“We made the right person famous.”
A phrase said all too often on TikTok when an influencer has said a politically correct take, such as “ICE is wrong” or “everyone deserves reproductive rights.” The world has reached a point where posting the “right take” is enough to earn praise, and participation has replaced real action.
Participation trophies are often used to reward someone for a certain objective, such as showing up to your first soccer game at six years old or competing in your elementary school’s field day.
While the original intention of the participation trophy was to encourage involvement, the result became a way to encourage mediocre behavior. Nowadays, they have stretched their existence into the world of social media, specifically online activism, where simply acknowledging an issue is treated as a significant accomplishment.
On social media, influencers are often praised for voicing popular opinions that carry little personal risk. Posting a statement or reposting an infographic is enough to earn public approval.
The applause comes quickly, but it rarely demands consistency beyond the screen. Once the public deems an influencer’s statement sufficient regarding their political stance, the influencer may continue posting content without scrutiny.
This kind of performative praise lowers the standard for allyship. When the bare minimum is celebrated, there is less pressure to engage in difficult conversations when issues stop trending. Serious human rights concerns become forgotten once the algorithm moves on.
So why are we okay with congratulating influencers for essentially brushing their teeth? To brush one’s teeth is the bare minimum, so why is supporting fundamental human rights a big show when it should be the standard?
The act of caring about someone else’s rights outside of your own is a trait we all possess; it should not be a big deal that you are capable of having empathy for people outside of your personal bubble.
Though every influencer is not necessarily a “political activist” influencer, they should still be properly held to the standard that people have for each other and their politicians. It shouldn’t be until the very last second that an influencer feels the need to address an issue. Influencers are people with moral beliefs like anyone else; just because they are more in the public eye doesn’t mean they should be treated differently. Participation trophies are not deserved for having basic human courtesy.
