Influencers: yay or nay?

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. Fifty percent of millennials and 77% of Gen Z follow a social media influencer*. 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.