Everyone has something to add to the conversation, but who is leading such discourse? TikTok spent two weeks talking about whether you should bring iced coffee to an interview. This led to subtopics on racial politics, economic recession, and outcast netizens. Cue the “thinkfluencers”. Wiktionary defines them as influencers who post their thoughts and analyses. They usually have a tiny mic in hand and an “I read a lot of books” voice, calm and monotonous. Some stick to academic topics such as sociology, politics, and the economy, while others rely on relevant discourse or dissecting trending controversy.
Across the “big three” – TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts – a new wave of content creators have mastered the art of the bite-sized video essay, adding their two cents on century-old phenomena or iced-coffee discourse. In the Dazed article, “We’re living through an explainer epidemic”, Laura Pitcher claims that the algorithm rewards being the “face of the fact” over referring audiences to cited sources. Basically, “Trust me bro” gets the views. In the article, “Meta is abandoning fact checking – this doesn’t bode well for the fight against misinformation”, author Ned Watt breaks down Meta’s claim that fact-checking leads to censorship. This lack of moderation leads to greater misinformation across its three billion users. Thinkfluencers who then share opinions without interrogating them face very little pushback, and audiences simply accept them as facts.
This can be dangerous in an era of declining literacy. Short-form video essays sometimes strip complex historical or socio-economic issues of their context, offering audiences conclusions that sound “right” and “smart” without requiring any actual research. According to the Digital 2026: South Africa report published on Data Reportal, 44.9% of South Africans are active social media users who rely heavily on platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube to consume both pop culture and daily news. How often do you have a conversation with someone and think, “Now, where did you get that information?” So much of this information shapes public understanding, whether rooted in reality or not. Thus, the line between innocently sharing information or educating the masses and offering misleading, biased commentary blurs.
Thinkfluencers have, however, done so much good in slowing down the fast-paced 30-second videos by introducing ten minute educational videos. They have made complex ideas approachable for millions who might never be able to pick up an academic textbook. But these videos should serve to spark curiosity, not replace the work done by academics, journalists, and professionals who provide well-rounded research. They should serve only as a starting point or introduction, not the final word.
Visual: Amy
