Unfluence

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.

in an age when everyone seems to be trying to build an audience in order to “monetize their passions,” the end result is a crowded digital world of people striving to be influencers-celebrities, especially on social media

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

What has become more and more clear to the non-influencer social media user is that things aren’t what they seemed. Influencers aren’t out to “influence” their “followers” in a positive way — they’re looking to “influence” them to purchase material goods from brands that are willing to pay them enough to advertise. Influencers are more concerned wi... See more

Indeed, in the increasingly commercialized, social media-focused, and sprawling internet environment of the early 2010s, the notion of “digital influence” became an efficient means of identifying people’s value: amid the immense noise of social media content, who should be singled out as worth listening to, what should they say to obtain and mainta

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