Fake news. Misinformation. Deceit. These aren’t just words I searched up on Google to make me look smart. They also represent real issues I have faced ever since I joined the Enabler staff.
I thought I would be joining a publication that had a solid readership — after all, the Enabler only reports on the most factual occurrences around campus. We recently hit 2000 followers on Instagram, and while one may presume this to be a festive occasion, I felt anger bubble up inside me when this milestone was reached. Because at that moment, I realized I was being lied to this entire time.
You’re telling me that 2,000 people are reading my articles? Then why aren’t these “2,000” social media-addicted Gen Z-ers liking my content? Too busy kickstarting their TikTok influencer careers? I only seem to have the support of roughly 300 dedicated readers, and at this point I wouldn’t even be surprised if they were just 300 bot accounts sent by Zuckerberg himself. And no, I did not join this club because my precious writer ego needs to be boosted every five seconds; I joined because I believe in spreading truthful information to fellow UCLA students. Everytime a person fails to like my article, I get closer to caving in and joining the Daily Bruin – and we do NOT want that to happen.
So the next time you doom scroll through Instagram and see a post from the Enabler, take the time to like it — even if you don’t read the article and have no clue what the headline is saying. My ego skills need to be validated whether you like my content or not, because my only source of happiness comes from your little virtual hearts.
