How Influencers Should Conduct Themselves so as to Gain Followers

CURRENT RANK: LOWLY SERF

To the Magnificent Social Machiavellian:

CHAPTER 21 - HOW INFLUENCERS SHOULD CONDUCT THEMSELVES SO AS TO GAIN FOLLOWERS

Nothing makes an artist so famous as great achievements and setting a fine example. We have in our time Taylor Swift, the present Queen of Pop. She can almost be called a new kind of artist, because she has risen, by success and glory, from being an up-and-coming country singer to be the most famous pop star in our part of the world. If you examine her music, you will find it all great and some of it extraordinary. When she first became a recording artist, she attacked the concept of traditional country music, and this was the foundation of her success. She did this quietly at first and without any fear of others in the industry standing against her, because she kept the minds of the other record executives occupied in thinking of the next radio hit and not anticipating any innovations. Thus, they did not perceive that by these means she was acquiring acclaim and a devoted fanbase. She was able with the support of her label and her fans to sustain her meteoric rise, and by that long series of hit albums to lay the foundation for the pop superstardom which has since distinguished her. In addition, always using the underdog narrative as a theme, in order to take on greater challenges, she devoted herself with great dedication to conquering the pop charts and leaving her country roots behind. There could not be a more admirable example, nor one more rare. Using this same reason, she attacked the very concept of what it means to be a pop star, she began fighting for artists' rights, and she has finally attacked the music industry establishment. Thus, her achievements and ambition have always been so remarkable that they have kept the minds of her fans in admiration and kept them eager to see what she will do next. Her transformations have arisen in such a way, one out of the other, that people have never been given enough time to work steadily against her.

It greatly assisted Kim Kardashian, the current Queen of Reality TV, who rose to fame and fortune, by setting extraordinary examples in her public life. When she had the opportunity to break the internet with a controversial magazine cover or use her platform to advocate for criminal justice reform, she would use some method to reward or punish those around her in a manner that generates significant buzz. Through her calculated actions and strategic self-promotion, Kim has cultivated a reputation as a formidable force in the entertainment industry, cementing her status as a true icon of our time.

An influencer is also respected when he is either a true friend or an absolute enemy, that is to say, when, without any reservation, he declares himself in favour of one cause against the other. This course will always be more advantageous than standing neutral. If two of your powerful rivals come to blows, you have either to fear the winner or not. In either case it will always be more advantageous for you to support one of them and to actively make content. If you do not declare yourself, you will invariably be attacked by the influencer, to the pleasure and satisfaction of the loser, and you will have no reasons to offer, nor anything to protect or to shelter you. The influencer does not want doubtful friends who will not aid him in the time of difficulty, and the loser will not protect you because you did not willingly, camera phone in hand, follow his fate.

In the second case, when those who compete are of such a character that you do not feel threatened by whoever wins, it becomes even more important to support one side. By doing this, you assist at the defeat of one by the aid of another. Because of your much needed assistance, the victor remains dependent on you. It must be noted here that an influencer should never join with one more powerful than himself for the purposes of attacking others, unless it is absolutely necessary. If he conquers you are at his mercy, and as much as possible influencers ought to avoid being in a weaker position to anyone. The YouTubers joined with Instagram against TikTok, which caused their decline, and could have been avoided. But when it cannot be avoided, as happened to the Twitch streamers when YouTube and Facebook sent algorithms to attack the live streaming market, then in such a case, for the above reasons, the influencer ought to support one of the platforms.

No influencer should imagine that they can choose perfectly safe content strategies. They should expect to have to take very doubtful ones because in social media one never seeks to avoid one controversy without running into another. Wisdom consists of knowing how to distinguish the character of controversies, and how to choose the lesser evil.

An influencer ought also be seen to support people of talent, and to praise the skilled in every field. At the same time, he should encourage his followers to pursue their passions peacefully, both in business and creativity, and in every other area, so that people are not worried about growing their channels for fear that they might be demonetized or about starting new ventures for fear of cancel culture. An influencer ought to offer rewards to whoever wishes to do things like these which may bring honour to his corner of the internet or to the creator community.

In addition, an influencer ought to entertain their followers with live streams and giveaways at appropriate times of the year. And as every platform is divided into niches or into communities, the influencer ought to respect such groups, and associate with them sometimes. The influencer should show themselves to be an example of positivity and generosity, but nevertheless, always maintain the awareness of their status.

NICCOLÒ MACHIAVELLI II