Influencers are people too

Aliyah Holness, 19, began her journey in the social media world at the early age of 12. For seven years, Holness has centered her channel around lifestyle and entertainment. However, she has been transparent about many other topics, both good and bad. With discussion of mental health becoming more normalized in our society, Holness has been able to open up about her own mental state on the internet to a world of subscribers. 
Q: Were you ever hindered at the process when thinking about the negativity that could come with social media? Did that ever slow you down in the early stages of your career? 
A: When I was younger, like middle school, I didn't really think about it much. And because I was putting myself out there so much, there was a lot more for people to critique on. And me being like 15, 16 at the time, I was like, this isn't that fun. So it definitely made me a bit more picky choosy [about what I post and share]. 
Q: Do you have a personal story of a time you struggled more seriously? Or can you share a background story on a specific video you did touching on that experience?
A: My most recent or the biggest one that I dealt with was actually back in the fall of 2020 because I actually went to UNCG for a semester. So during all this, I was already having a rough time off screen on top of moving to a different city where I knew nobody. But I had to pay my bills so I had to post. Moving full-time trying to post, trying to get human interaction and it just got so bad to the point where I was completely burnt out. I can't do this anymore.
Q: Do you ever experience reaching out to your school for resources for help? Or do you think it's talked about enough that you would feel comfortable ever reaching out to your school?
A: I remember when I was at UNCG I was aware that there was a kind of a mental health center and I tried it, but I set up an appointment and it was a flop. But when I came to UNCC, I knew that they always talked about it, but I never knew where to go or the kind of the options. I feel like it’s also very vague. It’s like, ‘yeah, we’re here for you, but nobody knows where we are.’
Q: Do you have any tips or messages? Um, for people maybe that aren’t social media influencers, but just in general college students or, or looking to pursue social media. 
A: Anybody when it comes to just watching content, creating content, don’t be afraid to use that filter. Filter out words, graphic videos, anything you don’t want to see. Don’t let people harass you on your device. There’s millions of other people you could interact with. So definitely just filter out your social media to the point where you don’t feel drained when you log off. It’s honestly, so refreshing. Anybody harassing me? Blocked. It taught me a lot.