Social media has taken over our world, and it has generated many jobs over the years.
While it is a fun job, it can be stressful. Many people in this field feel pretty lost because there aren’t any instructions to succeed in this industry. Some influencers have gotten to the top of the world just by luck, while others worked for a long time to achieve their success.
Whether you are an influencer or not, working on social media is tough! This industry has many jobs available, and most of them can be performed from home. Working from home is incredible, but it can lead to other issues that we’ll discuss later on.
Influencers have teams of people that manage their presence, from managers, assistants, video editors, producers, photographers, and many more. We can see that one single person can generate many jobs, but it can be stressful.
Social media stars work day and night. Therefore, their team has to work these hours too. The internet never sleeps, and everything can change in a matter of minutes.
Taxes
Many influencers, when they start out in this industry, begin seeing the cash flow. They usually have large amounts of money coming in and out, depending on their specialty.
For example, Instagram stars can receive up to $100,000 for just a sponsored post about a product or company. Of course, this all depends on how many followers they have. Even celebrities like the Kardashians, who have millions of followers, take advantage of these sponsored posts. Kylie Jenner can make up to $1,000,000 for just a post!
It’s logical that people, when they get this money, don’t know that they have to report it to the IRS. This can lead to sanctions and even jail time. According to the Tax Amnesty website, “Taxpayers can avoid penalties by submitting a voluntary disclosure, stating everything about the problem with filing taxes.”
Taxes are expensive, but it’s even more costly when you don’t pay them. And this applies to people who live outside the US but make money there. When they reach a certain income, they will have to file for taxes – otherwise, they could even be banned from the US.
Social Pressure
Managing a successful social media account is stressful, mainly because people can get too intense at times.
Having a fandom base is excellent for any influencer because they know that they have people backing them up. But at the same time, it gives them a lot of pressure.
In a recent situation, a YouTuber allegedly said something mean to a fan and this lead to the suicide of the fan. Later on, people were blaming this YouTuber for causing her death. This is an extreme case, but people can indeed put a lot of pressure on you.
This applies even more for YouTubers who post on a regular schedule. They feel compromised with their fans to deliver videos at a specific time and date. Sometimes, when they can’t upload for any reason, people can get upset because they’re not sticking to the schedule.
We need to understand that social media celebrities are humans too. They are allowed to have a bad day, to get sick, and to enjoy whatever time off they need.
It’s true that influencers work from home so they can always be doing something, but have you had a job where you didn’t get tired of working? Probably not. We are humans; we get bored and tired of doing the same things over and over again.
It’s the same with producing and editing videos, taking photos, and engaging with the audience – all of this can get tiring, and that’s why everyone needs a break every once in a while.
Parasocial Relationships
Parasocial relationships are those that are characterized by one person having a one-sided relationship with a celebrity. We’ve all experienced this when we were younger and fell in love with some singer or actor.
This happens a lot on social media, especially again with YouTubers. Sometimes, YouTubers tell their audience a lot about their life. They film what they do in a day, share personal stories, and essentially give us a pretty wide glimpse of their life.
Having these parasocial relationships can get dangerous if the person starts imagining things and trying to contact their “loved one” through various or extreme means.
Final Thoughts
Social media is a place where people go to distract themselves. However, this place can get toxic, primarily due to the people who demand something from influencers.
Parasocial relationships, failure to accurately report their income, and social pressure are a part of being a social media star. If you’re starting in this field, get proper advice from someone who’s been here for a long time..