Influencers and Ethics: Where Do We Draw the Line? | by Serah | Aug, 2023

Over the past decade, social media has given rise to a new type of celebrity — the social media influencer.

Unlike traditional celebrities, influencers directly interact with their followers on platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. Some have cultivated massive, devoted followings numbering in the millions.

Through these huge platforms, influencers hold immense power to impact opinions, promote causes, shape trends, and drive purchases.

However, the influencer industry exists in a nebulous space when it comes to ethics and responsibilities.

As their fame and impact grow, questions arise over whether there should be more rules and standards for influencer conduct.

How much responsibility comes with these powerful public platforms? As influencers continue to profit from their follower bases, where exactly should we draw the ethical line?

One hot debate involves disclosing paid sponsorships and influencer advertising.

The Federal Trade Commission does require social media influencers to disclose endorsements and make it clear when they have been paid to promote a product.

However, disclosure is not always done properly. Oftentimes the #ad or #sponsored tags influencers use to indicate paid promotions are small and buried among a slew of other tags.

Critics argue these disclosures are not prominent or visible enough, constituting deceptive advertising. Others counter that excessive disclosure requirements infringe on influencers’ creativity and make their content feel overly promotional.

There are arguments on both sides over the appropriate size, placement, and frequency of paid sponsorship disclosures. Finding the right balance between transparency and overly disruptive disclosures remains an ethical grey area.

With great power comes great responsibility.

But many argue influencers are not doing enough to fact-check the information they share with millions of loyal followers. Some knowingly spread conspiracy theories and demonstrably false information to attract attention and views.

Health misinformation is especially concerning, as many followers turn to social media personalities for wellness and medical advice.

Critics believe stricter consequences are needed for influencers who deliberately or negligently spread misinformation that puts people’s health or safety at risk. But regulating speech raises thorny free speech issues.

Ultimately, many believe influencers themselves need to step up and check facts diligently before amplifying potentially dangerous misinformation.

In the quest for inflating follower counts and engagement, some influencers turn to shady tactics to artificially boost their popularity.

Buying fake followers using bots and services is a common tactic, portraying a distorted sense of genuine support and influence.

Critics view this as intentionally misleading, especially since influencers profit from the perception they are influential and have real human followers.

Influencers are also accused of manipulating their followers’ body image ideals through photoshopping and editing. Some argue social media personalities need to be more transparent about digital alterations, so their followers have realistic standards.

Ultimately, influencers have great power over their audience’s self-perception which should be used responsibly.

Another rising ethical concern involves parents sharing content featuring their minor children. Kids have no choice in being put in the public eye to millions of strangers.

While mommy bloggers and family influencers showcase their children’s lives to boost engagement, critics worry children’s privacy and dignity may be compromised without consent.

Yet regulation becomes tricky without infringing on parents’ rights. Perhaps the solution lies in avoiding revealing details kids may find embarrassing someday.

Many argue parents should think critically before putting their children on public display and consider long-term impacts.

Social media challenges have become ingrained in internet culture, and influencers often drive new viral stunt trends.

However, some popularized challenges promote dangerous or illegal behavior solely for attention and views.

Critics argue injuries and even deaths caused by risky viral challenges demonstrate influencers’ ethical duty to discourage life-threatening behavior among devoted, impressionable followers.

Yet legally, influencers generally face no consequences for dangerous challenge trends.

Here again, self-regulation and public pressure may be the only forces keeping risky influencer behavior in check.