“You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.”
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Let’s talk about popularity (although if you’re like me, inconceivable leaps to mind). The word has sparked something of a debate about the power of numbers in social media. Is being popular the same as being influential? Can you be influential without being popular? Which came first? The chicken or the egg?
I’ve been watching the conversation and have been somewhat amazed at how popularity is being interpreted, particularly with regard to influence. I take issue with a few particular statements:
“Popularity is how many people hear what you say. Influence is how many people listen and react.”
and
“The popular person can lead the horse to water & the influencer makes them drink.”
I disagree with both of these statements. Strongly.
Popularity isn’t influence, or eyeballs, or getting horses to water. Popularity is an affinity for the association, not the content. It has nothing to do with how many people hear or see a message. All popularity promises is that that there will potentially be a large group exposed to the message. That’s it.
Popularity has nothing to do with volume or proximity. Popularity is potential.
I may know that it’s cool to hang around you, but I also may believe you’re an idiot. I’ll ignore whatever you say because I really have no desire to hear it. I’m sure you can think of a few good examples of this phenomenon.
Influence is built on trust, reputation, and consistency. Popularity is built on an X factor; it is, by nature, inherently perilous. Popularity requires no loyalty, no trust, and the audience can easily abandon you to go on to the next fascinating new thing. Use Hollywood as your reference.
Popularity and influence aren’t mutually exclusive, but they also aren’t dependent on each other. A popular person can become influential, but depending on how they’ve handled the popularity, it can be difficult. If you’ve cultivated your image as a vapid starlet, it’s hard to undo. If you’re already popular, you can grasp that opportunity as a role model, learn to better communicate, demonstrate consistency (and hopefully personal growth), and actively nurture relationships with your audience. Growing influence requires consciously tending to your flock, “I know you’re there. Thank you for listening to me. Here’s what I have to say. You can trust this because you know me.”
Realistically, it’s almost easier for an influential person to become popular than the reverse. For someone who’s influential, it’s merely an extension of what they’re already doing. An influential person becomes popular because their audience actively shares their message. The circle of influence can expand exponentially.
Effectively conveying a message via a personality, in social media or elsewhere, requires a combination of popularity and influence – a larger audience coupled with the power to move that audience to action.
One influential person who shares your message with a small group (who in turn actually listen to and act upon that information) can do much more than someone who is popular – think of it as targeted advertising. Instead of presenting your message to everyone and hoping they’ll be interested, you find out who is interested, by virtue of the relevant influencer, and present your message to a group that’s invested before you even get there.
Popularity is valuable, but it’s exponentially more valuable if influence and popularity go arm and arm. Make sense?
