We have noticed social media growing rapidly in importance since the last decade. It is estimated that more than 3.8 billion people are active on social media which is almost half of the population of the world. These social media users need someone to guide them with decision making. Therefore, they follow the suggestions given by social media influencers.
Who are Social Media Influencers?
Social media influencers are people who have gained credibility due to their knowledge and expertise on a particular topic. They regularly post about such topics on their social media accounts, whether it is on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Youtube, etc. They gain large followings of people who are genuinely attracted, enthusiastic, and engaged through these posts. (Yes porn stars are media influencers as well) Different brands and organizations love these influencers since they set trends and help these brands persuade their niche to buy their products.
How drama and fights create Hype on Social Media
Social media is a great platform to get famous. A huge number of ordinary people are now world-famous with the help of different social networking sites. One example could be of a famous makeup artist Huda Kattan who once started with blogging and posting short makeup tutorials and is now selling her own makeup products all over the world. These social media influencers work hard to create quality content and to help people and grab their attention.
However, when this content is mixed with some controversies and drama, it creates hype among people, helping these influencers gain a huge following. A little drama on social media these days gets noticed like a firestorm. Influencers nowadays use a variety of tips and tricks to manipulate our minds and make us believe things that are not true. We are so indulged, taking a keen interest in their lives and following them, their styles, and trends blindly, that we trust everything they portray as reality. Not questioning or investigating – people unknowingly make them hot topics.
These topics, for no obvious reason, are discussed everywhere – be it family gatherings, schools, or even offices. They, however, become a source of entertainment and gossips for many of us. We keep following these influencers on every social networking site to know what happens next. Whereas, people behind these dramas enjoy fame, followers, and reactions without doing anything productive for the world. Although there are numerous other ways that can help you gain followers in the right way.
James Charles and Tati Westbrook Drama
Two well-known makeup artists, James Charles and Tati Westbrook had one of the unforgettable feuds of the year. James Charles is a young 20-year-old makeup MUA and a famous YouTuber. Because he’s young, he wanted someone to guide him in this industry. Tati Westbrook (owner of hair vitamin brand, Halo Beauty), however, helped him get fame. On May 10, she posted a video on her YouTube channel with the title “Bye Sister”, in which she expressed that she no longer could support Charles since he promoted another brand’s gummies – SugarBearHair, Tati’s biggest competitor. She expressed her disappointment by saying how fame had changed him.
Also, he made some sexually explicit comments at improper timings and bragged about sleeping with straight men. As soon as this video was posted, Charles started losing millions of followers. Charles in response to Tati’s videos posted a video asking for an apology. People loved and enjoyed the drama between the two famous MUAs. Then, Tati said her video shouldn’t be used for passing hate on Charles. Many other YouTubers got involved. The drama is too complicated to be explained briefly. Just know that the whole thing was planned and all the videos have now been deleted.
Social media influencers record nearly every minute of their lives, so it goes without saying that there’s never a dull moment on their channels. Because when you film everything for the views, life can get very messy. The Tati and James Charles fight was just the tip of the iceberg.
Another famous social media drama was between Shane Dawson and Logan Paul. “This is a classic case of dramatics on YouTube,” Logan Paul said. “He’s a genuine, authentic guy, but I feel like some of this is theatrical, because I just don’t think this reaction elicits itself in every sentence.”
Former porn star Channon Rose (aka Randi Wright) has had her fair share of social media drama as well. In fact, her drama got so out of hand she had to end up filing a restraining order against Amber Walter.
That was the first of many issues she had with others over the years and you know what all that drama gets these social media influencers?
FOLLOWERS
Drama and as some report (fake drama and fake fights) will guarantee one thing … you will get more followers out of it. There is nothing people love more than dirty laundry!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TIqSqSeODpU
Drama isn’t isolated to just Youtube. It happens on all the platforms including Instagram and Twitter. Fake news and liars are big business in the social media game. If you want a quick way to get followers then pick a fight with someone who has more followers than you. Shockingly it’s a method that management companies actually teach up-and-coming influencers.
Trisha Paytas has made her entire living off of drama from fake fights and fake relationships and one time she even faked being transferred because as she put it, she’s attracted to gay men. Yes, you read that right. YouTuber Trisha Paytas posted a video titled “I AM TRANSGENDER (FEMALE TO MALE)” in which she said she’s basically a gay man who likes to dress in drag because she is attracted to other gay men, loves “glam” and “voluptuousness,” and has “penis envy.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HLtAF5KDChE
As you might have imagined the video received a lot of criticism from people in the comments and on social media, who said she shouldn’t make like of LGBTQ issues. But you know what else the video got her? Over 4.2 million views.
Trisha Paytas is a 32-year-old from Riverside, California moved from Illinois to LA in her teens and became a stripper and part-time singer and actress. When that didn’t work out for her she became a social media influencer. She learned early on that drama = follows and the more followers you have the more money you make.
That’s not to say we here at MikeSouth.com condone such behavior. But it is, what it is. It’s something that happens every single day, even in our own industry. You’ll notice some people always seem to be fighting or having issues with someone. That’s because they learned the drama “trick”. They know that if they get someone to respond to their negativity, it will enviably turn into more followers for them. The key is to avoid responding to a person like that at all costs and because you don’t react they’ll move on because the only way it works is if you respond.
There is a right way to gain followers on social media. Below is our guide to help you do it the right way.
1. Use Hashtags
Hashtags are important elements that help you increase your search rankings and gain more followers. It is suggested to use at least 11 and a maximum of 30 hashtags in your posts. Ensure the relevancy of those hashtags to what you upload, this helps gain audience attention. Don’t just pack your captions with hashtags, instead, use them in your comments as well. It is an easy way of increasing the number of comments on your posts. The greater the number of comments, the higher will be your engagement rate.
2. Write wise captions
Describe your post so well that your viewers feel like they have personally experienced that thing. For instance, if it’s a vintage clothing, what did you feel when you were wearing it? Ask engaging questions to increase the interaction of your niche. Additionally, include “Like” or “Comment” in your captions. It’s’ believed that writing such things increase your likes and comments up to 89%. Moreover, add important information at the beginning of your caption. When people scroll through their feed, the caption cuts after 1-2 lines. Therefore, start your caption with critical information.
3. Interact with your Audience
Gaining followers is of no use if you lose them within a week. Interact with your followers, reply to their DMs and comments, post stories asking for advice, etc. Comment on other’s posts. This indicates your interest in their profile which in turn makes them check your profile and increase the chances that they might start following you. You can also hold contests and ask people to like, share, comment, and tag other people to enter. Promote your Instagram account on other social networking sites. Ask influencers to promote your page and mention them in relevant posts. Additionally, reshare people’s stories or posts when they mention you. Advertise your brand or content on Instagram or Facebook. Target these ads by demographic information – age, gender, and location. Make your account public at least in the beginning because people don’t especially follow to see the content of accounts that have a lower number of followers.
4. Make unique content and post frequently
Post 1-2 times daily. Researchers have found that posting more often increases your followers than posting once a week. But make sure you don’t make all the posts in a row, instead, space them out. For instance, if you’re posting at 5 pm then upload the next content at 2 am. Try posting on Sundays or the time your targeted audience is most active. Moreover, the quality of your photos and videos should be high, or else they’ll get ignored. It’ll be better if you invest some money and advertise your top posts. Do you know light colored posts get more likes than photos or videos with darker colors?
5. Understand your goal and develop a theme
People who are actually serious and want to grow on Instagram know what exactly their goal is and who do they want to attract. Keeping your view and goal in your mind helps you stay motivated and on track. Never compare your posts to others. Also choose a profile picture that best suits your brand or content, and includes necessary information related to your work in bio.
The bottom line is, social media is such a huge business, with billions of active users that your dramas and fake content can’t be always portrayed as reality and this attention can not always be positive.
One Response
Network news shows do the same thing. To get people to turn in to watch the broadcast if say someone was murdered then the news readers use Gruesome, horrific, brutal, and other adjectives are used to make people want to see the broadcast to find out what really happened (details). People are influenced all the time in the media.