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By Chinecherem-Jane Obiekwe
You Are the Media: Ontology of the Influencer Age
In today’s digital world, to be seen is to be real. Whether through Instagram posts, TikTok videos, or podcast monologues, people are not just using media; they are becoming media. The influencer era has blurred the line between human identity and media form. But what does it mean, ontologically, to exist as media?
This article explores that question using the concept of ontological truth, a philosophical idea that speaks to how things reveal themselves through events, rather than through static definitions or universal facts. When applied to media and identity, it challenges us to rethink visibility, performance, and reality.
From Media User to Media Being
In the past, media were tools, channels through which we communicated, watched the world, or consumed stories. Now, the self is the story. People curate not only content but identities. Influencers, even everyday users, transform their daily experiences into a constant stream of image-events, each post a carefully framed act of being.
Here, ontology meets technology. According to philosopher Martin Heidegger, truth isn’t just about matching facts to reality. Truth, in the ontological sense, is about revealing the way something shows itself. In digital culture, this revealing happens through engagement, algorithmic amplification, and virality. Our online presence isn’t just a projection; it becomes the space where we exist.
The influencer as an ontological actor
Influencers represent more than marketing channels; they are ontological actors shaping and being shaped by the media environments they inhabit. Each video, selfie, or live stream is a “meaning-event,” not just a representation of oneself, but an event where identity is created, perceived, and often monetized. But this existence is never static. It shifts based on audience feedback, algorithmic pressures, trends, and competition. What it means to “be” is increasingly tied to how one performs a fluid, interactive process that constantly adapts.
In the age of influencers, there’s no single, unified truth. Each creator, each platform or each audience interaction forms its own “world,” a reality constructed through shared meaning. This is precisely what ontological media theory suggests: that truth is not a universal conclusion, but a momentary emergence within interaction.
One user’s idea of authenticity might be filtered vulnerability. Another’s might be radical transparency. Neither is more “true” than the other they are truths that emerge from different ecosystems of engagement. So if we now exist through media, what ethical responsibilities come with that visibility? Should we be transparent about filters and edits? Do we have a duty to represent reality or is all performance still a form of truth?
Here, the ontological perspective offers something radical: it does not demand a fixed, objective truth but encourages translation between worlds. That means acknowledging other people’s realities, bridging perspectives, and resisting isolation in one’s media bubble.
To Exist Is to Appear and to Connect
In this influencer age, media is no longer just what we consume; it is who we are becoming. We live in a multiverse of meanings, and every post is a small existential event. Understanding this through the lens of ontological truth helps us reflect more deeply not only on how we present ourselves but also on how we engage with others in a world where being seen might just be the highest form of being.
