/An election of historic proportions is taking place right now. As early polling and mail ins have been opened to record turnouts, the political scene is as active as ever. However, I am not old enough to vote yet, and this time around I am feeling somewhat relieved that it is not my duty to pick between what will ultimately be the lesser of two evils. However, the time will eventually come when I am called upon to fulfill my responsibility as an American citizen and decide what is right for the country, in my own eyes. Therefore I have been examining the issue thoroughly, and one thing I have found disturbing is such widespread misinformation, misinterpretation of information, and unwavering revolution of identity around a certain political party to the point of blatant disregard for the rights of fellow human beings. People blindly follow, and are therefore blindly influenced. This unfortunate affirmation also applies to the gravely important internet cults of celebrity so commonplace today. Desperate to abide by the status quo of their respective communities, people en masse willingly sacrifice individuality in order to thoroughly align themselves with standards of certain factions. In some of these cult-like followings, leaders (often recklessly) wield the influence to dictate mainstream popularity in all sectors- fashion, music, other people, even science and politics. Considering the incredulous followings some of these leaders possess, millions of theoretical votes are potentially a single check away. The platforms they use to entertain their fanbases- Twitter, TikTok, Instagram- all grant the ability to convey any message at any instant. It’s truly frightening how much instant sway over their fans these “influencers” have. The exigence of the matter is that there is an election taking place as I write this piece, and “influencers” have the power to determine the outcome of the election. An alarming implication indeed, but due to America’s own ppolicy supporting the basic human right of free speech, there is no way to intervenestand in the way of their objectives.

In Nazi Germany, Hitler developed an extensive department of propaganda during his rise to power and under his rule. Films, posters, books, comics, and countless other forms of media employed by the Nazi regime are the reason an entire country with a population of millions was able to despicably unite against observers of the Jewish religion. The vast majority of Nazi propaganda served the purpose of vilifying Jewish citizens, as well as glorifying Hitler. The volume of his repugnant, nauseating crimes was only matched by that of his celebrity. When pop culture is invariably dominated by certain ideals, be it in the realm of beauty or racial politics, the majority of consumers tend to accept those ideals as simple truths or standards. In some ways, this change can be beneficial, for example–take the evolution of female beauty standards. Today, we live in a world in which a more body positive approach to appearance is becoming the norm in trending media, which can truly significantly improve mental health, body image and eating habits for those who struggle with them. However, evidenced by one of the worst genocides in human history, domination of mainstream culture by a certain common belief can also prove catastrophic. 

In 2020, as aforementioned, “influencers” who entertain hundreds of millions of fans possesshold undisputed governance of the media industry. In 1939, the population of Nazi Germany was 79 million. Ariana Grande has 204 million Instagram followers. Unsurprisingly, Grande’s style has become the blueprint for many aspiring pop musicians, and the industry has experienced multiple paradigm shifts in accordance with her varying approach to music. David Beckham (241 million Instagram followers), Kylie Jenner (198 million), and The Rock (201 million) have all had similar influences on their respective sectors, football, beauty, and cinema. Billion-dollar industries bend and fluctuate to best satisfy the overwhelming buying power of these social media moguls’ gargantuan fanbases, so evidently their sheer volume must be enough to make a mark on the political landscape? It would appear so.

On September 28, Kylie Jenner posted a picture imploring her followers to vote, linking a registration tool in her profile. A spokesperson for the website reported a 1500% increase in usage of the tool to register. Following Jenner’s post, a wave of other influencers followed suit. In previous elections, Oprah (arguably the first true celebrity “influencer”)’s endorsement of Obama’s presidential campaign was the closest thing comparable to the amount of political activism in the mainstream today. However, as apps like TikTok and Instagram have become the mainstream over daytime talk shows, a younger, larger, more politically involved generation has become the primary consumer of culture. Make no mistake, the incredible power these “influencer= incredible clout “influencers” possess has already influenced affected the election, as all-time record early voting turnouts have occurred nationwide. already broken the total for all early voting in 2016 nationwide by several million. The fact that this this year, voting is occurring during a global pandemic where going out for anything period is at an all-time low, only makes those numbers even more of an anomaly. Now as the obvious effect of “influencer culture” can be observed on politics, American “influencers” have a responsibility to make sure they exercise their rights in an accountable manner. On the more reckless side of the spectrum, some “influencers”, such as Tana Mongeau, who boasts a whopping 5 million Instagram followers, have participated in illegal vote-buying, such as her one-day #bootyforbiden event. During this questionable venture, Mongeau promised to send followers a “booty pic” through her OnlyFans (paid-subscription content site) in exchange for a picture of their ballot indicating a vote for Joe Biden, the 2020 Democratic Candidate. She later remarked that she had received “tens of thousands” of OnlyFans messages indicating a ballot vote for Biden in a single day. The closest state vote margin in the 2016 election took place in the “swing state” of Michigan, where the difference was 13,080 votes. 8 of the 10 closest state margins were less than 100,000.

While Mongeau’s stunt may have had significant enough of an impact to win over several states, she will be facing zero repercussions. Due to the sheer volume and inherent anonymity of the activity taking place in her scheme, her effect on the election is practically untraceable. While 5M followers is an impressive number, it pales in comparison to the 200 million of the top 5 most followed celebrities on Instagram. When multiplied to relative scale, the average potential votes drawn in by the top 10 most followed “influencers” on Instagram would be a minimum of ~370,000 each and a maximum of ~3,650,000 each in a single day, in the case of a similar campaign to Mongeau’s. Hillary Clinton lost the 2016 election by around 2,800,000 votes. The maximum combined average potential votes from the top 10 “influencers” aforementioned would be around 40,000,000 in a single day. The total number of votes counted in the 2016 election nationwide was 60,000,000. 

Needless to say, the power of democracy truly lies in the hands of these “influencers”.

Americans are and have been facing dire times

 in the past few years, from reckless national leadership, to extensive wildfires caused by climate change, to a police brutality epidemic, to a viral global pandemic. We must seek to replace leadership how we see fit in the tumultuous present, and stand with those we trust in unity for what we believe in. However, we also need to keep in mind the cautionary tale of Nazi Germany’s elections in the wake of their own troubles, and be wary of wicked men with who disguise themselves as saints. We must stay informed by reliable sources on our own accord before making decisions, and not choose our leaders solely based on a pop culture craze.