Celebrities should be giving back to their community financially, but should not be required or pressured to do so. Celebrities are held to a much higher standard than the average person, as is their money. Although some may consider certain celebrities, like social media influencers, to be overpaid, they are still human. They have children, health problems, saving needs, and bills, just like the rest of us. Of course, celebrities like Jeff Bezos, whose current net worth is 193 billion, should be held to a different standard than a twenty-one-year-old TikToker.  Their jobs, companies and positions held, should all be accounted for by the public when making demands to give back. 

There are also other ways to give back rather than just financially. Some celebrities may be participating in volunteer work that they do not show on social media. Popular YouTubers like David Dobrik have been known to help the homeless and donate to people’s causes. However, while they are doing this, a camera has been present quite often. I do not believe that it is great content to show you helping a homeless person, but rather it is a better act of kindness when it is not gaining attention and compliments from followers. 

Acts of kindness also are not demonstrated just by the amount of money you give. Of course, a large sum of money to a person in need is nice, but putting effort into other kind things is important too. For instance, bringing attention to small businesses that are trying to gain attention like TikTok influencer Keith Lee does with his food tours could be a way that an influencer gives back to their community. Also, instead of using money as a means to give back, celebrities or influencers can give others advice about how to get to where they are or begin their journey.

Financial means do not always need to be the standard because Google, while widely known, can be wrong. Sometimes influencers make less than we think and are struggling to meet their needs or pay their bills. We may not know this because we look at their likes and amount of followers and assume they are making a lot of money or we look at the way that they present themselves to use and make assumptions. However, looks can be deceiving and we are left in the dark about their real lives until they come out and say that they are struggling or that they need help. Therefore, we should not demand that they give back to their community financially. They should have an alternative to giving back to the community because how would you feel if someone came up to you demanding that you give them money because you seem to be better off than them? 

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