Stop hating on influencers for no reason

Addison Rae in “He’s All That”

As I was scrolling through my YouTube recommendations, the thumbnail for the “He’s All That” trailer appeared on my screen with influencer Addison Rae holding up her phone, smirking into the camera. 

My first reaction was similar to most of the internet: not another influencer getting a job they don’t deserve. 

Influencers have always been controversial figures, but recently, they started receiving criticism for expanding to industries outside of social media, often in the movie and music scene, despite their lack of experience in these fields. The public, however, has taken this criticism to another level by spreading hatred toward these influencers for simply existing.

Addison Rae has received several unnecessary hate comments on her TikTok videos like, “I completely forgot you existed, I wanna go back to when I forgot.” While a minor fraction of her comments are constructive criticism, most of her critics are only jumping on the hate bandwagon. 

With the rapid growth of social media, gaining fame is objectively easier than it used to be. Posting lip sync or dance videos have allowed influencers to gain millions of followers quickly, allowing people like Rae to land an acting job as the main character on “He’s All That,” despite having no previous acting experience.

Her attempt at acting garnered immense attention — audiences were expecting an impeccable performance. However, such an expectation was unreasonable, especially because she didn’t have any prior acting experience. Unlike traditional actors or singers, who built their status through years of acting, influencers are unable to develop these skills before being thrown under a harsh spotlight. 

Most successful actors began with minor roles and weaker acting skills, but later grew to prove themselves and perfect their skills, allowing them to succeed today. For instance, actor Tom Cruise began his acting career in “Taps” in 1981. According to the People magazine, the only form of acting education Cruise had was going to the movies, which is evident through his poor acting in the movie. 

Despite his poor start, Cruise continued to grow in his roles. With his hard work over the years, Cruise’s acting skills evolved and created hits such as “Mission Impossible” and “Top Gun.” 

Most influencers today become famous overnight because of a breakout video. They shouldn’t be expected to perform as well as famous singers and actors with years of experience.   

These influencers do not deserve the unnecessary hate they constantly receive. For the average person, empathizing with influencers’ unique situations and problems is hard, but that doesn’t mean constant hatred towards them is justified. You do not have to like influencers, but there is no reason to scrutinize everything they do.