Rising to fame: Students consider whether social media influencers deserve celebrity status

Catalina Lopez|February 10, 2023

Social media influencers have earned recognition from the public as being celebrities.

One video. Immediate attention. One million likes.

Social media influencers can quickly reach fame from posting videos, yet SCHS students question whether influencers deserve attention on social media platforms.

Celebrities have been around for years. However, since influencers started taking over social media, people have been recognizing them more as an idol or icon. Sophomore Parker Bradford believes celebrities deserve more recognition than influencers do.

“I think it is extremely unfair to celebrities,” Bradford said. “These influencers put a 10 second segment of their video, and they get all the money. I feel like celebrities deserve more.”

Similar to Bradford, junior Miranda Gutierrez believes influencers do the bare minimum in order to receive fame, while celebrities are grinding and working hard to earn it.

“Celebrities are actually putting in the work while influencers are just kind of posting videos,” Gutierrez said.

The Met Gala, an all-exclusive, A-list celebrity event that occurs annually, has influencers all over the world being invited to this special occasion. Yet it historically has been meant for celebrities, causing some to consider influencers as celebrities since they are perceived famous enough to be invited to elite events.

Sophomore Mannat Kanota also believes that influencers do not put in as much work while celebrities perform their duties yet still get the same amount of fame. Kanota believes that current influencers’ acclaim is likely to be temporary.

“Influencers can gain fame and attention really, really fast, but it’s sort of short-lived,” Kanota said. “It’s still unfair to celebrities because they have to work a lot harder in order to get to the same level of fame.”

SCHS students like Kanota think it is unfair to celebrities who put in the sweat and energy to earn their fame. She thinks their jobs should be paid based on how much they work.

“Their (influencer’s) job isn’t as labor intensive and it doesn’t require as much effort as a celebrity’s job, so they should be paid according to the effort they put in,” Kanota said.

Similar to Kanota, Gutierrez feels influencers’ fame does not last long. She also considers that though people like influencers, many have more respect for celebrities.

“They (influencers) do get more recognition but for a smaller amount of time,” Gutierrez said. “Celebrities have more respect, and people respect them more than influencers.”

With influencers and social media stars rising in popularity, Kanota expressed that celebrities may feel worthless and that they have failed at their career.

“They probably feel like they’re not recognized enough because celebrities have to put in a lot of work and effort into pursuing their profession in order to gain fame,” Kanota said.