Influencers, now a slowly fading cliché in the Internet’s tableau vivant, found success articulating the cult of personality, and marketing themselves as direct-to-consumer-goods. The shift away from this algorithmic surrender can be traced to the macro and micro “creator economies” spawned by the likes of Patreon, Substack, OnlyFans and even... See more

Companies like Glossier and FabFitFun have built huge businesses by leveraging microinfluencers and user-generated content. In an interview with Kara Swisher, Glossier’s Emily Weiss said, “Every single person is an influencer.”

Posting like an influencer (because we are)

Our audience has drastically shifted, and therefore so has our online behavior. While it would have been embarrassing for me to post about my morning routine to my 300 followers on Instagram in 2015 (who did I think I was? An influencer?), in 2024 no one bats an eye. We’re posting content that gets thrown... See more