By Erin Smith

Influencers and celebrities are taking over social media and building a platform to encourage the public, follow and support them. Many well-known individuals use their platforms to promote their businesses and share their beliefs on certain topics.

Some influential people use their platforms to advocate for change in the world. Greta Thunberg is a current-day example of using her influence to try and spread news around the world to make it a better place. As a climate justice activist, her opinions and thoughts are very relevant to today's deterioration of the Earth. She speaks the facts that people need to hear to spread the word and let people know about the truth, rather than telling filtered news.

I believe that some of the public dismiss Greta’s messages only because she is young and started her protests at age 15 in August of 2018. She began to skip her school days to protest for climate change in front of the Swedish parliament. Every Friday, she would stand outside the parliament in demonstration while her peers slowly joined in and this is where she started the “Fridays for Future” campaign.

People may not like her views and opinions which is fine but when they dismiss the facts she talks about, only because of her age and social status, it is not fair. She has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and autism, so people may look at that more than the message she is trying to get across. This happens more regularly nowadays as people with an online presence are more open about sharing hidden and mental disabilities.

Steve Irwin was an Australian conservationist who was passionate about his family and showed love to all wildlife. He died suddenly in 2006 after a stingray attack, but his memory lives on through his wife and two children. He hosted a wildlife series called “The Crocodile Hunter” and took part in a documentary called “The Oceans Deadliest”. In both of the shows, his love for animals shone through the screen and you could tell how much he was fascinated by each creature.

However, many people overlooked his message about taking care of animals and mainly focused on his looks. He was not an ugly man, so those who watched his show only tuned in for the on-screen attraction. His mission was to educate the public on wildlife and to show that animals aren’t the “bad guys” but people weren’t focused on that unfortunately, so again overlooked what he was really trying to share.

This also happened with David Attenborough and Jane Goodall. Jane, a British conservationist, and David, a nature documentarist, both share a love of animals. Jane had a deep passion for chimpanzees. A well-known video of her shows the release of a chimp. Once released into its habitat, it turns back to hug her as if to thank her. She had a magical bond with the animals she rehabilitated and that won’t be forgotten. She unfortunately died in 2025, but her legacy will live on through the Jane Goodall Institute and a global youth programme, Roots and Shoots.

David Attenborough has been advocating to save our planet since 1954 and has had a significant impact on people, but not enough to the point where they want to make a change. The public do appreciate David’s work but don’t think that they can make a difference since he does such radical projects, which are unrealistic for the common person to follow. But maybe, because he does tend to focus more on animals, he doesn’t persuade the public to take actions in recycling and making little steps towards living greener lifestyles.

All throughout 2025 and late 2024, younger generations on TikTok took a particular interest in The Lorax. The Lorax is a story created by Dr Suess which explores topics of environmental protection and the impact consumerism has on nature. People took a deep interest in the story. So much so, they dressed as The Lorax for Halloween.

However, that doesn’t mean each of the people who did consume The Lorax content now advocate to save the trees and planet. But if each of them did a little bit each day they could make a difference. This is just another example of the message flying straight over people's heads. They aren’t understanding the story and instead fixating on the wrong part of it.

I don’t have a suggestion of what could be done to fix this. I do think it is a problem that the public eye focuses on the wrong parts of things when influential people are trying to make a change.

I think the problem is not the things influential people are saying, rather how the public are perceiving it and not listening to their message.

The Impact of Influential Individuals Helping to Save the World