Not All Influencers Wear Capes

Being a 20 year old female who primarily uses social media for connecting with friends and keeping up to date with the latest internet trends, I for sure have witnessed an insane growth in influencer marketing in the last 5 years. 

Right at the beginning of my social media usage, promotional posts were mainly celebrities that incurred a following based on previous fame. Then YouTubers with a high following count, slowly transitioned to influencers - and now, influencers can be anyone, even with a smaller following and can be offered countless brand deals and paid gigs. 

With influencer marketing now quoted as being a 5-10 billion dollar industry, will this create an over saturation, and make it harder for newer, younger influencers to rise to fame?

In my own opinion based on the growing popularity of sustainability and previous famous influencers, it is obvious to me that the more an influencer cares about their behaviours, both socially and ethically, the longer they will stay relevant as a popular creator. 

Many younger influencers that are rising to fame quickly, are seen taking brand deals left right and centre, from all competitors in the same niche markets - whilst never wearing the same thing twice. Is this someone we non-influencers can relate to? Is this someone we non-influencers can trust enough to sway our purchasing decisions? 

This also sings true in terms of social & business etiquette. Bratty behaviour is simply not tolerated anymore and being an influencer in 2022 means eyes are watching you all the time. Influencers that don’t follow through with business deals and rip off small businesses are typically called out in the public eye and with cancel culture prominent in the online community, it doesn’t take much to tarnish your reputation.

So if you are an influencer or want to be one - whether that be in beauty, fashion, business, IT etc, learn to care and be yourself because there is enough false information on the internet as it is.