Last month, Molly Quell asked in her regular column if the Netherlands can survive the onslaught of American influencers. This week, Chad Lykins says we need to welcome even more of them. 

I enjoy an old-fashioned moral panic as much as the next elder millennial. Racially-tinged trend pieces about young kids on fatbikes? Send me the link. Letter to the editor equating limitations on bon fires to oppression? I can’t hit the thumbs-up button fast enough.

I was thus excited to read the recent DutchNews column by Molly Quell in which she raises the battle flag against “influencers” from the United States moving to the Netherlands.

Quell, a journalist originally from the United States with over 5,000 followers on Bluesky, states that, “far too many of them are documenting their new lives for public consumption, posting about what they find novel or interesting or surprising about their new homelands.”

Quell goes on to describe these immigrants as “a distinct and lesser category” than immigrants who (like herself) came before, demonstrating that Dutch directness can indeed be acquired.

After reading and then rereading Quell’s article, I began writing a long email to the leaders of D66, VVD, and CDA, asking them to revoke all visas for Americans who have more than 5,000 followers (except for Quell, who I see as a sort of whistleblower).

I considered writing to J21 and PVV, but thought better of it after realising (1) they needed no convincing and (2) were busy organising a private screening of Melania.

But before sending the email, I was seized by doubt. Or maybe just hunger. I grabbed a stroopwafel and walked down the narrow staircase of my apartment to go for a walk. As the orange sky reflected off of the canals, a group of schoolchildren on fatbikes buzzed past me.

Feeling the need for something savoury to balance the recent rush of sugar, I bought a cone of frites with mayo, sat on a bench, and scrolled through my feed to see the latest wave of posts from Americans living in the Netherlands.

Those last sentences show the extent to which I’ve been victimised by these influencers. Did I mention I waited in line for 45 minutes for those frites?

On my walk home, I ignored the bikes, canals, and tulips that surrounded me and instead kept my eyes on the bikes, canals, and tulips on my feed. This is when I noticed something else going on. Something Quell missed.

Taken together, these attention-seeking, social-media-obsessed strivers are extending Dutch soft power into the devices of millions of Americans. The coordination and efficacy of this operation would make Putin’s bot-farms steam with envy.

More influencers

I realised that if we want politics in the United States to tilt closer toward a more peaceful and sustainable global agenda similar to that for which the Dutch lobby in Brussels, we need more of these influencers, not less.

Don’t believe me?

Clear your schedule and scroll on social media for an hour. American influencers speak of the Netherlands, and Europe, with admiration and affection, which is far different than the rhetoric coming from the White House.

Know what influencers especially love? Dutch urban design. This is your chance to influence the very nation whose car-centric lifestyle is most likely to cause the Netherlands to be flooded by rising sea levels.

Salvage Nato

What if by welcoming more selfie-stick wielding YouTubers, the Dutch can change the course of American elections, salvage Nato and the EU, and pump the brakes on climate change? Not to mention winning the eternal gratitude of the Italians by relieving their over-touristed cities.

Dutch power would reach heights not seen since the Golden Age, except this time that power would rest on the free labour of American DAFT visa holders, rather than brutally colonising and exploiting foreign nations.

When it comes to American influencers, go ahead, smash that like button.

Chad Lykins moved to Amsterdam in November 2025 from the United States, where he worked in policy, politics, and youth organisations. He lives with his family and pets in Westerpark.

Molly Quell would like to note that while she appreciates Lykins’ acknowledgment that she is deserving of “whistleblower” protection, her visa cannot be revoked as she is a Dutch citizen. A citizen who would never, ever wait in line for 45 minutes for frites.