Chances are, if you go up to a classroom of 8 year olds, a large portion, if not the majority, will say their dream job is to become a YouTuber or TikToker. In the last ten or so years, the number of "influencers" in the media has increased dramatically, to the point where children now consume more online content than television or movies, so it is not at all surprising that a generation would be inspired by the outstanding success of a few individuals.
what is an influencer in the first place?
Many conclude that one of the first influencers was Paris Hilton— "famous for being famous," as she was frequently described in the 2000s. She, and eventually her predecessor Kim Kardashian, was shot into both infamy and fame when an intimate tape of her was released to the public without her consent. Hilton made use of the spotlight by feeding into the attention of the media, even going as far as to hire paparazzi to constantly keep her in the limelight. She was then able to harness the international attention by building her own personal brand. Paris Hilton realized that visibility was something that could be used to make herself a profit, effectively making her the blueprint of influencers.
Prior to Paris Hilton, celebrities primarily functioned as influencers. The goal of being an influencer was to act as a face for a brand, product, or cause and to use your fame as a means of persuasion. This concept is, of course, rooted in the idea that people who are famous or people who are rich are qualified to advise.
what about the market economy?
The market economy refers to the system of Capitalism in a specific country. Within the United States, our society is neoliberal, meaning our laws seek to maintain the market economy. In this way, the economy shapes our everyday experiences, including our perception of culture.
It is found that fashion trends are mostly based in elitism. At a certain point, wearing an item of clothing is about its brand just as much as it is about its stylishness, especially when it comes to the glorification of luxury goods. An example of this is logomania— I am sure we have all seen one clothing item that is horrendously designed but is unbelievably expensive only because the brand's logo is embossed throughout the item. You may wonder, really? This is the new trend? The truth is, individualism and the appearance of wealth and extravagance is what the public strives for— because they have been told that uniqueness is what one should strive for, that luxury is what one should strive for. In other words, the concept that rich people are better people is one of the foundational bases of contemporary fashion.
Hence, the connection back to influencers. We are told that because somebody was able to cater to or work around the system and attain wealth that they are smart-- look at how Elon Musk is worshipped for basically being a figurehead for Tesla despite not necessarily being educated in the technical aspects of the company and its goals.
Because our culture epitomizes the rich, modern-day sponsorships are perfect for influencers. On YouTube and other streaming platforms, the majority of influencers earn their money through selling merch and through sponsorships. Selling merch echoes Paris Hilton's original strategy— making use of your platform to create a personal brand. When it comes to sponsorships, influencers are generally doing nothing but acting as a face for a product or endorsing it in some way or another. However, many influencers sponsor items like dietary supplements and such that they would never personally use because the products themselves may not be the safest or the best quality. Hence, you have thousands of people purchasing goods that may be detrimental to them solely because of the face of marketing. To the consumer, it is not about the product as much as it is about the simulated proximity to the influencer. Again, evidence that the appearance of wealth and extravagance is what the public strives for.
In essence, our market economy has created an entirely new subfield of work based on influencing others. The economy has shaped our culture to epitomize money and luxury to the point where the everyday man craves this image as well. Conceptually, we subscribe to the notion that extreme wealth is achievable and part of not only the class system, but culture as well.
