by Hannah Lee ‘21

As our society evolves to rely more on technology, social media has in some ways become more of a business platform than a creative outlet. Instagram models, YouTubers, etc. can post one picture and get paid a significant amount of money. While I have no problems with people easily earning money, I do feel like it leads to people feeling like their regular work experiences are invalidated.

For instance, recently there has been controversy surrounding the YouTubers the ACE family, who posted a video of them working at a fast food place for a video and boasting about what a crazy and new experience it was working hourly shifts (which they had never done before). This caused an uproar throughout working class people who rely on working at fast food places as their main source of income. People were astounded at the disconnect from these social media “role models” to reality. Also, young kids see other influencers their age getting their own apartments, not going to school, and traveling to exotic destinations. However, kids need to understand that influencers’ lives have to look perfect, but that’s all they are: an illusion.