How influencers perpetuate misinformation and what audiences can do | Dominick Delpech | TEDxUNLV

00:10:19
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y7SUu9AuAW4

Summary

TLDRThe speech emphasizes that with great power comes great responsibility, especially in the context of social media influencers. It explores how these influencers wield significant influence over public opinion and behaviors but can also contribute to the spread of misinformation. The speaker argues for greater accountability among influencers due to their potential impact on society. The discussion includes historical references to the rise of influencer culture, the dangers associated with misinformation, and a call to action for individuals to educate themselves, make informed choices, and hold influencers to higher standards.

Takeaways

  • 💡 With great power comes great responsibility.
  • 👥 Influencers significantly impact public opinion.
  • 🛑 We must hold influencers accountable for misinformation.
  • 📊 77% of Gen Z trust social media for news.
  • 📉 The simplification of complex issues is dangerous.
  • ⚡ Social media creates direct access to influencers.
  • 📰 Educate yourself from trusted sources.
  • 🙅‍♂️ Unfollow those who spread division.
  • 🔍 Demand truth and engage critically with content.
  • 🙌 Your opinion matters—speak up!

Timeline

  • 00:00:00 - 00:05:00

    The speech begins with the famous phrase 'with great power comes great responsibility', emphasizing the different forms of power, particularly the influence exercised by leaders and modern social media influencers. It highlights the role of social media in shaping opinions, with billions using platforms like Facebook, and stresses the responsibility influencers have due to their reach and impact on the masses. The speaker critiques the overall trust in influencer recommendations and discusses the implications of social media culture on mentality, highlighting the need for accountability in what influencers promote.

  • 00:05:00 - 00:10:19

    The speaker addresses the complexities of current global conflicts, like the Israel-Palestine conflict, and the dangers of influencers providing oversimplified perspectives on serious issues for likes and views. They emphasize that influencers can contribute to societal issues such as bias, hate, and a lack of accountability. While acknowledging the freedom of speech, they underline the potential harm of uneducated opinions and call for individuals to take responsibility by unfollowing divisive figures, seeking dependable information, and actively engaging in promoting truth and unity.

Mind Map

Video Q&A

  • What is the main theme of the speech?

    The main theme is the responsibility that comes with power, particularly the influence of social media figures.

  • Why are influencers considered powerful?

    Influencers are powerful due to their ability to sway opinions and behaviors of millions on social media.

  • What responsibility do influencers have?

    Influencers have the responsibility to promote accurate information and be aware of the impact of their words and actions.

  • How has social media changed the influence of celebrities?

    Social media allowed celebrities to connect directly with fans, bypassing traditional media, which has accelerated their influence.

  • What are the dangers of influencer culture?

    The dangers include spreading misinformation, amplifying hate, and promoting divisive rhetoric.

  • What should we do to hold influencers accountable?

    We should educate ourselves, critically evaluate influencers, and unfollow those who spread harmful content.

  • What percentage of Millennials trust influencer recommendations?

    Half of Millennials trust influencer recommendations.

  • How does the speech propose we use our power?

    The speech encourages using our power to engage with the world, form opinions, and demand accountability.

  • What is the historical context of influencer marketing?

    The trend began around the 1980s with figures like Oprah Winfrey, who could influence consumer choices.

  • What is the significance of the First Amendment in this context?

    While it grants freedom of speech, it also carries the responsibility not to harm others with that speech.

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Subtitles
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  • 00:00:05
    [Applause]
  • 00:00:13
    with great
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    power comes great
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    responsibility a phrase popularized by
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    Marvel Comics Uncle Ben with Peter
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    Parker
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    Spider-Man Power can come in many ways
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    for Peter Parker
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    it comes through a mental and physical
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    toughness to fight evil and save the day
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    but for many it's influence that gives
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    them
  • 00:00:43
    power influence is a powerful tool
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    utilized by some of the greatest leaders
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    throughout history many have risen to
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    power just by having an influence over
  • 00:00:54
    people and having those people act in
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    their favor to get what they want but
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    one of the quickest and simplest ways to
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    Dethrone an influential leader is to
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    simply not follow them
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    anymore and this is a common theme even
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    today as we have influencers with
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    millions of followers because of their
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    ability to convince people to act upon
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    something they are given a
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    platform who here uses social media
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    please raise your hands
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    for everybody with their hands down are
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    you guys like Patrick Star living under
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    a rock I'm just kidding social media has
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    become a major part of our everyday
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    lives according to Forbes adviser in
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    2023 an estimated
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    4.9 billion people use social media
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    worldwide and that number is expected to
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    grow to 5.8 billion by the year
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    2027 Facebook the most used social media
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    platform averages 2.5 billion average
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    monthly users and the average usage of
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    social media per day sits at around 2
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    hours and 27
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    minutes but on top of all of that Forbes
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    advisor also shows that half of
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    Millennials trust influencer
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    recommendations this means that infl
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    influencers have a big responsibility
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    with what they promote say and do and
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    their
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    advice will be followed by millions so
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    as we delve into this world of
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    motivators you will soon see a Sinister
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    truth behind a majority of these
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    modernday
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    influencers but before we get into what
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    they promote and say it's important to
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    understand how did they even become
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    relevant in the first place well part of
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    that has to do with a trend starting
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    around the 80s with the Oprah Winfrey
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    show where she would suggest a product
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    and her call to action would bring forth
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    tons of sales and this phenomenon was
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    only
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    accelerated through social media you see
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    before social media the only time people
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    could really feel close to famous people
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    and celebrities was through live talk
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    shows and interviews but the game
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    changed forever with social media as now
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    it's as simple as a simple direct
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    message straight to the person with a
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    chance at a response but the game has
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    changed for them as well who no longer
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    have to wait for their moment of Fame
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    but instead can go on social media and
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    become viral or their millions of fans
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    will already be awaiting
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    them the reality with social media is
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    that our modern culture today is heavily
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    dictated by what the biggest influencers
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    are
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    doing and when a lot of these
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    influencers are quote unquote selling
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    their soul to the devil selling out on
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    their morals and their well-being all
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    for money and fame and then that culture
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    that toxicness all pushed onto their
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    fans that is where there's a real
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    problem according to statista 77%
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    of gen Z and
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    67% of Millennials trust social media
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    for their
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    news this means that it is
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    imperative that we hold influencers
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    accountable for the information they
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    inculcate upon the
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    masses with that said let's take a look
  • 00:04:52
    at the most recent conflict between
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    Israel and Palestine there are people
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    who have or are Curr currently living
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    through the situation so they can
  • 00:05:02
    provide inside knowledge then there are
  • 00:05:05
    people who may not have lived the
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    situation but they've intently studied
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    it as to be able to provide unbiased
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    accurate and resourceful
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    information and then you have your
  • 00:05:16
    typical influencer given a platform to
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    speak about their expertise but instead
  • 00:05:22
    choose to speak about a trending topic
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    they know very little about all for
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    views and there
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    simplification of these complex issues
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    creates confrontational arguments rather
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    than the productive exchange of
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    ideas their greediness and their hunger
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    to go viral makes them realize that it
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    is provocative and controversial topics
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    and content that'll give them the most
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    relevancy and the same applies to the
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    Russia Ukraine war to politics to
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    anything that is more complex than a yes
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    or no
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    answer these issues are not a good guy
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    and bad guy situation and should never
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    be belittle to such because it
  • 00:06:15
    invalidates the opinions of
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    well-informed
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    people remember these are the same
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    influencers that could sell a failed
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    product to
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    Millions these are the same influencers
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    that could say anything you can imagine
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    and some of their followers will follow
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    it like it's law these
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    influencers have a big
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    responsibility in our world and their
  • 00:06:42
    misleading opinions contribute to the
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    excessive hate that we see in our
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    society today amplification of biases
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    inflammatory rhetoric lack of
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    accountability the normalization of hate
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    the destruction of critical thinking and
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    the creation of us versus them mentality
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    are just some of the things they are
  • 00:07:04
    responsible
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    for don't get me wrong influencers can
  • 00:07:09
    have an opinion and they can also have a
  • 00:07:12
    great impact on the world through their
  • 00:07:16
    platforms but it is vital that we
  • 00:07:19
    understand the difference between an
  • 00:07:22
    opinion and a
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    statement often times influencers defend
  • 00:07:27
    the uneducated things they say by citing
  • 00:07:30
    the First Amendment the First Amendment
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    does allow you to speak your mind
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    however not to do so if it can harm
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    others for
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    example right now you could say the word
  • 00:07:40
    bomb but saying that same word on a
  • 00:07:43
    Plane full of people midair could
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    probably cause some hysteria getting
  • 00:07:47
    people hurt and probably there will be
  • 00:07:49
    some consequences for
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    you influencers have a lot of power that
  • 00:07:56
    comes with their influence and
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    unfortunately their bad decisions can
  • 00:08:02
    hurt both their fans and
  • 00:08:05
    others
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    sadly we can't tell these influencers
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    what to do I mean and I'm sure they have
  • 00:08:13
    their reasons to do the uneducated
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    things they do and say and
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    promote and while I find it so
  • 00:08:22
    unfortunate that they're able to make
  • 00:08:24
    millions off of
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    misinformation I find our right to
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    freedom of speech
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    Paramount and by infringing on the
  • 00:08:32
    rights of certain individuals we could
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    set a dangerous precedent but what we
  • 00:08:37
    can do however is control our own
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    decisions hold these influencers
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    accountable and most importantly demand
  • 00:08:47
    the
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    truth this problem is only accelerated
  • 00:08:52
    because of our failure to hold these
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    powerful people accountable for their
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    deception of us when the only standard
  • 00:09:00
    they're held to is a very basic one of
  • 00:09:04
    validity what makes this country
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    great is that it is always we the people
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    who choose who we want to represent us
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    whether it's a media influencer a
  • 00:09:17
    politician or anybody that has any kind
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    of
  • 00:09:22
    power so let's start taking action
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    unfollow individuals that are trying to
  • 00:09:28
    divide us
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    educate yourself from trusted sources
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    form your own opinions and most
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    importantly speak up because your
  • 00:09:40
    opinion matters don't just be a
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    follower be a follower who engages with
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    the world around you beyond the passive
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    consumption of content be a follower who
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    can
  • 00:09:57
    lead with great power
  • 00:10:00
    comes great
  • 00:10:03
    responsibility so I ask you all of you
  • 00:10:07
    what will you do with your power thank
  • 00:10:11
    you
  • 00:10:12
    [Applause]
Tags
  • Influencers
  • Power
  • Responsibility
  • Social Media
  • Accountability
  • Misinformation
  • Public Opinion
  • Freedom of Speech
  • Engagement
  • Education