Who are Actually Today’s Cheap Role Models?

You open your phone and start scrolling and swiping. Then you start seeing them—your so-called role models.

The influencer who is posing with a Lamborghini. The TikToker who is holding stacks of cash. The “guru” who is yelling about how you can achieve your dream salary by doing his or her online course or a workshop.

Millions of people admire them. Millions of people imitate them.

But pause for a second and think again. Are these ideal role models? Or are these cheap role models?

That’s the question worth asking. Because who you admire shapes who you become.

What makes them a cheap role model?

A cheap role model is not cheap because of money. Some of them are rich. Many of them make more in a month than most people do in a year.

They are cheap because what they give you is hollow, while what they take from you is priceless. They take your admiration. They take your attention. Sometimes, they take your money. And in return, they give you illusions.

They don’t lead by principle. They are entertainers, sellers, and manipulators who perform for applause. They don’t show you how to walk a path of discipline, contribution, and integrity.

That’s why they design their videos carefully to trigger envy and desire within you. They want you to imitate them.

They are cheap because they excite you, but don’t elevate you. They entertain you, but don’t enlighten you. They dazzle you, but don’t deepen you.

Let’s look at who they actually are.

The faces of cheap role models today

You see them everywhere. In every part of culture. In every corner of the world.

1. The flashy influencer

You don’t even have to search for them. They’re everywhere.

They post content standing in front of luxury cars. They wear luxury brands. They travel first-class to exotic locations. Every post screams luxury.

But they don’t tell you exactly how they have managed all this. Are they rented or borrowed?

Why should they? Because they show you everything with confidence. Their performance is enough.

And so millions of young people grow up believing success is about display, not discipline. When they see those reels and videos, they believe, “This is success. This is what life should look like.”

Young people don’t see the years of debt these cheap role models have. They don’t notice their staged backdrops. They don’t observe their emptiness behind the flash. They only see the materialistic things and illusions.

Their message: “If you don’t look rich, you’re failing.”

2. The overnight guru

They tell you that financial freedom is just 30 days away. They whisper about “one secret hack” to make you six figures. They promise a morning routine that can guarantee your success.

They don’t sell wisdom; they are marketers. Or, in other words, you can call them modern snake-oil salesmen. Except now, instead of standing in a crowded marketplace, they hide behind a ring light and a polished landing page. They don’t sell you medicine. They sell you dreams.

And the formula works. This industry of “get rich quick” has exploded online. These people sell courses, masterclasses, and “proven systems” that rarely prove anything. Yet they rake in millions. Not because their method works, but because the fantasy sells better than reality.

Think of the crypto boom of 2021. Social media was overflowing with self-proclaimed crypto millionaires teaching “how to get rich with Bitcoin.” Most of them made more from YouTube ads and e-books than from actual investing.

Similarly, there were dropshipping kings who made more from selling courses than from their so-called online stores.

Their message is always the same: “Skip the hard years. Skip the 9-5. Buy my shortcut.”

And the tragedy is that people actually believe them. Because they know the grind is hard. Because they know patience feels impossible. Because they know the truth that mastery takes years. So why not try the shortcuts and hope these gurus are selling?

3. The outrage artist

Then there are some cheap role models who don’t sell money. They sell you something far more addictive: anger.

They thrive by saying the loudest and most outrageous thing in the room. They don’t care if they are right. They don’t care if they are fair. All they care about is that you react.

So they make blanket statements: “All women are like this.” “All men are like that.” ”That politician is an a**le.” “This actress is a wh**e.”

They reduce complex realities into cheap content. They don’t design them to inform you, but to inflame you.

They know outrage has an audience and it spreads faster. And the angrier you are, the quicker you comment, retweet, and share. Social media algorithm doesn’t care if you love them or hate them. It only cares that you remain active on the platform as long as you can.

That’s why you see them everywhere, especially on platforms like X. They’ve learned to monetize controversy. They don’t need credibility. They just need your outrage.

And millions confuse volume with wisdom. They think: “If everyone is talking about this person, they must matter.”

But the real message hiding behind their act is simple: “If people are mad at me, I must be important.”

4. The manufactured celebrity

There was a time when being a celebrity meant you had mastered something. You were an athlete who spent a lifetime training. A musician who poured years into your art. An actor who studied the craft and carried entire stories on your shoulders. Fame was the byproduct of skill.

But today? Fame is everything.

Fame is marketing. Fame is business. Fame is manipulation. Fame is a craft.

You don’t need discipline. You don’t need contribution. You don’t even need talent. What you need is constant visibility.

That’s how reality TV stars rise. That’s how viral TikTokers or Instagrammers build empires overnight. Their personal lives become their product. Their drama becomes their brand. They don’t create stories. They are the story.

Think of the Kardashians who turned their private lives into a billion-dollar enterprise. Think of influencers who land TV shows not because of skill, but because many have already watch them.

And their message to every youth scrolling late at night?:  “Attention is value. Don’t worry about craft, it doesn’t matter. Just make yourself visible and you’ll win.”

5. The shallow fitness figure

Fitness should be about something deeper. Health. Discipline. Strength. Fitness is a quiet pride that you can push your body further today than you could yesterday. Fitness is a progress that you feel every time you climb stairs, carry heavy bags of groceries, or run.

But is that what fills your feed?

No. What you see instead are endless clips of influencers with impossible bodies. They have chiseled abs, and they are living “perfect lives.”

They lure you by posing in just the right lighting. They edit their photos to hide flaws. And then they tell you it’s all “just consistency and hustle.”

Their end goal is to sell you something. Some sell detox teas. Others push quick-fix supplements and dangerous dieting plans. Many hide the truth about steroids, surgeries, or extreme diets behind a fake smile and a discount code.

The problem isn’t that they work out. The problem is that they have sold their integrity and have turned fitness into performance. It’s no longer about health. And millions buy into it. Not the products, but the story. They measure their own worth by how closely they can copy that impossible image.

The message of these shallow fitness figures is clear: “Your body is your currency. If it doesn’t look flawless, you don’t matter. Chase perfection at any cost.”

And when young people give in to that message, they don’t gain strength—they lose it.

6. The toxic relationship influencer

If you scroll through TikTok or Instagram long enough, you’ll see these influencers. Those couple influencers build their entire brand by putting their relationship on display.

They don’t display it in a healthy way. And they don’t have any intention to teach you anything about partnership, trust, or growth.

Their goal is to show you chaos, because they thrive on it. So they stage fights just to rack up views. They prank each other with humiliating stunts. Whatever love they show isn’t love. It’s just content.

And their audience watch them. They cheer for them. They copy them.

The danger here is that when relationship dysfunction becomes entertainment, it also becomes normal.

Young people start to believe that love should feel like a rollercoaster of manipulation and betrayal. That passion is about screaming matches, breaking things, and then making up for the camera. That a prank at your partner’s expense is proof of closeness.

There is nothing in the content of such toxic relationship influencers. No emotional depth. No respect. No upliftment.

They broadcast the following message loud and clear: “Drama is love. Chaos is passion.”

And if you fall for those dramas. And if you are not careful. You start chasing that same dysfunction in your own life. You mistake toxicity for romance and performance for connection.

7. The fake philanthropist

In India, there is an old saying: “Your left hand shouldn’t know what your right hand is doing.”

This wisdom is simple. When you give something, give quietly. When you help someone, offer your help without expecting anything in return. True generosity doesn’t seek fame, recognition, or praise.

But that’s not how it works in today’s influencer economy.

Now, some influencers have turned charity into content. They give money to the beggars only when the camera is recording. They distribute food to families only if they can edit it into a social media clip.

Is the help real? Of course. Poor people still eat. Families still benefit. But such acts aren’t pure. They stage them. They rehearse them. They use them for their own personal brand.

There is no real compassion, only fake performance for personal gain.

And the message young people absorb is dangerous: “Do good things only if it gets you likes and followers.”

These fake philanthropist influencers have made charity a marketing tactic and a PR strategy. Humanity has become a business model.

8. The digital clown

And then, the most obvious kind of cheap role model—the one who will do anything for views.

They jump off rooftops or do life-risking challenges. They humiliate themselves or do degrading acts in public just for laughs. They eat overly spicy or dangerous food until it harms them. They tease dangerous animals. They harass people. They are ready to do anything that can shock their viewers.

Entire YouTube and TikTok genres are built on this circus. The more absurd, the better. The more painful, the more viral. The lower you sink, the higher the views climb.

If you check the views, it seems their tactics work. Young people are noticing these millions of views. They are noticing that these influencers are getting sponsorships. They are witnessing their fame and financial gains.

Many unaware young people start believing that this is a path for them. That degrading yourself for entertainment isn’t just acceptable in society; it’s a career.

But young people forget that this path leads nowhere. It’s not courage. It’s not creativity. It’s just noise.

The core message of these digital clowns is: “If it makes people laugh, even at you, it’s worth it.”

9. The sexual provocation artist

These are the role models who thrive on provocation through sexuality or innuendo.

They use double-meaning jokes, seductive visuals, or hyper-sexualized content to grab attention. They can be anyone.

• Creators who rely on dance moves filmed to look sexual.
• Storytellers who choose stories that include topics related to sex.
• Influencer couples who post their intimate reels. And some go to the length of gazing or touching the private parts of their partners.
• Fitness influencers who do gym workouts and put the camera at an angle to focus on their butts.
• Women influencers who promote products using double-meaning gestures and talk.

These provocation artists are cheap. Because they exploit the most primitive human impulse—sexual attraction. They know very well that their content will get the attention.

Their goal is not to inspire respect. They want to trigger urges in you. They don’t have any intention of helping you grow. They want to keep you hooked in a loop of craving and distraction. Their content is not about intimacy or relationships. They sell fantasy.

Their unspoken message is: “If it excites them, even if it objectifies you or them, it’s worth it.”

What should we do with cheap role models?

Cheap role models have always existed. They exist now. And they will always be there.

They will keep showing up. Because social media algorithms know how to play this game. Because there are insecurities to exploit. Because there is attention to grab.

So instead of “eliminating” them, we should change our relationship with them.

1. Stop feeding them attention: Cheap role models can become irrelevant if you stop giving them your attention. Because attention is their currency. If you watch them. If you like and comment on their content. It keeps them alive. Scroll past them. You may say, “how will my one view affect them?” But what if millions of others do the same? You will see these role models coming down from trending to vanishing.
2. Expose their illusions: Don’t just ignore them. Decode them. Point out what’s fake about them. Show younger people that they are staging everything. They rent their cars. They fake their drama. They photoshop their bodies and use lightings. They force their smiles. They hide their struggles. Their online love is fake. They hide their loneliness and stress. They buy followers and do other manipulations to ramp up their views. Dig deeper and you will find more.
3. Redirect admiration: Your admiration is like energy. So you must direct it somewhere else. If you stop feeding cheap role models but don’t replace them with true ones, you’ll drift back. So make it a practice to ask yourself, “Who do I actually want to become more like?” Seek out those people. Give them your attention instead.
4. Learn the real lesson: Cheap role models don’t teach you how to live. They teach you how not to. If you’re going to learn lessons from cheap role models, you are going to degrade yourself. Because they humiliate themselves. Because they sell their dignity. Because they don’t have integrity. Do you really want to learn these lessons? Then go and learn real lessons from real role models.
5. Build yourself into the alternative: The best response to cheap role models is to live a life that is different from theirs. Teach others that process does matter, not shortcuts. Be the silent giver instead of the fake philanthropist. Be the creator instead of the clown. Every time you choose depth, another real role model is born.

Cheap role models will always exist. They’re not the disease; they’re the symptom of a society addicted to speed, entertainment, and display.

So focus on what an aware person must do with them. Because the world doesn’t need fewer cheap role models. It needs more real ones.

And that starts with you.