Pam skimmed through her notifications for the umpteenth time and sighed. This was the typical life of a social media influencer, or simply, ‘influencer’.
She wondered who had coined the term. Albeit fitting, it unnerved her. People ought not to be followers … There goes that word again, ‘followers’.
She often wondered how she got here. Half a million subscribers and not a single friend. The irony!
It was the epitome of the social media craze, and she often felt like she was lumped up and thrown into the bandwagon without her consent. The journey was bumpy and she longed for a rest, but the piper had played his tune and everyone was dancing to the rhythm of the social media.
Sometimes, she wondered how her career would play out if she was not an influencer. Perhaps something generic like a legal profession would suit her.
Slowly applying a thick layer of lipstick, she looked in the mirror. If she were to give her honest opinion, she loathed the color of the lipstick and how sticky if felt on her lips. It was lackluster and she might as well have been applying a glue stick on her lips. She struck an unnatural pose in her well lit room and took a picture.
‘Amazing lipstick. Leaves lips feeling soft and the color is mesmerizing!’
Type… Post?
She was getting paid a ridiculous hefty sum to advertise the lipstick brand on her Instagram account.
Lying had become so natural to her, it was second nature.
She quickly posted the image and impatiently waited for the ‘likes’ to flow in as she vigorously criticized the image.
Just a day in the life of a social media influencer.
She longingly looked at the mink coat that was laid on her couch. It was a real fur coat, just another item that she would never get to wear, perhaps only in the vicinity of her house.
She had splurged on the extravagant piece after her first paycheck. She had been naive then, wearing the fur coat in public and thereafter receiving a tongue-lashing from her faithful followers.
She wasn't a vegetarian before, nor had she ever thought of the intricacies of being one. This was just another one of those bandwagons she had been duped into. What was that familiar saying... A rolling stone gathered no moss. She often felt like vulnerable and was swept up easily by the flow.
The likes had trickled in as she was having her soliloquy.
She read through some of the comments. Sometimes she was appalled by what people could say when they were hiding before a screen. She had already memorized some of the usernames of those who commented regularly. It wasn't her habit to block anyone, since she needed the mass following, regardless of one's agenda on her page.
However, one particular comment stood out from the rest, and beads of sweat begun to form on her brow.
