Like a lot of you, when I’m bored I like to check out social media and see what’s going on in the world.
Too often I’m bombarded with racially divisive videos or reels of people fighting on the street or in stores. Once you get past all the rage bait, comes the parade of videos by social media influencers. These influencers can be pushing anything from skincare, makeup, to a more improved lifestyle.
A new trend I’ve noticed having the Internet world aflame is the rise of AI influencers. I’ve seen many viewers in recent months saying they feel taken in or disillusioned when they realize whom they have been taking advice from isn’t even a real person!
Does it matter if the image is AI or “real,” when your average influencer is using filters in the first place? You aren’t getting an informed idea of how that product looks or works behind a filter.
I have never been someone to follow others for beauty advice- it either looks good on me, or it doesn’t.
Now admittedly I might have some advantages in this area as a formerly North Carolina licensed Esthetician and Nail Technician. Yes, people trusted me to perform chemical peels and to use a vacuum wand to suck layers of skin off their face, I mean microdermabrasion. Working as a professional makeup artist for several major beauty brands probably hasn’t hurt me either.
Yet, it does cause me to see it as amusing people are so upset about this new AI influencer trend when so much of the beauty industry is smoke and mirrors anyway. If you ever stop and compare ingredients, you will find that you are most likely paying more for the brand name or the appearance of the product than you are any supposed extra benefit. Don’t believe me? Compare the cost of women’s “pretty” razors to the cost of men’s.
The bottom line is no matter what the subject, be it political, sports, or beauty, you should be informed.
If you understand the ingredients used in the product and how it is designed to work, why do you need to hear from an influencer anyway? The only way you are really going to know if the product is, in this case, compatible with your skin is by testing it out and learning about its ingredients.
The only way you are going to know the consequences of a legislative bill is by first reading it yourself.
The beauty world, politics, so much of life in general, comes down to great lighting and temporary benefits, when all it should really come down to is how you think about it.
I am old enough to know a world without mainstream Internet, and I can say with confidence I have watched our nation divide itself further under its influence. We were promised a tool to make our lives easier, but like the famed Trojan Horse of old it has unleashed a host of unintended consequences.
Do you ever just want to turn all the outside noise off?
I honestly think we would all be a lot happier if we shut out that media drama noise and think for ourselves. After all, your life is the truest reality show of them all. Grab some popcorn, or that last slice of chocolate cake, and enjoy it before those final credits roll!