I keep hearing about influencers. Apparently, the term has been around since the 1600s but has become a lot more popular since 2018. Dictionary.com reports that it didn’t even have the word in its listing until after 2016. The term has also changed over time. 

When William Shakespeare used the term, it was not a job title like it is today. However, is being an influencer really a job?

A New Job

If you aren’t familiar with the job of an influencer, it’s pretty straightforward. As an influencer, you try influencing people to buy certain products or frequent certain companies.

Influencers use social media to gather millions of followers and companies, give them products, and pay them to use them to influence others to do the same. Influencers can make millions of dollars a year. 

When I was growing up, companies would pay celebrities to use their products. Joe Nameth and Beauty Mist, Michal Jorden wearing Nike, and Payton Manning making pizza (Papa John’s) all tried to get us to use those products because our heroes did! Companies hoped they could influence us to use their products.

Now you can be a 2-year-old sniffing candles (Sunday Kramer), a kid playing with toys (Ryan Kaji), a gamer reviewing games (too many to list), a teen putting on makeup (again too many to list), or anyone who has a large following on social media. This new era of influencers are famous, because they are “influencers.”

Many people want to become influencers, so they work hard on their social media, sometimes doing outlandish things to gain a following. They believe the avenue to fame and fortune is getting people to watch them, getting a company or sponsor them, and then influencing their followers to purchase certain products.

What Influences Me?

What they don’t know is that we are all influencers, and we are all influenced. Formative science says we are all giving and receiving form. Everything matters in formation. Everything forms us and influences us. The question is, who will be our ultimate influencer? 

As I read scripture, a question keeps coming to my mind. What am I allowing to influence me? In Romans 12, Paul tells us not to be conformed to the world. In other words, the world will try to influence me. The culture wants to be the ultimate influence in my life.  

I don’t have to let the world be my influencer. The challenge is to be mindful of how I’m being influenced so I can choose who (or what) will be my ultimate influencer.

As Joshua said, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:15).

When I am influenced by the world, I show the same traits that the world does. Showing those traits would be good if they were good. The world shows aggression, deceit, a lookout-for-number-one attitude, and many other traits that leave us frustrated, hopeless, and disappointed.

My Ultimate Influencer

Since we can choose our ultimate influencer, maybe we should choose Jesus.

Through prayer, scripture, and other means of grace, we choose to be influenced by God through Jesus. Spiritual practices open our lives to God’s influence. We choose who we want to be our ultimate influencer.

We become more like the world when we allow it to be our ultimate influencer. When Jesus forms us, we become more like Him.