Italy has a big problem: it’s not too low wages, school dropouts, feminicides or even migrants. They are the influencer. These young people who use social media better than anyone else have a huge following and also earn money by advertising various products without it always being clear that it is advertising. But now that terrible social wound will be healed because instead of the cryptic writing “adv”, which stands for advertisingposts by influencers with more than one million followers must bear the word “advertising”, all in capital letters. This measure, adopted with great fanfare by the Communications Agency, has nothing to do with the famous case of Chiara Ferragni’s pandoro, because that was precisely a declared advertisement, what was not there was charity (but the photos by Chiara Ferragni today like every day they stand out everywhere now because at this moment the Ferragni shot brings clicks and gets ratings). We will see the impact of these new rules on the market, but it is worth reflecting on the fact that the real problem we have with influencers perhaps it is not hidden advertising, since it is almost always obvious; but the cultural model behind this profession. The fact that with success you get the idea that you don’t need to work in life (and instead the influencer also does a job); and before that, that there is no need to study.
The idea that to make money, the true totem of most of the new generations, is that all you need to do is be a little nice and get by in front of a smartphone camera. What there in short, we are losing the value of effort: the effort and wonder of learning, of growing, of improving; and also to earn an honest living. The idea that there is a shortcut to success for everyone passes by. A bit like when kids dreamed of being footballers and becoming rich. But social media seems to be able to promise this opportunity to almost everyone. And U.S we have lost the words to tell our children that studying is important.