Influencers

foxie48

There's some excellent art tutorials. I paint with watercolours and I've learned a lot of new techniques from both fb and instagram reels.

I paint, never considered art influencers. Cooking as well.

M0nica

^Yes M0nica, they were. You don’t have to actively promote specific goods to be an influencer, although to a limited degree they did do that too. Think how they influenced hundreds of thousands of young people to go off and find themselves in India, to copy the clothes they wore, imitate their hairstyles, make music similar to theirs, to use their music on adverts to advertise things, etc. etc.^

But the Beatles did not set out sell a lifestyle to their fans. They were no different to popular singers, dancers, actors in the previous 100 years, people looked and copied, but central to their lives was their music. Central to an influencers life is influencing people and monetising their interactions with their fans. That is very different.

I think you are defining an influencer far more tightly than the way in which the term is widely understood.
As an example, I asked AI if the Princess of Wales is an influencer. This is what it came up with:

Yes, the Princess of Wales is widely considered a major "influencer," with British Vogue naming her an "Eternal Influencer" in 2025. Her influence is largely based on the "Kate Effect," where clothing she wears sells out instantly, and her ability to impact the trajectory of brands.
People.com
+2

Key Aspects of Her Influence:
Fashion Icon: She is recognized for a style that blends modern elegance with traditional royal duty, earning a spot on British Vogue’s 2025 best-dressed list.

Brand Impact: Her quiet support can boost both high-street and designer brands, with her influence often compared to a "secret weapon" for the Royal Family's public image.

"Eternal Influencer": Experts have dubbed her an "Eternal Influencer" due to her sustained ability to connect with a global audience, mirroring the mystique of the late Queen Elizabeth II.

Purpose-Driven: Beyond fashion, she uses her platform to influence public perception of early childhood development, utilizing academic partnerships to support her charity work.
Woman & Home
+4

While she does not engage in commercial promotions, as noted by Hello Magazine, her ability to shape trends and public sentiment is immense.

Tourists Ruin Historical Fountain in Italy as a Pre-Wedding Dare, and This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things share.google/WFOEPLk84T2awQoEW

And here's another one 'inspired' by social media, apparently the drive to climb ancient statues and grab the balls is a sought after wedding photo these days.

Jockytaff

Nanna8 - anyone who is actually influenced by these numpties must be a moron.

Does your contribution to the thread include Jack Monroe who helped 10s of thousands of people in poverty to cook a decent meal on a very tight budget.

Nanna8 - anyone who is actually influenced by these numpties must be a moron.

Yes M0nica, they were. You don’t have to actively promote specific goods to be an influencer, although to a limited degree they did do that too. Think how they influenced hundreds of thousands of young people to go off and find themselves in India, to copy the clothes they wore, imitate their hairstyles, make music similar to theirs, to use their music on adverts to advertise things, etc. etc.

But the Beatles did not set out sell a lifestyle to their fans. They were no different to popular singers, dancers, actors in the previous 100 years, people looked and copied, but central to their lives was their music. Central to an influencers life is influencing people and monetising their interactions with their fans. That is very different.

Apologies if this link has already been posted but this is the problem with influencers:

Source: BBC share.google/Ub6CxEqxY96NUClZM

Annoying link, it's a story today about the world being stripped of Matcha, a Japanese tea which has been featured on TikTok and has now become a worldwide craze, producers are struggling, prices are soaring, there is a tourism boom.

It's part of the same sheep like behaviour that takes people up mountains in t-shirts and flip flops who then have to be rescued. I've lost count of the number of articles about mountain rescue teams struggling with a vast increase in call outs.

It really isn't the same as marketing, it's an invitation to blind idiocy and destruction of cultural artefacts and formerly peaceful sites in nature. Marketing has rules, influencers are careless and in it for the money but it's us who pay for the problematic outcomes.

There's some excellent art tutorials. I paint with watercolours and I've learned a lot of new techniques from both fb and instagram reels.

I watch reels of "influencers" telling me about sewing skills, mosaics, stained glass and loads of other crafts. There is no hard sell, just information. You can sign up for some of the courses they run but they are rarely thrust down your throat. I have learned so much. I also occasionally watch make up ideas for the more mature lady and have found hints that really make me look better.

I used to look at teen magazines in the early 60's, they influenced my choice of clothes, hairstyle and make up etc. I paid for them out of my pocket money, now I get access to all sorts of interesting things and I don't have to dig into my pension.

fancythat

Casdon

Sarnia

Chestnut

Casdon

Stanley Tucci has six million followers, he is a food critic and Italy lover - and an engaging personality. I don’t think a lot of of the most popular influencers are malign influences myself, and it is perfectly possible not to watch them if you don’t want to.

Stanley Tucci is also also a highly respected actor who has appeared in too many things to list here. Most recently Conclave and The Devil Wears Prada 2. They are on his Wiki page.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanley_Tucci

perfectly possible not to watch them if you don't want to
That doesn't apply to the thousands who follow today's young influencers. They want to be just like them. They want that image, make-up, hair and clothes. Social media is well on the way to becoming an addiction. Ask any young girls what is the worst thing they could lose and the vast majority would say their phones. Their entire lives are in that device.

I think the majority of young people are just as capable of being discerning as the majority of older people. They aren’t sheep, any more than we are.

Dont think I agree with that.

The influencers have millions of followers.

Cant see that happening in the 60s for example.
Yes with music maybe.

Fancythat
You obviously missed all the young men having their hair cut like the Beatles and the suits they wore.
Then there was dusty who gave us the panda eyes.
Mary Quant didn’t just design clothes, her hair cut was copied by me and a lot of my friends.
What decade were you a teenager?

M0nica

Casdon

The Beatles were the influencers of their day fancythat, there is nothing new, except accessibility.

No they were not. They did not spend ages trying to sell us products. They performed their music was terrific and they had millions of fans who bought souvenir and promotional items, but they did not try to sell us the barber who cut their hair, the tailor who made their suits ar their infallible cure for a hangover

They were no different to today's popstars in their marketing activities.

Yes M0nica, they were. You don’t have to actively promote specific goods to be an influencer, although to a limited degree they did do that too. Think how they influenced hundreds of thousands of young people to go off and find themselves in India, to copy the clothes they wore, imitate their hairstyles, make music similar to theirs, to use their music on adverts to advertise things, etc. etc.

The term 'doesn't bother me and if people can make a career and income from it, why not? Every technological development produces new careers.

My main concern is about those that get the most media coverage, and they seem to be the ones that are of most concern where young people are concerned. Andrew Tate and his ilk are havng a serious and worrying influence over vulnerable boys and putting their female contemporaries at risk.

Their female euivalents of the great big lips and expressionless faces are, hopefully, not intentionally encouraging vulnerable women and girls to emulate them, and if what I have seen of the mysoginistic male sites, turning themselves into the grotesues of womenhood that these men find attractive.

If you want to make a living round photographing your pets, or the progress of your house project or vegetable plot that fine. You are unlikely to be doing any harm to vulnerable people, especially young people.

Casdon

The Beatles were the influencers of their day fancythat, there is nothing new, except accessibility.

No they were not. They did not spend ages trying to sell us products. They performed their music was terrific and they had millions of fans who bought souvenir and promotional items, but they did not try to sell us the barber who cut their hair, the tailor who made their suits ar their infallible cure for a hangover

They were no different to today's popstars in their marketing activities.

Goodness, no one has to engage with anything on SM if they don't want to. I follow a Canadian weight trainer who does a brilliant job of explaining how to perform lifts safely and correctly, it means I can make the most of my gym membership whilst keeping safe. I follow several people who specialise in recipes I like and I also follow some equestrians. I don't pay them anything but I find their posts interesting and informative. I also follow a couple of fashion sites. I'm 77 and very selective about what I look at!
My daughter travels all over the world and has an instagram account where she posts pictures, info and tips. She has several thousand followers, doesn't make any money out of it and didn't intend to but she's become part of a worldwide groups. She gets help and advice from others who have accounts and also travel widely. This idea that "influencers" are all making loads of money is ridiculous, most seem to be sharing their interests or building a physical or online business.

The Beatles were the influencers of their day fancythat, there is nothing new, except accessibility.

They aren’t all airheads.
The Forbes list of the top influencers.

www.forbes.com/sites/stevenbertoni/2024/10/28/top-creators-2024-the-influencers-turning-buzz-into-billions/

Being a successful "influencer" in order to make a living takes a lot of hard work and it is a shame that the title doesn't really reflect that. My husband starts a mini rant every time somebody is introduced as one. I don't particularly like the term but life is too short to put my blood pressure up worrying about it.

Casdon

Sarnia

Chestnut

Casdon

Stanley Tucci has six million followers, he is a food critic and Italy lover - and an engaging personality. I don’t think a lot of of the most popular influencers are malign influences myself, and it is perfectly possible not to watch them if you don’t want to.

Stanley Tucci is also also a highly respected actor who has appeared in too many things to list here. Most recently Conclave and The Devil Wears Prada 2. They are on his Wiki page.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanley_Tucci

perfectly possible not to watch them if you don't want to
That doesn't apply to the thousands who follow today's young influencers. They want to be just like them. They want that image, make-up, hair and clothes. Social media is well on the way to becoming an addiction. Ask any young girls what is the worst thing they could lose and the vast majority would say their phones. Their entire lives are in that device.

I think the majority of young people are just as capable of being discerning as the majority of older people. They aren’t sheep, any more than we are.

Dont think I agree with that.

The influencers have millions of followers.

Cant see that happening in the 60s for example.
Yes with music maybe.

I hate the idea of it especially as they effect my Granddaughter who is easily "influenced"

I just think of them as glorified sales people.

Like those people who used to have to go around in vans door to door.
Nowadays they dont have to drive anywhere.

I think it's very worrying that so many people take notice of these so-called influencers. Have people lost the ability to think for themselves or is it just herd mentality?

It is easy to tell young people 'not to be sheep, but adolescence is a frightening time and many youngsters lack confidence in themselves and seek the comfort of the crowd.

Youngsters are also most unsure of their looks so look to these influencers with their ludicrous pumped up lips, expressionless faces and unfeasily large bosoms are very damaging and dangerous to young girls

Sorry I upset people by not knowing who Stanley Tucci is, but I tend to use my computer as a tool, rather than a source of entertainment. I use it to get information, in the widest sense, buy things, keep up with the news and support causes. I have never been a tv watcher or film goer. I dont play computer games either.

GN is really the only bit of social media I engage with, except Facebook, but that is mainly family and local news.

I think how sad are the sheep that just follow these ‘influenza’s’ because they think it’s a trend! What ever happened to personal choice? Indépendance? Individuality?
So many young girls all look the same; duck lips? Weird tattooed eyebrows?
Fake boobs, fake nails, fake tans?
Stop being sheep

I blame the ijits who make them rich