Social media tends to reward behavior, getting people to buy/watch something. But let’s really look at the definition of influence. Being an influencer goes way beyond that.
The order influence has (and should have)
Note the order of things. First, a person develops. As they develop, they refine their character. Character changes behavior. But especially online, we start backwards. We ask what we want the person to do over the next three seconds, and we’re not as worried about whether they change or are someone whose values are laudable. So, our influence is only superficial. We habitualize people, perhaps, but we don’t ask them to consider what those habits serve. We simply present those habits as positive. In fact they might not be serving the person at all.
Because of this superficial focus, the golden rule for being a social media influencer is to entertain. It’s called the Gladiator rule. (Entertainment wins crowd, crowd sways emperor, emperor lets gladiator live.)
But developing someone and changing their character isn’t always about entertainment. It ignores the other two options — educate and encourage. Now, you can entertain as you educate and encourage. But when Martin Luther King Jr. gave his dream speech, people didn’t stick around because of flashy graphics. When Einstein taught physics, all he had was chalk. People followed Jesus for hope and healing, not song and dance. Probably the closest He got to entertainment was being a punching bag for Roman soldiers and being gawked at on a tree.
Where are the influencers?
So, I ask where the real influencers are. Who is it that will focus not on superficial behavior and entertainment, but on guiding people toward what moth and rust cannot destroy (Matthew 6:19)? Who is it who will be remembered as someone who turned others into unshakable and moral people?
Here’s a shocker.
It could be you.
But you must be strong and courageous (Joshua 1:9). Remember that you are not fighting for views or sales, but souls. And your work is not for the next three seconds or your own ego and victory, but for eternity and everyone who follows you.
So, go on. Be an influencer. The real kind. I dare you.