Why Every Time I Die's Keith Buckley Doesn't Trust Social Media Influencers

Every Time I Die vocalist Keith Buckley took social media influencers to task on a recent podcast.

Speaking to MetalSucks, the musician examined both sides of the influencer-consumer relationship and explained why he doesn't trust online influencers.

Influence marketing is the kind of internet advertising that interjects endorsements and product placements into popular social media figures' posts themselves, rather than in ads separate from the user's content. The practice continues to flourish online, but this week (Dec. 13), Buckley questioned the motivations behind influencers who share health and wellness content.

Listen to the full interview near the bottom of this post.

The singer remarked, "The health, self-care, spirituality [that's found on Instagram], that shit — OK, they're right. But they're bad people doing the right thing. And you have to figure out if that's the case for a lot of things. Are these bad people doing a good thing for self-fulfilling needs? And I think these influencers that are like, 'Everything's groovy man, just travel and take pictures.' Like, you don't understand the struggle of people who don’t have the opportunity that you have, which is why I disregard anything these influencers say."

Buckley continued, "It is important to start by finding core good people. You'll have a lot in common with them and then you can feel good about being good. Then you can do good things together. I know personally; I felt that in my doing good, I was judging bad people. And I don't like to judge. It's not moral, it's not ethical to judge people. You should not do that unless you understand the story. But I was understanding that I was a different kind of person. I thought in a different way, I spoke in a different way, I related to people in a different way and there are other people like me. And if we avoid bad people, that doesn’t make us ignorant to their plight, it makes us value who we are and our comprehension of things."

And comprehension is key — especially for someone like the now-sober Every Time I Die vocalist, who in 2018 told advocates of former U.S. President Donald Trump not to support the band with their money.

Buckley now explained, "[Trump voters] say, 'Well, you hate me 'cause I wear a hat.' Well, you weren't born in the red hat; it's a choice you made. I don't value your opinion at all 'cause you made these choices. I don't hate you for saying that [but] I am going to ignore you. … I'm going to stay with the people that make me happy. … When I can turn inward and be happy, then I can face out and help."

Earlier this month, ETID revealed Buckley was taking a brief hiatus from touring with the band to prepare for their annual 'TID the Season holiday festival. However, Buckley suggested he was sidelined with the decision and hinted at group turmoil. The band's since said they're working out their issues with Buckley privately.