By doing so, institutions may inadvertently prioritise fame over merit
The decision to invite social media influencers, mostly TikTokers, as chief guests across Jammu and Kashmir raises serious concerns about the credibility and mission of the educational institutions involved. Educational institutions are expected to uphold values that promote academic excellence, intellectual growth, and ethical integrity. When institutions, particularly those of higher learning, opt to elevate figures whose primary claim to fame is viral content or entertainment rather than intellectual achievement, they risk sending a contradictory message to students. The educational space is meant to inspire young minds to aspire to greater heights—through rigorous study, research, and the pursuit of knowledge. By inviting social media influencers who are best known for creating entertainment-focused content, institutions may inadvertently prioritise fame over merit. This could diminish the respect students hold for academic professionals, such as teachers, scholars, and researchers, who have dedicated years of their lives to developing expertise in their respective fields.
Students are impressionable during their formative years, and the figures they look up to can significantly influence their worldview and aspirations. When they see influencers celebrated for their online popularity, which often requires minimal intellectual effort, it may undermine the value of sustained academic commitment. This shift in focus—from intellectual rigour to online virality—could lead to students valuing instant fame or surface-level recognition over long-term accomplishments in meaningful fields such as science, art, literature or public service. The risk is that young people, instead of aspiring to be doctors, engineers, teachers or activists—fields that demand years of hard work—may begin to prioritise short-lived internet fame that offers immediate gratification but little in terms of personal or professional growth. Ultimately, this trend could erode the very foundations of academic integrity, creating a generation that values popularity over substance and online personas over the pursuit of knowledge.
Social media platforms, like TikTok, offer an abundance of content—some of which is educational and informative, but much of it is driven by sensationalism, entertainment or trends. When social media influencers are celebrated in educational settings without any critical assessment of the content they create or the values they represent, students may internalise the notion that online fame, regardless of how it is achieved, is the ultimate form of success. This narrow definition of success fails to account for the hard work and intellectual effort that go into the creation of meaningful change in the world. Educational institutions, which are entrusted with shaping young minds, must therefore be cautious in their selection of individuals to represent their values and goals.
Rather than inviting influencers whose content may prioritise trivial entertainment over substantive knowledge, educational institutions should consider celebrating individuals who have made lasting contributions to fields – medicine, technology, the arts or social justice – that align with the goals of intellectual, cultural and ethical development.
