Narrating Personal Interest
Influence equals power and power equals money.
The topic of influencers interests me for many reasons. As a millennial, I can relate and understand the appeal of becoming a social media influencer. I applaud the entrepreneurial ambition and creativity that goes into making shareable content online – even the absurd. The size of online audiences grows every day as more people join the Internet and therefore, we've only seen the tip of the iceberg regarding the influencer economy.
If you told me two years ago that a picture of an egg would be the most 'liked' post on Instagram, well I wouldn't have believed you. But 53 million likes later and here we are. Social networking sites are no longer just a fad amongst the youth. A report released in March this year confirmed that Instagram alone is a 1.7 billion dollar industry.
A lot has changed though since your teenager created their Instagram account back in 2009. I am fascinated by the growing power that social media holds in our society. I first began looking at influencers when I joined social media channels. Actually, as a matter of fact, I got a Facebook notification a few days ago celebrating my 12-year Facebook anniversary. Social media influencers have evolved since a decade ago, with more niche communities, larger audiences and now that profitability is existent. Digital monetisation has changed the game for social media influencers, as more users are being solely drawn in for financial gain which tends to result in higher amounts of inauthentic content.
Today, basically anyone can be an influencer as the barrier of entry is so low. It’s never been easier to create online content, to grow an audience following and to earn dollar bills. The age-old line, ‘I could do that’ perfectly describes the acceptance of the influencer movement. I would first like to showcase @justaconstructionguy, who as of this post has just over 500k followers on Instagram. A handful more than the 75 followers he had four months ago.
Social media influencers can grow an online presence in a short timeframe and gain a widespread following on platforms like Instagram. They are renowned for uploading #sponsored content and can earn up to $1,000 per 100,000 followers. I don’t know about you but that’s a pretty significant economical shift from a decade ago.
Finally, as the name of the blog suggests, I am interested in the authenticity of influencers and their viable longevity. Especially since Instagram (and now Facebook) recently announced plans to hide 'like' counts on posts in efforts to combat the rising concerns around the mental health of young people.
