Everywhere I look there’s someone with a strongly held opinion. They are in the comment sections. They are on TV. On podcasts. And, of course, on social media platforms.
What makes me a little sad is that there are lots of very thoughtful people out there who are worth engaging. People like you - I like the way you think. But sometimes I read/watch/listen to the thoughts of people with exceedingly large audience (could be in any medium - even video). Even if they are pretty good (and often they are not) I wonder how much audience they take away from someone like you (or many other non- famous content creators on Substack. Probably no easy solution and perhaps it says more about the audience than anything. Anyhow, thoughtful piece. More people should consider what you are saying.
It's not the monkey mind we need to mind; it's the lizard brain underneath that's in the driver's seat. I enjoy reading your work. Do you think it is ever possible as a writer to get to a point where you are an expert? I love making people laugh or think, but I don't know what makes someone an expert when it comes to the field of writing. Right now, I am simply trying to overcome the voice that tells me I shouldn't write anything, because I have no expertise. Maybe influencers don't have that voice. If so, I'm jealous of them.
The problem with “influencers” is that they exist. They should not, and people do well to tune them out as the destructive and counterproductive forces they are.
No one should ever be considered as a reliable “guide” on any topic.
No person is that knowledgable or that wise.
Milton Friedman, Thomas Sowell, and Ludwig von Mises should not be considered a “guide” on economics.
Charles Spurgeon, John MacArthur, and Rick Warren should not be considered a “guide” on matters of the spirit.
Albert Einstein should not be considered a “guide” on physics.
There is not one single proposition in any of these bodies of thought that is true because these particular luminaries said it was true.
Therefore we are far better off—far more knowledgeable, far more informed, and far wiser if we begin by challenging the “experts”, if we continue by demanding to see their evidences and their logic, and if we end by assessing those evidences and that logic for ourselves.
Always remember: “expert” is merely wokespeak for “blithering idiot”. Approach all “experts” with that reality in mind, and put your focus instead on that which is actually reliable: the facts.
As Robert A. Heinlein said so pithily:
"What are the facts? Again and again and again – what are the facts? Shun wishful thinking, ignore divine revelation, forget what “the stars foretell,” avoid opinion, care not what the neighbors think, never mind the unguessable “verdict of history” – what are the facts, and to how many decimal places? You pilot always into an unknown future; facts are your single clue. Get the facts!"
Well said. There are many people on this planet who are not skilled in rational thinking or just plain stupid. In the pre-internet era, they had little effect on society. Now with social media, they can make lots of noise and find acceptance of their ignorance by thousands of others. Their confidence and self-belief grows rapidly, as with their level of misinformation. They suck in others if their ilk. But they are still stupid and gullible, and end up voting for trump.
Great piece, and it’s a complicated and problematic area for sure!
I have thought about this recently in a few areas: when my second son was born, it was again impressed upon me how much trust I am putting in the medical experts to get the baby safely out of my spouse and also to take care of her. There are so many touchpoints in this process in which expertise comes up, and I trust the experts and deferred to them, and they did a great job. But I couldn’t help but think about how many people question every single thing they try to do, and they have to have the agonizing woman sign forms about accepting Tylenol and other general medical care while she’s twisted in pain to make sure they don’t get sued. Or how about when an anesthesiologist injects fentanyl directly into the woman’s spine with a 9-inch needle? Lots of trust going on there that he knows what he’s doing.
I felt honestly like each time they asked us to do some basic medical care thing, they winced and seemed surprised and relieved when we nodded assent to their recommended course of action. I assume they get lots of people who have done what they consider serious research by watching YouTube videos and podcasts.
I also think about this when boarding a plane. So much trust in the expertise of all involved in that process. Or if you buy a car, you are trusting so much about how well that vehicle works because you could so easily die if, say, the brakes stop working, or the steering wheel breaks, etc.
We have to be able to outsource many decisions to experts, and we need the experts in turn to do their part to continue earning our trust.
It sounds like we’re lacking Enlightenment. Steve Pinker suggests the Enlightenment which continues to help us crawl out of the Dark Ages over the last half millennium contained for essential aspects: skepticism, science, humanism, and progress. Paraphrasing and applying them to the influencer conundrum you describe, we should consider: 1. Questioning everything – especially authorities – and most especially those pretty faces claiming to be authorities but lacking credentials; 2. Seek answers systematically by continually recognizing our penchant for self-delusion; 3. Step back and consider the broader implications of proposals for humankind; and 4. Consider whether the advice offered will help us move forward… we’re stuck with the monkey brains we’ve inherited, but there is no reason we cannot use them more wisely.
Part of what interests people in these influencers is wanting to be like them. Many sell their "How to become rich at this like me" courses to keep the money rolling in. It looks like a house of cards to me. I don't believe the people influencers influence are influenced at all. If they had to take a test on the material they liked and commented on, would they pass?
It's the philosopher's dilemma. They read a few books about boxing, and all of a sudden, they think they know how to box, without ever training, sparring, or getting in the ring. And if they DID get in the ring, they would be taught a lesson they wouldn't soon forget. People Google or GROK a subject, and regurgitate whatever their chosen search spits out to them, and they feel they are experts, even if that opinion is contrary to that of people who have dedicated their whole lives to researching that same topic. And, (as you pointed out) ESPECIALLY if they are first.
I am a serious tournament chess player, better than 97% of other tournament chess players, and I am often amused when I encounter people who think they are good at chess when they are not involved in the formal competitive chess scene. I can instantly tell if the person has any chance against me in 20 ways based on how they speak about the game. So many people don’t know how much they don’t know, and they unknowingly go around signaling how little they know. They don’t know how deeply studied many competitive games and fields of study are. Sometimes I have told people “chess is a very well understood game with an enormous body of formal knowledge you have to have engaged with.”
Another thoughtful piece, Katherine. However, there's a key piece of the influencer picture which needs to be understood here. What is the central ingredient needed for someone to become an inluencer today?
They need to be physically attractive - a hyper-feminine woman or a macho man.
I could see this starting to really go into hyper-drive 15 years ago when I was an editor of conservative news and opinion sites. The route to become an influential commentator on the Right was always the same: become a regular talking head on Fox News. And who did the Fox producers mostly want? Very attractive people who look good on TV.
I saw how doomed the conservative movement was back when I made some appearances on PJTV, an early internet TV station which accompanied PJ Media, where I was an editor. After an appearance, I was talking with the lead executive producer. I was hoping that he could feature some of the incredible writers who I was editing. And his first question: are any of them pretty girls? That's how traffic was generated on internet videos at the time and how it still works today. It isn't important how thoughtful or expert one's ideas were. What mattered is how nice to look at the person speaking them was. But that didn't matter in the writing world. I wasn't publishing 20-something college students, I was publishing women and men who were mostly 40+ or even older. And they weren't the demographic that would succeed in TV, no matter how thoughtful their ideas were.
And now, 15 years later, that principle is just the way things are. Sexy women. Tough, macho men. They get the big platforms.
Great article Katherine. One thing you missed that I see with many imfluencers is they speak with authority. Let me explain, about 3 days ago I saw a vehicle back into a handicapped spot by the door. I waited and saw a young soldier get out. As he walked up to the door I noted his rank. As he began to step in I in a deep, authoritative and firm voice said "specialist, you are not handicapped. He proceeded to stand basically at attention as I upbraded him. I then said a few quiete kind words, patted hus shoulder and moved on. I never told him to move his vehicle. He did.
If I speak with authority people will automatically assume I have authority and will do what they think I wish them to do.
Ehhhhh - I would say influencers have really no place. Especially those directly in the wellness/fashion/daily life space. Many just produce/sell/link mountains of commercial junk that's cheap and ends up in landfill. They take up major real estate at various travel hotspots, going to great lengths to ensure the perfect spot and while simultaneously ruining other visitors' experiences. This is obviously not all of them but it is a LOT of them. I also resent it when they suddenly write books about anything and everything when there are heaps of other great writers out there whose actual job and passion it is to write. Can you tell I am not thrilled with this industry? :)
In the obesity space aka WELLNESS all the opinions are the same exact for mine. Therefore, no one follows me or listens. Since fatness is 75% of the population, this is a huge topic and one with great punning options too BUT no one will listen to the solution which should be obvious. Influencers in other areas still parrot aback the same "opinions" so no one should think that they influence anyone because what they say si what the population wants to hear.
What makes me a little sad is that there are lots of very thoughtful people out there who are worth engaging. People like you - I like the way you think. But sometimes I read/watch/listen to the thoughts of people with exceedingly large audience (could be in any medium - even video). Even if they are pretty good (and often they are not) I wonder how much audience they take away from someone like you (or many other non- famous content creators on Substack. Probably no easy solution and perhaps it says more about the audience than anything. Anyhow, thoughtful piece. More people should consider what you are saying.
It's not the monkey mind we need to mind; it's the lizard brain underneath that's in the driver's seat. I enjoy reading your work. Do you think it is ever possible as a writer to get to a point where you are an expert? I love making people laugh or think, but I don't know what makes someone an expert when it comes to the field of writing. Right now, I am simply trying to overcome the voice that tells me I shouldn't write anything, because I have no expertise. Maybe influencers don't have that voice. If so, I'm jealous of them.
The problem with “influencers” is that they exist. They should not, and people do well to tune them out as the destructive and counterproductive forces they are.
No one should ever be considered as a reliable “guide” on any topic.
No person is that knowledgable or that wise.
Milton Friedman, Thomas Sowell, and Ludwig von Mises should not be considered a “guide” on economics.
Charles Spurgeon, John MacArthur, and Rick Warren should not be considered a “guide” on matters of the spirit.
Albert Einstein should not be considered a “guide” on physics.
There is not one single proposition in any of these bodies of thought that is true because these particular luminaries said it was true.
Therefore we are far better off—far more knowledgeable, far more informed, and far wiser if we begin by challenging the “experts”, if we continue by demanding to see their evidences and their logic, and if we end by assessing those evidences and that logic for ourselves.
Always remember: “expert” is merely wokespeak for “blithering idiot”. Approach all “experts” with that reality in mind, and put your focus instead on that which is actually reliable: the facts.
As Robert A. Heinlein said so pithily:
"What are the facts? Again and again and again – what are the facts? Shun wishful thinking, ignore divine revelation, forget what “the stars foretell,” avoid opinion, care not what the neighbors think, never mind the unguessable “verdict of history” – what are the facts, and to how many decimal places? You pilot always into an unknown future; facts are your single clue. Get the facts!"
Well said. There are many people on this planet who are not skilled in rational thinking or just plain stupid. In the pre-internet era, they had little effect on society. Now with social media, they can make lots of noise and find acceptance of their ignorance by thousands of others. Their confidence and self-belief grows rapidly, as with their level of misinformation. They suck in others if their ilk. But they are still stupid and gullible, and end up voting for trump.
Great piece, and it’s a complicated and problematic area for sure!
I have thought about this recently in a few areas: when my second son was born, it was again impressed upon me how much trust I am putting in the medical experts to get the baby safely out of my spouse and also to take care of her. There are so many touchpoints in this process in which expertise comes up, and I trust the experts and deferred to them, and they did a great job. But I couldn’t help but think about how many people question every single thing they try to do, and they have to have the agonizing woman sign forms about accepting Tylenol and other general medical care while she’s twisted in pain to make sure they don’t get sued. Or how about when an anesthesiologist injects fentanyl directly into the woman’s spine with a 9-inch needle? Lots of trust going on there that he knows what he’s doing.
I felt honestly like each time they asked us to do some basic medical care thing, they winced and seemed surprised and relieved when we nodded assent to their recommended course of action. I assume they get lots of people who have done what they consider serious research by watching YouTube videos and podcasts.
I also think about this when boarding a plane. So much trust in the expertise of all involved in that process. Or if you buy a car, you are trusting so much about how well that vehicle works because you could so easily die if, say, the brakes stop working, or the steering wheel breaks, etc.
We have to be able to outsource many decisions to experts, and we need the experts in turn to do their part to continue earning our trust.
It sounds like we’re lacking Enlightenment. Steve Pinker suggests the Enlightenment which continues to help us crawl out of the Dark Ages over the last half millennium contained for essential aspects: skepticism, science, humanism, and progress. Paraphrasing and applying them to the influencer conundrum you describe, we should consider: 1. Questioning everything – especially authorities – and most especially those pretty faces claiming to be authorities but lacking credentials; 2. Seek answers systematically by continually recognizing our penchant for self-delusion; 3. Step back and consider the broader implications of proposals for humankind; and 4. Consider whether the advice offered will help us move forward… we’re stuck with the monkey brains we’ve inherited, but there is no reason we cannot use them more wisely.
That Pinker book is outstanding, like all his books.
Do you really think their influence will last?
Part of what interests people in these influencers is wanting to be like them. Many sell their "How to become rich at this like me" courses to keep the money rolling in. It looks like a house of cards to me. I don't believe the people influencers influence are influenced at all. If they had to take a test on the material they liked and commented on, would they pass?
It's the philosopher's dilemma. They read a few books about boxing, and all of a sudden, they think they know how to box, without ever training, sparring, or getting in the ring. And if they DID get in the ring, they would be taught a lesson they wouldn't soon forget. People Google or GROK a subject, and regurgitate whatever their chosen search spits out to them, and they feel they are experts, even if that opinion is contrary to that of people who have dedicated their whole lives to researching that same topic. And, (as you pointed out) ESPECIALLY if they are first.
Another great read Kat.
I am a serious tournament chess player, better than 97% of other tournament chess players, and I am often amused when I encounter people who think they are good at chess when they are not involved in the formal competitive chess scene. I can instantly tell if the person has any chance against me in 20 ways based on how they speak about the game. So many people don’t know how much they don’t know, and they unknowingly go around signaling how little they know. They don’t know how deeply studied many competitive games and fields of study are. Sometimes I have told people “chess is a very well understood game with an enormous body of formal knowledge you have to have engaged with.”
Another thoughtful piece, Katherine. However, there's a key piece of the influencer picture which needs to be understood here. What is the central ingredient needed for someone to become an inluencer today?
They need to be physically attractive - a hyper-feminine woman or a macho man.
I could see this starting to really go into hyper-drive 15 years ago when I was an editor of conservative news and opinion sites. The route to become an influential commentator on the Right was always the same: become a regular talking head on Fox News. And who did the Fox producers mostly want? Very attractive people who look good on TV.
I saw how doomed the conservative movement was back when I made some appearances on PJTV, an early internet TV station which accompanied PJ Media, where I was an editor. After an appearance, I was talking with the lead executive producer. I was hoping that he could feature some of the incredible writers who I was editing. And his first question: are any of them pretty girls? That's how traffic was generated on internet videos at the time and how it still works today. It isn't important how thoughtful or expert one's ideas were. What mattered is how nice to look at the person speaking them was. But that didn't matter in the writing world. I wasn't publishing 20-something college students, I was publishing women and men who were mostly 40+ or even older. And they weren't the demographic that would succeed in TV, no matter how thoughtful their ideas were.
And now, 15 years later, that principle is just the way things are. Sexy women. Tough, macho men. They get the big platforms.
Great article Katherine. One thing you missed that I see with many imfluencers is they speak with authority. Let me explain, about 3 days ago I saw a vehicle back into a handicapped spot by the door. I waited and saw a young soldier get out. As he walked up to the door I noted his rank. As he began to step in I in a deep, authoritative and firm voice said "specialist, you are not handicapped. He proceeded to stand basically at attention as I upbraded him. I then said a few quiete kind words, patted hus shoulder and moved on. I never told him to move his vehicle. He did.
If I speak with authority people will automatically assume I have authority and will do what they think I wish them to do.
Love the monkey brain reference. I'm going to use that. Thanks. Not just the monkey brain but the entire article.
Ehhhhh - I would say influencers have really no place. Especially those directly in the wellness/fashion/daily life space. Many just produce/sell/link mountains of commercial junk that's cheap and ends up in landfill. They take up major real estate at various travel hotspots, going to great lengths to ensure the perfect spot and while simultaneously ruining other visitors' experiences. This is obviously not all of them but it is a LOT of them. I also resent it when they suddenly write books about anything and everything when there are heaps of other great writers out there whose actual job and passion it is to write. Can you tell I am not thrilled with this industry? :)
In the obesity space aka WELLNESS all the opinions are the same exact for mine. Therefore, no one follows me or listens. Since fatness is 75% of the population, this is a huge topic and one with great punning options too BUT no one will listen to the solution which should be obvious. Influencers in other areas still parrot aback the same "opinions" so no one should think that they influence anyone because what they say si what the population wants to hear.