The Kids Are All Right.  Sure About That?

 

 For my brother it was a train driver.  For my sister it was a police officer.  What was it for you?  What was the thing you dreamed of becoming when you were a grown-up?  Astronaut, fighter pilot, president, teacher, basketball player, doctor, vet, popstar, movie actor?  (By the way, I’m not hearing to many cries of ‘priest!’ or ‘lawyer!’)

So, how is it working for you?  Did you end up doing the thing you dreamed of?  Amazingly enough, my sister did become a police officer, and my brother did become a train manager (his eyesight prevented him from being an actual driver, but he did the next best thing.)

Me?  Well, I had no idea what I wanted to be when I grew up.  I still don’t.  I’m the youngest of three siblings, so I never learned the harsh truth that one day everyone was going to stop looking after me and I’d need to take responsibility for myself.  Jobs were what other people did, like parents and older siblings.  O cruel, cruel world.

I bet you never dreamed of becoming a social media star.  You never pictured yourself at a computer, broadcasting your mature opinions on food, fashion, and celebrity ‘news’ to thousands of loyal disciples who were eagerly hanging on your every recommendation for how they should spend their money.  You never imagined that posting photos of yourself eating yoghurt, or listening to music, or taking Fido to the pet salon could earn you a decent living.  Your career counsellor at high school never mentioned the word ‘influencer’ when she listed the vast catalogue of careers you could be successful at.

 Well, that was then, and this is now.  A 2019 Harris/LEGO poll found that 30% of kids aged 8 to 12 named “YouTuber” as their first career choice.  That was the top answer.  And it’s not just the kids. Morning Consult found that 54% of adults under 35 want to become social media influencers.  Unsurprisingly, universities and colleges are responding to this demand; Cornell, USC, and UCLA have now introduced courses specifically focused on social media marketing and content creation.

Now, this is not one of those disapproving articles by a boring old establishment figure that laments the loss of the good old days and despairs at younger generations.  Actually, I love young people and I learn a lot from them.  I used to be one myself a very long time ago.  I miss the energy, passion, sense of justice, high ideals, and the attitude of ‘nothing is impossible’ that young people possess.  So, I want to build-up and not tear down.

Why would someone want to become an influencer?  For the same reason they want to be train drivers, police officers, lawyers, and doctors.  Strip away the overcoat of new technology, and you’ll find the same basic human motivations that we all have.  It’s not just about becoming rich and famous (although surely there is an element of that); it is the God-given and healthy wish to occupy a place in society where we’ll feel useful and loved, where we can make a difference, where we can help promote things of value.

 Is this the pride and entitlement of a ‘me’ generation that grew up believing they were the center of the universe, who won medals for just showing up, and were given straight ‘A’s for turning in half-hearted pieces of homework?  No.  We’re born with the need for love, security, and the knowledge that we are worth something.  Our ideas matter.  Our perspectives are part of how God reveals the truth to a community.  We need to have some influence.  We have these needs from birth because there is a God who loves us and gives us those things our hearts yearn for.

 So claim your identity and your calling – be an influencer!  The world needs your input.  Take your faith and God’s love and share it.  Influence your family, friends, and Montgomery.