Influencers: yay or nay?

Milla Ling-Davies  |  Features  |  culture watch
Date posted:  1 Oct 2023
Share Add       
Influencers: yay or nay?

If you see someone like this, they may be a social media influencer photo: influencer-impact.com

When someone says ‘social media influencer’ do you think of a teenager dancing and taking selfies in front of the Eiffel Tower? Picturing this, it can be easy to write influencers off as immature or vain. But is this the whole story?

An influencer is a normal person, like you or me, who has ‘built a large social media following typically due to their expertise on specific topics’ (Influencer Marketing Hub). They share videos and photos about subjects like parenting, food or travel, and can have millions of people listening in. They have, surprise surprise, influence.

And a lot more than we think. 50% of millennials and 77% of Gen Z follow a social media influencer[1]. Brands pay them large sums to promote products, and even politicians make use of them – Biden’s White House team meets regularly with a group. The reality is that influencers are increasingly shaping the spending habits, trends and values of our wider society.

Share
< Previous article| Features| Next article >
Read more articles on:   Gen Z  /  culture  /  social media
Read more articles by Milla Ling-Davies >>
UK & Ireland
Training day aids plans for church plants in the South East

Training day aids plans for church plants in the South East

The London Seminary have hosted their annual Plant Conference – encouraging and equipping around 15 leaders from different networks in …

World
US Bible surge led by first-time buyers

US Bible surge led by first-time buyers

In the last year, the sale of Bibles in the US has jumped by a staggering 22%, despite overall book …

Looking for a job?

Browse all our current job adverts

Search

Subscribe

Enjoy our monthly paper and full online access

Find out more