the.com/influencers
people who monetized being watched, then sold you the watching itself.
means someone who leverages a personal audience built on perceived authenticity to shape opinions and purchases, usually for a fee.
from the term crept out of marketing jargon in the 2000s once blogs and youtube proved a stranger's recommendation could outsell a celebrity's, and instagram's 2010 launch turned that stranger into a full-time brand.
industry sizepassed 24 billion dollars globally by 2024
disclosure lawftc requires ad tags since 2009, often ignored
micro beats macrosmaller accounts often get higher engagement rates
origin wordborrowed from sociology's opinion leader theory
for instance
charli damelio — went from ohio teen to tiktok's first 100 million follower account, 2020
huda kattan — beauty blogger turned billion dollar cosmetics empire, dubai
mrbeast — youtube stunts scaled into a snack and burger business, 2023
fyre festival promoters — paid models to fake a luxury event that collapsed, 2017