Is "influencer" really a useful catch-all term for creators on social platforms? And is there a danger in the way it's become the default label?
Don't be an influencer: earn influence (a grumpy old blogger writes)
influence
A collection of 14 posts
A million accounts gone and a journalist suspended after fake follower exposé
It looks like Twitter is acting on the NYT fake followers exposé: More than a million followers have disappeared from the accounts of dozens of prominent Twitter users in recent days as the company faces growing criticism over the proliferation…
Fake Followers: the black market in cargo cult influencers
There’s a great piece of reporting from the New York Times that’s been, quite deservedly, doing the rounds for the last couple of days, exposing the seedy underbelly of the influencer economy. It’s been an open secret…
George Takei: pushing publishers' articles for (undisclosed) cash
One of the more interesting things to have emerged from the allegations of sexual harassment against actor, Star Trek alum and social media star George Takei is the fact that his social media presence (run by a team, and not…
Influence and power in the age of the YouTube celebrity
YouTube celebrities – like comicbookgirl19 above – are the fastest growing media stars of our age, yet a group much of the mainstream media seems utterly unaware of. There’s an interesting piece arguing that female YouTube celebrities have greater influence amongst…