The world of social media is vast and dynamic in its league with no competition. The coming of social media platforms like Yahoo Mail, the now defunct MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp, Instagram, Snap Chat, Pinterest and a host of others have taken communication to an unbelievable level.
Who would have ever thought that communication across the world would be this easy? It makes me wonder what the inventors of the post office, Morse code and early telephone appliances would have thought about these social media sites now.
Like I said before the world of social media is vast and like all worlds it has its language, terms and words. The age of online mobile technological advancement in communication and globalization has enabled the creation of these unique words for the social media community no thanks to pop culture influences in the world we live in now, these include words like Bae, Stan, Bunny Boiler and many others.
It should be of note that abbreviations are also included in this vocabulary, they include FYI, TGIF, TBT, FWB, BFF, GBFFN, LOL and many more. This of course makes me question how short hand would feel as it has been replaced by a more pop culture-friendly option.
So, the focus of this article will be on clout chasing and what it has done to the entertainment industry, what it means and how it is relevant in today’s trending way of communication. But first, let’s define the term clout chasing.
What is Clout Chasing?
According to the Urban Contemporary Dictionary, it can be defined as when someone starts unnecessary drama about a person for no reason other than to gain attention and start beef with or make a little situation everyone‘s business when it has nothing to do with them.
Also, it can be defined as when someone speaks badly about another person who is better off and doing better than them, to start a meaningless beef to get their popularity boosted.
In recent times we have witnessed several cases of clout chasing enacted by these individuals who are called “Clout Chaser” and according to Urban Contemporary Dictionary, it simply means a person who strategically associates themselves with the success of a popular person or a currently contemporary trend to gain fame and attention. This personality disorder is often described as, “riding the wave” without concern for damage or integrity.
These individuals are notorious for plying their trade in the entertainment industry and it should be worthy of note that they are always in the habit of calling out individuals especially celebrities for reasons best known to them. They most times attack celebrities when they drop new materials or interact with their fans. These individuals are often not doing well, bitter about their lives, hate themselves and seek to make those they feel are better than them bad.
A perfect example of a clout chaser is Daniel Regha, he is a nuisance on X formerly known as Twitter, this young man also has an opinion on any and everything that happens on the digital especially the entertainment industry be it movies, music, fashion, comedy, content creation and sports.
In some cases, he offers solid points but most times he drops takes that would make you want to question his sanity and what exactly are his motivations. Other examples are GISTLOVER, Pretty Mike, Toka Makinwa, James Brown, Bobrisky and a host of others.
The recent passing of the music act Mohbad has created a serious raucous on social media and there are different camps who on milking this sad incident for content, views, funds, likes and relevance. This is painful because we are not focusing on the real issue which is justice for Mohbad. Though the Police seem to be making some level of progress which is left to be seen as only time will tell.
These are some of the things I would term as the side effects of the new mediums of social communication. We just have to find a way of coping with these fanatics and self-absorbed individuals who seek nothing but to make life bitter for others and themselves. We live in a world where social media is now an addiction and these individuals have had an over taste of these platforms. They have become distracted from reality, they are now lazy, narcissistic, hate on others and seek to just criticize others for no valid reasons in most cases or if not all cases.
We should be watchful of these kinds of individuals whenever we come on any social platforms, as these people can be very toxic and could damage our mental health which in the long run would affect our medical well-being.
The world of social media is here to stay, it is a brand-new millennium and it is a brand-new age of communication. We should be mindful of these clowns, these individuals in every sense need help in terms of mental and medical evaluation and deep counselling to enable them to come to terms with reality and cope with the real world.
So please avoid them if you cannot stand their antics, ignore their banters and if you must respond to them, acknowledge the need for them to get the help needed for their mental health and wellness.