Influencer Legun: Jesus’ love for others is my great inspiration

As “Humanvoll”, Patrick Legun has been running channels on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube for almost two years. The aspiring religious education teacher from Aachen regularly uploads videos in which he does something good for strangers in the form of a friendly gesture or a small donation. In an interview with katholisch.de, Legun talks about his motivation for his social media engagement, his Christian faith and his most successful video to date. He also responds to criticism of his videos.

Question: Mr. Legun, for almost two years now you have been regularly posting short videos on social media in which you do something good for strangers in the form of a friendly gesture or a small donation. Why do you do that?

Legun: I want to inspire other people and encourage them to go through the world with their eyes open and to pay more attention to their fellow human beings. Where might there be someone who needs support? Can I help a person by giving them attention and a little time or buying them something to eat? I am convinced that if we all pay more attention and help people in need, we will all be better off, and our society as a whole will be better off. I will promote this with my videos.

Question: How did your involvement come about? Is there a specific trigger for it?

Legun: Yes, there was. In the fall of 2022, I twisted my ankle while playing soccer and tore several ligaments and broke my ankle. After that, I could hardly move for about two months and soon found myself lying in bed. That was a difficult time for me, during which I felt very lonely and became depressed. To get out of this situation and overcome my loneliness, I started chatting with strangers. I held small signs in the camera on which I asked the chat partners how they were. This led to many emotional conversations that did me a lot of good.

Question: And what happens next?

Legun: When I was finally able to walk again, I went and visited homeless people in Aachen city center and tried to talk to them too. Because I thought that these people are lonely too and would be happy to have a visit. Shortly before Christmas, I collected donations from friends and acquaintances, bought a few things and gave them all to the homeless in the form of Christmas presents. During one of these campaigns, my mother filmed me with her cell phone. I published this video on my social media account on December 23rd, and a day later it had already had more than a million views and I had received countless positive comments. That was basically how the idea for my “Humanvoll” account and my social media engagement was born, because I realized that I enjoy helping other people and that I can have a positive impact with it.

Question: Since then, you have made almost 100 videos in which you buy food for the homeless, pay for strangers’ groceries, or even walk through the city with bubble wrap that you can squeeze to relieve stress. Which video has been your most successful so far?

Legun: It was a video where I went to a bakery just before closing time and said that I wanted to buy everything that would otherwise be thrown away and give it to the homeless. To date, this video has been viewed more than 17 million times on Instagram alone.

Question: What reactions do you get from the people you meet during your activities and for whom you usually want to do something good?

Legun: Many are initially skeptical or even dismissive because they don’t expect that a stranger in their everyday life would just want to make them happy like that. “Nothing is free in this world” – this sentence is obviously deeply rooted in many people’s hearts. I think that’s a shame because it says something about our society, which is still far too often characterized by egoism and an elbow mentality. But: once people realize that I really want to do something good for them, they usually react very warmly and gratefully.

Question: You’ve already said it: you want to use your videos to promote stronger togetherness and help people in need. One person who radically lived out this attitude was Jesus Christ. Is he a role model for you?

Legun: Yes, very much. For me, Jesus is the epitome of humanity. His next love is a great inspiration to me as Christ.

Question: Does your faith also play a role in your social media activities?

Legun: Faith is an important part of my identity and of course it is also expressed in my videos. At the same time, however, I do not want to force my faith on anyone, especially since I have many Muslims and certainly many atheists among my followers. I am interested in doing good deeds – not in religious politics.

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Question: You are currently studying technology and religion as your main subject and are already working as a substitute teacher at a secondary school in Aachen. Do you want to continue to be a teacher or could you imagine working permanently as an influencer for charity?

Legun: You should never say it, but at the moment I really love working at school. Especially since my videos really help me in everyday school life: Many of my students know my “Humanvoll” accounts and think what I do there is great. The videos definitely give me a certain credibility with them – especially when I talk about humanity and other important values.

Question: Many influencers earn a lot of money with their videos on social networks. How is it for you? I read in the “Aachener Zeitung” that you have already received more than 500 euros for individual videos. Could you already live off your social media income?

Legun: No, definitely not. I earn my living from my work as a substitute teacher. I invest all the money I get for my videos and my new book in my social media campaigns.

Question: Videos like the ones you make are called “random acts of kindness.” Videos of this kind of art appeared on a larger scale on social networks a few years ago. The pattern is always the same: one person surprises another person with a kind gesture and films themselves doing it. As successful as these videos are, they are also sometimes criticized because privileged people portray themselves as heroic benefactors and sometimes earn a lot of money from the videos. The act of kindness thus degenerates into a means of self-promotion and enrichment, according to the critics. What do you say about that?

Legun: Some influencers may certainly make this accusation, but I would not accept this criticism when it comes to my videos. In many of my videos, I cannot be seen at all, but can only be heard with my voice from off-screen. This will make it clear that it is not about me, but that the good deeds themselves should be the focus – as motivation for other people to perhaps do good in a similar way.

Question: Of course, you still benefit from your commitment, for example by getting lots of positive comments and earning money from your videos – albeit on a modest scale. You could also do good without being filmed…

Legun: Of course, I initially wondered whether I was doing the right thing with the videos. Especially since the saying “Do good, but don’t talk about it” is still present in many people’s minds. But I think that this type of video suits me perfectly and that I can really have a positive effect with it. I also don’t think that my commitment has gone to my head; I certainly don’t see myself as a Good Samaritan or Mother Teresa (laughs).

Question: In your videos, you often dress up as a homeless person – usually to provoke reactions, for example when you ask for a food donation. While you only act out homelessness, for other people this fate is a bitter reality. Do you have no scruples about this?

Legun: I am very aware that I lead a privileged life and that I cannot really understand the fate and worries of a homeless person just because I dress up as one. However, the videos in which I appear as a homeless person teach me a lot about how our society treats people on the margins. For example, I have experienced that when I “normally” asked for a food donation in a bakery or restaurant, I was more likely to get something than when I was dressed up as a homeless person. I find that pretty crazy and it really bothers me.

Question: You’ve already mentioned it: you’ve just written a book about your social media activities and your mission to make other people happy. What are your next plans?

Legun: I would like to make longer videos in the future. At the moment I am working on a video for which I had to go without money for 24 hours and was therefore dependent on the help of other people. It was an exciting challenge and – without giving too much away – I experienced a lot of wonderful things. I hope that I will soon be able to finish the video and publish it.