Reality televisionaims to show real aspects of life that its viewers can relate to, often through wild experiments and jaw-dropping premises. Whether that be how society functions or the downfalls of everyday dating, many programs have used their unique formats as a platform to discuss the many complexities that come with existing in the modern day. And while many of the shows that fill this medium have seen success, few have accomplished as much asNetflix’snewest reality series,The Influencer. Produced byLee Jae-seok, this Korean show sets out to find the “best influencer” out of a group of 77 online celebrities and content creators, putting them through a myriad of shocking challenges and using how well they can attract an audience to determine who makes it further in the competition.
Many push their players to win using similar skills, but it’s how crassly this one goes about it that makes it one of the most enlightening shows today.The Influecner’schallenges are extremely shocking and, to some, offensive,the demeaning things these players are pushed to do in pursuit of that final grand prize startling viewers not used to this kind of content - which is the series' main goal. Because, by not being gentle about the realities of influencer culture and presenting honest metaphors for what it means to make your money off of others' perceptions,theseriesbecomes one of the best explorations of modern society that reality TV has ever seen.
The Influencer
In this South Korean reality series, 77 elite social media influencers compete in high-stakes challenges to prove who has the most power and influence online. As they vie for the ultimate title, alliances form, strategies emerge, and the battle for survival takes on new dimensions. The show dives deep into the world of social media, where reputation and reach are everything.
There’s Never Been a Show Like ‘The Influencer’
On its surface, it’s easy for viewers to laugh offThe Influenceras another ofNetflix’s attempts at reality TV. And its marketing doesn’t help that; while an overarching narration speaks to the impact these people have on millions of online users worldwide, the trailers for the series seem to focus more on the many social media icons in its cast than what they’ll actually be doing in the competition. It may have viewers tuning in expecting something unserious, which makes it that much more alarming when the first few seconds of the show confront them with a valid question:why did you pick this program?Immediately, the series challenges its viewers to consider what about the way it was presented on their Netflix feed resonated with them and how they could possibly deny the power of digital influence when this program used it to draw them in. It’s an illuminating, if not slightly unnerving introduction, one that perfectly sets the stage for what is to come.
The challenges thatThe Influencerputs its contestants through are harsh and embarrassing, and the show knows it. It starts off with the contestants meeting one another and being told that their “worth” in the game will first be determined by their follower counts,a number representing how many people online stay tuned into their content; for some, their follower count reaches far above a million users worldwide. With the series establishing that these people only have worth if they’re liked online, it then brings these harsh personal politics to the real world bymaking them grant each other “Likes” and “Dislikes” based on first impressions.
These are a function of almost every major social media app, but they’re always concealed by a screen; people having to give these out face-to-face showcases how much of an impact these reactions have on people,something that’s easy to forget when it’s done online. This is only the first intense challenge. The contestants then have to do things like beg their followers to stay on a live stream or literally sell themselves as products to make it through for the huge cash grand prize. While some people find joy in these activities,most of them are extremely uncomfortable, sometimes even distraught over having to make such blatant grabs for attention…which is exactly the series' point.
Do You Really Want To Be ‘The Influencer’?
WhileThe Influencerobviously takes liberties with its metaphors and challenges, it can’t be understated how perfectly these uncomfortable obstacles mirror the real lives of influencers today. People often forget how difficult it is to maintain an online following; of course, there are perks to the role, but having your main source of money rely on the fickle wants of an online audience is a precarious position for people to be in. It means that these people have to constantly be viewing themselves as a kind of product, studying the likes of others andmanicuring themselves in a way that they know is attractive to people on the internet (even if it isn’t true to themselves). This doesn’t mean that every influencer is nothing like the people they present online. In fact, the series shows how easy it is for some of these people to put their genuine self out there and receive fame and attention for it. But, as the challenges try to illustrate,selling yourself is never an easy thing to do— especially when your customers forget that you’re a person just like them.
Many of the series' stars delve into how difficult this whole experience is for them, with immensely famous TikTokersia_jiwooexpressing in the first episode — after everyone began bombarding her with dislikes upon learning how popular she was — how difficult it is to receive so much hate for seemingly no reason, an experience she’s very familiar with online. This is furthered by beauty YouTuberRisabae, who breaks down after having to ask the fans she cherishes to stay online to help her win a competition. It’s really exemplified, though, in the show’s infamous “self-auction,” the contestants having to sell themselves to one another and many falling into despairwhen they realize nobody wants to buy what they’re selling.
There’s Never Been a Show Like ‘The Influencer’ — Is That Good?
It’s hard to say how much of a positive impactThe Influenceris actually pulling off. While each of its challenges are apt metaphors of modern influenced culture, it’s arguable that putting these people through such intense scenarios is only contributing more negativity to the genre. No matter what messages it’s trying to convey, it isn’t fair for these people to undergo such harsh experiences for the benefit of some larger narrative (that they weren’t aware they’d be a part of). Yet for all of this negativity, it’s undeniable what a glaring — and accurate — exposition this show is ofthe online culture we live in now. It goes to places no other series has because that’s what’s necessary to trulyshow how toxic so many of the social mechanicsthat make up our life are.
