he will always find them faithful.

NICCOLÒ MACHIAVELLI II