Influence is one of those social media buzzwords of the day. Everyone is tossing it around or measuring how it works. While I will admit some people are more influential than others, I’ll also be the first to tell you that “influence” is in the eye of the beholder.
What Makes Someone Influential?
Why are some people considered more influential than others? Is it because:
- Their advice is spot on?
- They yell louder than everyone else?
- The present themselves as a good role model?
- Everyone else listens to them so we should too?
- We just like what they have to say?
I know that many bloggers feel that influence is measured by popularity, but I think it’s more than that. For example, in the 80′s Madonna was so popular she influenced tweens and teens to dressed in flouncy skirts, ripped up tights and pornographic wedding attire. A decade later, she crossed the line in a video and no one wanted to buy her Pepsi anymore. She was still popular, still sold millions of albums, but she wasn’t seen as someone who advertisers believed was influential or positive enough to sell their products. Influencing someone to buy a catchy tune is one thing, getting someone to buy what you’re selling, product-wise, is a whole other story. Influence and popularity aren’t the same thing.
We might go with the flow in a peer pressure sort of way, but we know who truly influences us. We take our role models and influences seriously. While I acknowledge, one has to be at least a little popular in order to be influential, I don’t necessarily believe that we’re so blinded by popularity we allow ourselves to be influenced.
My Influence is Not Your Influence
I might consider Wonder Woman to be influential, but you’d probably find that silly. However, in a time when comic book heroes were men, knowing that a woman could kick ass and take names inspired me to kick ass and take names. A cartoon comic was influential in shaping me into someone who didn’t use gender or weakness as an excuse. I didn’t have a golden lasso, but I knew I had other assets – my ability to write, for example. My influence is not your influence.
I also consider Liz Strauss to be personally influential. She was the first blogger I looked up not only because I enjoyed how she wrote, but also, I appreciated how she encouraged a positive community – this encouraged me to do the same. I didn’t want to copy, however, I was influenced to be positive by her positivity. I know there are some people who feel she’s too nice and too positive and for them that’s a turnoff. My influence is not their influence.
Exploring Influence
I always tell my son to choose his role models wisely. These are the people who will shape his life and the way he thinks. I feel the same way about these “influential” people everyone is going on about. Instead of kvetching about influence or whether it’s real, why not explore the reasons why someone is considered influential? Selling a million albums isn’t influential. Inspiring folks to take action is. Explore the person and learn why everyone listens when he speaks. You may find out it has nothing to do with popularity at all.
We’re all influenced by different things. If a single person is inspiring thousands, or even millions to take action it goes way beyond popularity. There’s something in that person’s words and actions that encourage and inspire. It has nothing to do with popularity or the ability to speak. It’s more about letting actions speak louder than words and putting one’s money where one’s mouth is.
The true influencers don’t only speak, they do. This has nothing to do with popularity at all.
How are you influenced by others? What causes you to listen or act?
Credit where it’s due: The inspiration for this post came from the Fast Company Influence project we’re they’re looking to find the most influential person online. I bit. I want to see if this turns out to be a true measure of influence and how it will pan out. Is it going to be a contest or a true test of how the real influential people are. I’m looking forward to finding out.
