Unfluence

The thing that makes “influencer” such an attractive option in those surveys is precisely this idea that it names the outcome rather than the actual work. We don’t actually have a good word for what it means to do that work. Partly this is because there are big differences between platforms (and within platforms, for that matter), and there is no g... See more

The point of making content is to get an outcome,” he added.

The success of mega-influencers or thought leaders who have, in effect, transcended algorithmic management can make it difficult to see that. The Seth Godins, Mel Robbinses, and Brene Browns of the internet don’t appear to be trying to “get an outcome.” They don’t have to. Their influence... See more

An accurate definition of “influencer” is: a virtuoso of a particular internet platform; someone who has learned to use its mechanisms to achieve their own objectives, rather than the other way around.

Eichhorn uses the potent term “content capital”—a riff on Pierre Bourdieu’s “cultural capital”—to describe the way in which a fluency in posting online can determine the success, or even the existence, of an artist’s work.

“Cultural producers who, in the past, may have focused on writing books or producing films or making art must now also spend con... See more

When incentives are tethered to status and gaming attention as the mechanism for building an audience, we have a serious fucking problem.

We’re living in a sea of low-quality influencer content, which I believe offers an opportunity to create something better — something that emphasizes the signal over the noise, that’s slower, calmer, and personal.

We spent the last 15 years working for 👍 likes, ❤️ hearts, 🔁 retweets, and follows, anything for the clout. Insta filters, Twitter follow bots, and a meme worth dancing to on TikTok made the individual go viral. With virality, "influencers" were born and the Information Superhighway added a fast lane. In this fast lane, we created a world where p... See more