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Social media influencers are a powerhouse community. According to Statista, 78% are under the age of 34, with 34% of those being under 24. Social media will continue to provide a massive platform for today’s youth to build their influencer foundations, and access is nearly universal, costing little more than a smartphone, a Wi-Fi hookup and creativity.
Due to positive economic growth, these emerging entrepreneurs are now mainstream entertainers and ingrained in both B2C and even B2B corporate advertising strategies. Despite the rapid growth in influencer popularity among consumers and brands alike, what was once seen as organic marketing is beginning to raise a collective consumer eyebrow on authenticity: A recent international study found that just 4% of people believe that information shared by influencers on social media is true, and the rate of successful “influencing” has dropped too.
Nevertheless, the number of people that we identify as influencers continues to skyrocket — no doubt a byproduct of worldwide stay-at-home orders that accelerated and popularized the generation and consumption of influencer content. Once used to refer to those with large social followings and consumer goods advertising contracts, the term “influencer” has expanded to represent political leaders, business executives, social justice advocates, dancers, poets, esports competitors and…
