Linda Sokhulu and Dumisani Mbebe addressed social media influencers’ infiltration of television because of their strong social media presence.
Speaking on two different podcasts, actors Linda Sokhulu and Dumisani Mbebe addressed social media influencers’ infiltration of the acting space because of their strong social media presence.
“Influencer category, I don’t even know who did the research because for some reason they are actually associating the number of followers that one has with viewership,” Mbebe told broadcaster David Mashabela on the latter’s podcast, King David Studio.
In their conversation about the industry, Mashabela and Mbebe discussed the quality and quantity of television work, where Mbebe said social influencers have become a category in the television world.
“Now there’s such as ugly trend where they will ask you how many followers do you have on Instagram, how many followers do you have on Twitter… all these social platforms and you ask yourself, ‘what’s that got to do with my talent?’” Mbebe said.
“Why do you think some guys get a lot of work, some guys are not good at what they do. All they do is just go to gym, look beautiful and they will make them shoot in like, you know, tight t-shirts or whatever,” said Mbebe.
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Two different jobs
Echoing Mbebe, Sokhulu said there have been times when she looks up an actor whose craft she respects and will notice that they have fewer followers than a particular influencer.
“And that’s not to say that the influencer, based on influencing work, should not have the followers that they have… and that’s not to say that actors shouldn’t have the followers that they have. For me, it says that it’s two different jobs,” said Sokhulu, speaking on Relebogile Mabotja’s yet-to-be-released podcast.
Sokhulu added that because being an influencer and being an actor are two different jobs, the former is blending into the latter’s career.
I am so grateful for the opportunity to sit down with the incredible Linda Sokhulu, an actress who brings such depth and authenticity to every character she portrays.
— Relebogile Mabotja (@RelebogileM) August 7, 2025
We explored the craft of acting, navigating vulnerable moments on screen, and the pressures actors face in… pic.twitter.com/WuL9IXxGM4
“That’s why I don’t necessarily understand it because when I’m quietly in my house, sitting there and looking at lines and trying to be earnestly focusing on what a character’s needs are, or it’s half past one and I’m like ‘I got it!’ that’s what it is,” said Sokhulu sharing an idea of some of the things trained performers go through to prepare for a role.
“I’m constantly playing out in my head what my craft is asking of me. And then social media says that my relevance be ‘X’ number and there’s a person who’s got a different tier by 15 000 upper tier… it’s two different things that have now somehow been forced and been made to look like one.”
Mbebe said the influence of social media has led to “pretty” television. Mbebe noted that to be an actor, one has to be ugly.
“It means it’s not about you. It’s not about ‘Dumisani’ it’s about the character. If you have to be ugly in that specific scene, you gotta be ugly in that specific scene.”
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