By Madilyn Zanardelli
With the new form of entertainment-social media-comes new celebrities. Move over Drake and Jennifer Lawerence, because Emma Chamberlain and James Charles take the spotlight. These new celebrities are referred to as “influencers”, whose video content touches the lives of many young viewers. They are the new parents of the next generation, as they use their videos to shape the minds of children. They set the example of the world to come, showing us that we no longer have to worry about the next generation; the YouTubers took care of it.
Critics of the refined pillar of art, Youtube, might say these “influencers” have no qualifications or practical jobs that benefit society. And while they have a valid argument, there is a simple solution: Politics. Give these social media “influencers” political positions.
You might be wondering, how can they hold political jobs if they have no experience? Training a politician is quick and easy, just look at Donald Trump. From businessman to President, Donald showed us how anyone can be a politician, without any prior experience. Once these “influencers” are implemented into politics, our lives will be greatly improved. The world of an “influencer” is completely online, and everything they post is a candid reflection of their daily lives; they would have nothing to hide from the past, present and future. Politics can be a dirty job with many back door deals, but with the implementation of social media platforms, the public can be up to date and the “influencers” turned politicians will be held more accountable for their actions. Incumbents are another issue plaguing our politics, but as an “influencer’s” popularity is constantly changing and unreliable, all you have to do is wait out their short “second of fame” until a new one takes their place.
Another problem with today’s politics is voter turnout. Many people find themselves disinterested in politics or that their votes are futile. But if we use “influencers” as politicians they would accumulate so many more citizens interested in politics. We need more people involved in the smaller-sided elections for governor, senators, and representatives. “Influencers” would spread more awareness to the public, and increase participation in local politics. In the 2012 primaries, only 33 million people voted; James Charles alone has 25 million followers. Imagine James is running against Jeffree Star, another “influencer”, who has 20 million followers. Now we have at least 45 million voters aware of primary elections. Some might argue and say that many of the “influencer’s” followers are too young to vote. But I say, if you are old enough to have social media, you are old enough to vote.
These stars have so much clout and influence over the minds of young children, so we must use their platform to introduce politics in an unbiased way. Using these “influencers” will not only increase awareness for elections but also fix the systematic problems within politics. Making this one change to society is a quick and simple solution that kills two simple birds with one quick stone.