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Just because your voice reaches halfway around the world doesn't mean you are wiser than when it reached only to the end of the bar.
— Edward R. Murrow
Are we too rough on influencers?
Do we fault Meta or Google for not treating our data carefully?
Do we act surprised when Google serves up a creepy as hell ad about something you were talking about or searching for?
Or McDonald’s responsible for a calorie-dense burger?
Google and Meta sell ads. They provide you with Instagram, Facebook, Search, mail etc in exchange for your time and attention. They trade those commodities for cash.
McDonald’s will sell you a burger if you want to buy one. You can’t ask McDonald’s to do the right thing and not sell you a burger since it might be unhealthy for you.
So why is the influencer or content creator accountable to you?
They, much like the platforms they use, want your time and attention. The more of those they garner, the more lucrative their content is.
They want your attention to sell you courses, content etc to top off the ads they sell when you give them attention.
But the transaction between you and the influencer was at no point about giving you the right information for your specific context.
Herein lies the problem. Influencers are saying things. Lots of things. Like the John Olivers and Jon Stewarts of the world who use the veneer of the standup comedian to deliver news and opinions, influencers use the veneer of the content creator or entertainer to deliver advice on exercise, dating, eating, investing etc.
When you ask them: Is this advice actually sound or right, they can hide behind the content creator label. When asked if they are qualified to offer advice, they can argue that it is an opinion they are expressing that they are entitled to.
That leaves you with only one option: If you are not paying for advice tailored to your context, the onus is on you to figure out if the advice is right and more importantly right for you. Content is generic. Advice is contextual. But buyer beware applies when you consume either.