So it seems like Taylors University is going the extra mile of rewarding "Young Influencers", aka young people about the age of 18-19, the age when you enrol into pre-university education level with scholarships. How are they judged? On the popularity of their social media.
You read that right. By the number of their followers online, be it on Facebook or Instagram.
Realizing the trend in youngsters setting out to post glamorous photos, Taylor's management is trying to keep up with the modern age of digital sharing and promoting other means to be successful other than being excellent in studies. This issue has raised a few eyebrows and let me share my thoughts about this "Reward" on being "femes", and what INFLUENCER means to me. So grab your seats, and listen, cuz this gonna be edgy and triggering. Oh don't like what I'm saying? Well, you see the cross button on the top right of your browser? CLICK IT. This is my space, and you are not obliged to read this post because there's no video to it and no sheets to it. Even if there is, you can still ignore this post...
Let us begin.
The world has changed. Words have had their meanings changed. It doesn't take a scholar to know how different the world is right now. But I am NOT SPEAKING about physical changes in the world. That is too obvious to miss. The CHANGE I'm talking about is the values the world emphasizes now in this age. At least a decade ago, the world still had classical values to success: You work hard, you earn! You work the HALAL way, you will be blessed. I am no different in believing it. I always had believed it. Anyone who worked hard deserved success. Anybody who has put in effort gets the reward. But let me tell you this: THIS IS NOW A LIE. Anyone who tells you this, given a suitable amount of conscience and knowledge, isn't telling you the truth (Unless that person treats you like a child and wants to preserve your innocence until the world ultimately takes it away from you. ) The world is no longer like that. No matter how much effort you put, YOU ARE NOT GUARANTEED SUCCESS EVEN IF YOU PUT EFFORT. Another value relevant to the issue of INFLUENCER is this: Don't judge a book by its cover. Resounding familiarity. You never should judge anyone by their looks. Such were values the world our parents lived swore to. They worked their assess off so we can live comfortably. Their effort in raising in us will define the way we grow up. It is no wonder that parents nowadays would say they have trouble understanding their children. This is because the world itself has changed! Coloured TVs were such an exclusivity back in their days, while today it has become something everyone ought to have. The main point I'm trying to bring about is the world didn't just change physicallly (global warming, pollution, human possessions like the riches you have in your house etc); the core values that were once the epitome of human behavior teaching are SLOWLY DYING OFF in the age where everything, or most of everything, is becoming like this:
Let me ask you a question: If you picture yourself as a dog, wouldn't it be appropriate if I treated you like one?
Now I will try to convey why I think Taylor's College doing of this INFLUENCER scholarship thing isn't going to do ANY GOOD to future kids.
1) Materialism
The scholarship awards you based on the number of followers you have. This indirectly gives the idea that you being the center of attraction is going to do you good. How? The most straightforward idea is that you would have to LOOK GOOD. You have to look good on camera to have good pictures and will make people salivate for you. Does this not mean materialism? If you are indeed skillful in any sort of art or sport, the results will tell the story. This is still acceptable as it is in line with classical ideas of success: train hard work hard and reap hard. You don't need looks to ask people to notice you. However, the "Young Influencer Award" bla bla bla sort of thing will give the impression that all you need is LOOKS to succeed... OMG. Please don't. The world needs less of this sort of cancer. LOOKS IS NOT EVERYTHING KIDS! Spending money on cosmetics and all at such a young age? What are you doing? Being 14 tryin to look 22? Build your follwers from young? *facepalm* Kids seriously. Materialism is not good. Spending so much on products Gucci or those expensive slippers i don't even recall their names, Nike and all... Sigh, I'm no parent to you, but if I had spent whatever money i had on those stuffs. my family would consider me to be one or a few of the things: DISGRACE, and DISAPPOINTMENT and DISHONOR.
2) Bimbo over results?
Sure, not everyone can score those A+ and As like as if they were like eating cookies. It is difficult. It is harsh. Sit through lessons from 8 to 5pm, later with tuition lessons, yes. it is grueling. It is painful. I remembered nearly failing my Add Maths in F4, then seeked helped from tuition which helped ALOT. So I had 11 subjects: all the 9 standard Science Subjects and Accounting, and English Literature (EL). Prior to tuition, I had trouble with Accouting, Add Maths, and Chem? In the end, I took tuition for Physics, Chem, Add Maths and Accounting. And it was tiring. I had issues with sejarah too cuz it was just soo DDDRRRYYYYYY......
With the Influencer scholarship, kids are given the option to powder themselves to look attractive or kewl to gain followers, and can opt to neglect their studies. PLEASE STOP! Your high school years are precious! Do you not realize how fun primary school was when you graduated from your Primary school? I'd give anything to go back in time to fix those embarassing mistakes i made then! Having an idea to be an Influencer is not healthy. You will only think of how to gain followers while not building your intellectual capabilities. If all you think is "Oh I want dat hat it looks dope", "Oh i want that dress it looks so insta worthy", "Oh hey I wanna smoke/vape/ to look cool" etc etc, you need to take a step back, and look back into your primary school days. If the world is going to end up taking your innocence away, why not preserve it as long as possible? You might not ask for toys or stuffs anymore at that age of 13 or 14, but you could ask your parents to invest in skills that could help you so much more like Coding, how to use Photoshop, presentation workshops and all. Those skills help wayyyyyy much more than just tryin to look pretty. Sigh, if I had to name a source of where I think these sort of Influencer things came about, I got to say it has to be K Pop. Young, attractive and sexy and cool. It appeals to youngsters... Even I was a fan of KPop: Girls Generation, Wonder Girls, Miss A, Big Bang, Super Junior... I didn't go deep into the fandom, and fast forward a few years later when I discovered how Anime music felt so much more developed and how strongly it resonated in me, I eventually discarded my taste for KPop. No offense I do enjoy solos like Tae Yang's Eyes Nose Lips, Taeyeon's Rain which I made a cover of too. But in the end, I didn't do much Korean songs. Only occasionally when a drama OST catches my attention, then I'll make an arrangement for it. But coming back, K Pop was the turning point for world culture. It promoted LOTS of dope and fancy fashion lines which eventually made their way to instagrams by the fans who support such industries! Support your biases I'd say, but is it really necessary to use looks to succeed? Is it really what the stars wanted to? Let me ask you this: were the K Pop stars good looking first or had good skills first that got them into where they are now? What were the rumours that KPop idols were always facing?
If you'd like to give LOOK >>> RESULTS, then I seriously worry about the future of Malaysia in technical and economical developments. All looks and no brains, our Wawasan 2020 already in jeopardy, what more of the future visions to make Malaysia a better home for Malaysians.
3) Pollution
Image this: all fashionable clothes die out in popularity over time. Where do they go? They are dumped! This is called the Beauty Industry Pollution. Already there have been efforts to reduce the effects of fast paced clothing fashion pollution, this Influencer scholarship is going to negate those efforts by a huge margin. It won't be a surprise, if other universities or countries start adopting Taylors' idea of Influencer scholarship. Should it happen, fast paced clothing industries will do all they can to cater to fahsion hungry youngsters to make them look good (again, to look good). This will only increase the toll on Earth as we struggle to find landfills to dispose our trash! Where else are we gonna make space for future trash? Clothing cannot be recycled so easily. Bright looking clothing are made using A **** ton of dye, bleaching them to white makes the pollution worse. Any more??
Finally, I think I've reached the end of this rant. Whether or not you want to believve it, this Taylors' stuff is simply for no good. Change the name all they want, they cannot hide their intentions. Social advocates, bla bal bla What is the use of changing your face when the problem is within your heart?? Even the word talent is overused these days... Haih...
Well. I'm nobody in any scene. My blog title says it all. I ain't talented. If one day I were to be famous, I would NOT WANT TO BE TERMED AN INFLUENCER. If Influencer is part of being famous, I'd rather not be famous. What you kids wanna influence the society har? How you dreess how you pose? Let me share with u all these pictures I took in London where I spotted a really pattern couple.
You kids wanna pose like that? Laugh die me.
Anyway those are my 2 cents on the matter. Even if i become famous, I have nothing to influence. I don't wanna influence you with my old fashion sense, my insatiable enjoyment for bad puns, and the awkwardness in the photos I am in. I only have my skills to keep myself happy, and all i ask is for an audience who are willing to listen to my story through my arrangements. Thank you.
Buzzin out!
