THE INFLUENCER INDUSTRY

How the influencer industry grew into a commercial behemoth.

One of the strangest aspects of the social media age is the rise of influencers, high-profile content creators who attract astonishing numbers of followers and who can make or break fashions, trends, and products. The value of this book is that it collects and analyzes a range of opinions about the industry, providing critical context as well as a glimpse of the future. Hund is a former journalist who moved into academic research, with a focus on digital culture, and she conducted dozens of interviews with influencers and other industry figures. She found that most influencers began as bloggers in the early days of social media, writing about their lives and opinions, especially in the fashion field. They leveraged their noncorporate status into a base of subscribers, and the emergence of Instagram added a critical visual element. Advertising companies saw the potential and started buying space on sites, and then retailers began to provide free product samples for review. The next step was to sponsor influencers for positive comments. This ran counter to the idea of independence, but the money was too good to ignore. Even when followers realized that influencers were being paid, they did not seem to mind. The role of the influencer, Hund believes, is to convert “uncertainty” into something more “manageable.” Most influencers study the metrics carefully and adjust their output accordingly. Indeed, as the author shows, “authenticity” has become something to be researched, designed, and manufactured. Hund is entirely aware of the paradoxes and ironies of the industry, but she also sees positives, especially as an alternative to corporate mass media. In one form or another, the business is likely to remain a key part of the techno-social landscape for a long time to come.

A penetrating, well-considered look behind the polished scenes of the influencer industry.