Influencers and Journalists as the Game Changers in Society!

October 11, 2019 by Jorien van der Weerd

Fighting for the spotlight in the media had never so many competitors. The winners of today are the influencers, the losers are the journalists. But if we are going to live in an influencer society what is there to fight for? Attention? How can you as PR practitioner working for societal change do to win and make a change? This blog will tell you how!

Source Acart

This blogpost is a critical and extending reaction on the blogpost by Nika Prpić with the title ‘Can PR learn a lesson from influencers?’. Nika addresses the role of influencers and their high levels of trust by society. The openness and transparency provided by the influencers are shown to be very effective and they are even more trusted than journalists. Influencers are highly trusted and are seen as opinion-makers in society. This power can also be translated towards more socially sensitive topics like human rights and environmental awareness. She questions if this development is leading to an influencer guided society, and if this is the case, is this a good thing? I don’t think so.

Are influencers the new journalist? 

Studies show that influencers play an important role in increasing awareness and trust by consumers. These developments are scary and questions how society is going to look like in a few years. Also, the study of Olssonand Eriksson (2016) highlights the development of an increasingly social media logic used by private and public organizations to gain more popularity and attention from its audiences. The European Commission showed that influencers are seen as more trusted in society than journalists. But even when influencers have the power to create more trust and awareness than journalists, is this still the right pathway to choose by a PR practitioner?

Influencers have a large audience reach and can create a lot of impact with their online content. However, these influencers are also highly paid for positing this branded content. Even when they are open and transparent about the paid ads, the content is not objective and independent. When looking at the code of ethics for journalists, it is their aim to seek truth and report about it, act independently and be accountable and transparent. This code of ethics also stresses the highest and primary goal of journalism is to serve the public. When influencers become the new journalists they do not follow these guidelines as their main aim is to be liked and gaining attention.

If yes, what is there to talk about?

When influencers are taking over the role of journalists there will be only a transfer of information which aims to create awareness and no activation or not in-depth information. Especially when looking at societal issues are the journalist the one who investigates the problems in society. Who else is going to find the lacks and problems within society? Who is going to find out about fraud, CO2 emission violates, disillusions, sexual abuse in institutions, animal abuse and delusions? The influencers? I don’t think so.  

If influencers become the only ones who tell the stories, which stories are there to tell? Societal issues will stay hidden or will be told from one perspective, namely from the one who pays the highest price. Influencers main aim is not to serve the public but to serve the consumer. 

Combine best of both worlds to move the world forward!

Do you as a PR practitioner want to make an impact and change societal issues? Why not combining the best of both worlds to create an impact and a real change in society? To create a synergy effect as a PR practitioner the influencers and the journalist are needed for change. 
How? 
1) Step one, insert a journalist for quality information, in-depth know-how and a solid basis of information and evidence to make changes. 

2)  Step two, insert influencers to create awareness, gain trust, open up the public debate and set the public agenda.

3)   And finally, step three, set the issue at the political agenda to make changes at governmental level.

By using the best of both worlds, not only awareness by society is evoked but also real changes can be made to move the world forward!

Source Shutterstock

About Jorien van der Weerd

Jorien is a master student in Political Communication & Journalism at the University of Amsterdam. Her interest lies in the social aspects of society, the influence of media and public opinion. She grew up in the North of the Netherlands and lives now in the urban bubble, called Amsterdam. Peddling between these two areas of her heart, she listens to her party playlist on repeat, tries to read the book of Yuval Harari (never finished) and calls with her friends about life and everything around it. 

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