Stop Following These “Influencers” Right Now

Look, here’s the deal about following people on social media — I don’t care if they’re some young influencer (and “young” is relative to where you are in life), some early 20-something, or someone in their 40s and 50s claiming to be an expert.

My advice? Stop following all of them. Stop following influencers. Stop taking advice from these so-called experts on the internet.

It’s that simple. But let me break this down for you because this shift completely changed how I interact with social media and the information I let into my head.

Here’s My Rule

If I can’t verify you, I’m not following you. Period.

What does “verify” mean? It means:

I personally know you. Or I know your credentials. And if you don’t have credentials, I at least know your background and what you’ve actually done in your space.

Take Tony Robbins, for example. I know he’s a mindset coach. I don’t need to attend his seminars — plenty of people I know have. I’ve verified his information by reading his books and watching his teachings. To me, that’s verifiable.

Or maybe it’s someone in your local community — a teacher, doctor, lawyer, or just a professional who shows up, has a family, and wants to share some advice. If what they say resonates and you can verify who they are, great.

Outside of that? There’s really no reason to listen to anyone on the internet. Not even me.

The Internet Is Just Noise

Let’s be real — the internet is filled with noise. It’s just people constantly spewing their opinions about stuff. And all that noise? It’s either shaping your thoughts or reinforcing opinions you already have.

But what do you actually gain from these influencers and talking heads? For real, what are you getting?

You must verify everyone you’re listening to and watching because they’re programming your mind, and you don’t even realize it. That’s the truth.

And now, with AI and all these deepfakes and videos made just for entertainment, you need serious discernment. The lines are blurring between what’s real and what’s completely manufactured.

This Goes For Sports Figures Too

Even when you follow sports figures like Michael Jordan — if you’ve actually seen him play, then you can relate to his highlights and all the quotes about him.

We’re fortunate he released The Last Dance on Netflix, so we have that footage which is verified by Netflix. For the most part, we can trust that information.

But check this out — if you know nothing about Michael Jordan, have never seen him play, or have never watched a documentary about him, I would question following him, too. You have no idea if what you’re seeing online is actually about him or if it’s just AI-generated garbage that exists in this weird universe we live in now.

That’s an example of how, even with celebrities and athletes, unless you can verify through other sources or through people who’ve actually interacted with them, or if you’ve seen them before this crazy internet age we’re in today, I wouldn’t follow that either.

Get Your Autonomy Back

My thought is this: Don’t follow anyone you don’t know. Don’t follow anyone you can’t verify. And don’t follow anyone who hasn’t been referred to you by someone you trust.

And I don’t just mean don’t follow — I mean don’t listen. Don’t watch. Don’t share. Do nothing with their content.

That’s how you gain your autonomy back. That’s how you develop your own strength and understanding of things. Just unfollow all that noise and slowly start bringing in credible sources, credible people, verifiable people, and verifiable sources.

They’re out there. Just like I can read the New York Times, I can also listen to podcasts from people like Alex Friedman. Again, verifiable stuff.

Ask These Questions

When you’re looking at your feed, ask yourself:

• Do I actually know this person?
• Can I verify anything they’re saying?
• Would I take advice from this person in real life?
• Is there any evidence this person knows what they’re talking about?
• Has someone I deeply trust vouched for this person?

Mental Clarity Is Worth It

Since I started doing this, my head’s clearer. I think my own thoughts more. I’m not just recycling other people’s opinions that I absorbed through scrolling.

You can still follow verified news sources. You can still listen to podcasts from people who have proven track records. You can still learn from experts — but verify who they are first.

That’s my rant today. Unfollow everyone you can’t verify. Your mind will be better for it.