The lives of Kennesaw State students are not content for social media; however, an influx of influencers on campus says some think otherwise.
If you’ve been on the Kennesaw State University (KSU) reddit recently, you’ve likely seen many posts discussing the “influencers” on campus. These people come to KSU hoping to interview or get a rise out of the students here. While this may seem innocent on the surface, their actions are highly disruptive and disrespectful.
In reality, these people aren’t influencers or content creators: they’re harassers who only view KSU students as content.
On a good day, they’ll stop a person on their way to class and ask them a few questions. However, they’re usually more aggressive and disruptive. A prime example of this is the creator that brought a mariachi band on campus for Valentine’s Day “pranks.”
In his video, he goes around campus with a mariachi band, barging into classrooms and “apologizing” to women for cheating on them. One student documented his intrusion and disruption in the student center, saying they were studying and that the band distracted them.
Another student shared their experiences with influencers, saying that a group of them went behind the counter of their job and began to serve food, disrupting their work environment and potentially getting the worker in trouble. Despite these egregious offenses, supporters of the influencers call this behavior harmless fun; however, there is nothing enjoyable about these situations for those affected.
This isn’t the first time this has happened, though: even if they’re getting more attention now, they’ve always been around.
An example of this is the YouTube channel “KeroNgb.” In his videos, he approaches students in the typical street interview style, usually asking “brain teasers” as a way to showcase how “dumb” KSU students are. One of his best performing videos is titled “AMERICA’S DUMBEST Students CAN’T answer BASIC Questions!”
When he isn’t asking students for the elements on the period table, he’s asking them loaded questions about Andrew Tate, calling anyone that dislikes him an “NPC.” Simply put, he follows students around and insults them to garner fame and fortune.
This behavior is unacceptable, and it isn’t the first time students have reported harassment on campus without intervention from KSU administration.
A few semesters ago, the situation with someone many people know as “piggyback guy” came to a head. Students were consistently making complaints about him, yet the administration ignored the pleas of students until the police were involved. This behavior has only continued with these “influencers,” forcing students to do more for their protection than their university is.
As KSU administration continues to turn a blind eye to student concerns, these issues are only further exacerbated. By not addressing them, perpetrators will continue to think that this is an environment that tolerates their negative behavior. Even still, most of the blame falls on those who target and harass students on campus, whether for content or pleasure.
Until something is done about the influencer problem, students will continue to feel unsafe on campus, worried if they’ll be the next victim plastered across social media. Until then, an important message needs to be sent to these “influencers.”
We are not entertainment. We are people.