Influencers

Often regarded as 21st-century socialites, an "influencer" is generally defined as anyone who has developed a significant and engaged following on at least one social media platform. A growing number of brands—from Coca-Cola to small businesses—pay influencers to promote their products or services on social media. Online platforms including YouTube, Substack, and Twitch also offer revenue shares for their top creators.

The earliest digital influencers were likely the "mommy bloggers" of the early 2000s. These women wrote blogs about parenthood that soon proved lucrative when they began securing advertising deals. Since the 2010s, marketers have been steadily increasing the amount of money they dedicate to influencers. Paying an influencer to promote a product can read as more authentic than other marketing channels (such as billboards or online pop-up ads), given that many social media users already implicitly trust the influencers they follow.

Fans of influencers say the rise of these social media stars has benefited women, as becoming an influencer allows mothers to earn money from home on a flexible schedule. Influencer critics, however, note that the profession is not as lucrative as it seems—only 12% of full-time creators make more than $50K a year, according to one recent study. They also argue that influencers have fueled the rise of social media addiction among teens and children.