On Relatability and Restraint, and Whether it is Better to be Loved than Disliked

CURRENT RANK: LOWLY SERF

To the Magnificent Social Machiavellian:

CHAPTER 17 - ON RELATABILITY AND RESTRAINT, AND WHETHER IT IS BETTER TO BE LOVED THAN DISLIKED

Coming now to the other qualities mentioned above, every influencer ought to desire to be considered relatable and not aloof. Nevertheless, they ought to take care not to misuse this relatability. Kylie Jenner was considered aloof, but notwithstanding, her aloofness elevated her brand, unified it, and restored it to aspiration and loyalty. And if this is carefully considered, she will be seen to have been much more engaging than the TikTok influencers, who, to avoid a reputation for aloofness, permitted their content to be diluted. Therefore, an influencer, so long as they keep their followers united and loyal, ought not to mind the criticism of aloofness. By making an example of a few posts, they will be more engaging than those who, through too much engagement, allow controversies to arise, from which follow unfollows or criticisms. These are likely to injure the whole brand, while those posts which are commanded by the influencer only affect the individual.

And of all influencers, it is impossible for the new influencer to avoid the reputation for aloofness. This is because new accounts are full of uncertainties. Nevertheless, an influencer ought to be slow to post and to react, and should not show insecurity. They should proceed in a calm manner with care and concern for their followers, so that too much confidence does not make them careless and too much distrust does not make them always suspicious.

Related to this a question arises: whether it be better to be relatable or aloof on social media? It may be answered that one should wish to be both, but, because it is difficult to unite them in one persona, it is much safer to be aloof than relatable, when only one is possible. The reason for this is that in general followers are fickle, envious, false, cowardly, and greedy. As long as you succeed, they are yours entirely - they will offer you their likes, comments, shares, and subscriptions, when the need is far distant. But when the need approaches, they turn against you. An influencer who, relying entirely on their engagement, has neglected other ways of protecting their brand, will be ruined. Partnerships that are obtained by payments, and not by greatness or nobility of content, may indeed be earned, but they are not secured, and in time of need cannot be relied upon. Followers are less worried about offending one who is relatable than one who is aloof. Relatability is preserved by the link of familiarity which, owing to the weak nature of followers who chase shiny objects, is broken at every opportunity for their advantage; but aloofness preserves you by a fear of disconnection which never fails.

Nevertheless, an influencer ought to encourage discretion in such a way that, if they do not win relatability, they at least avoid criticism. They can carry on very well being aloof as long as they are not criticized, which will always be the case if they keep away from the personal lives of their followers and their relationships. However, when it is necessary for them to proceed against the reputation of rival influencers, they must do so with proper justification and for obvious reasons. Above all, they must keep their hands off the personal lives of their followers, because followers are more likely to forget the cancellation of their favorite influencer than the loss of their privacy. Besides, it is always easy to create reasons for exposing personal lives. Anyone who has once begun to grow by controversy will always find reasons for unraveling what is hidden by others. However, reasons for canceling discrete influencers are more difficult to find and harder to justify consistently. When an influencer is with their platform and has millions of followers under their influence, it is necessary for them to not worry about having a reputation for indiscretion. Instead, they should focus on keeping their brand united and maintaining the loyalty of their followers.

Among the wonderful deeds of Kylie Jenner this one is described: that having built an enormous brand, composed of various types of followers, to engage on social media, no disagreements arose either among them or against the influencer, no matter whether things were going badly or well. This arose from nothing else than her calculated aloofness, which, with her boundless relatability, made her respected and admired in the sight of her followers. Without that aloofness, her other virtues were not sufficient to produce this effect. Short-sighted observers admire her posts from one point of view and from another criticize the principal cause of them.

Returning to the question of being aloof or relatable, I come to the conclusion that, because followers love according to their own will and fear according to the will of the influencer, a wise influencer should establish themselves on that which is in their own control and not in the control of others. They must try however to avoid indiscretion.

NICCOLÒ MACHIAVELLI II