Celebrity favoritism is nothing new;  everyone seems to have a favorite public figure. The information age has given way to digital micro-celebrities, called influencers. How do these everyday people appeal so well to other everyday people?

Carrie Wilson-Brown, professor in Media, discussed the origins of this concept.

“In many respects, the way that social media platforms make their money is no way different than the way that TV makes its money strictly (based) on advertising,” Wilson-Brown said. “It’s a new technology, but the model is old.”

There are four types of influencers: nano, micro, macro and mega. Their distinct differences are the amount of followers they procure. Nanoinfluencers have the smallest, with around one to 10 thousand followers. Megainfluencers can have up to 1 million followers or more.

“There’s this misnomer that you have to have a really large following to be considered an influencer and to somehow monetize yourself or have partnerships,” Wilson-Brown said. “More and more nanoinfluencers are becoming really important to the marketplace.”

For example, fast fashion companies like H&M will reach out to influencers who have a smaller reach since they tend to have stronger engagement with their followers, which in turn strengthens the brand’s appeal to the general public.

Besides having an above-average follow count, there are other qualities that people believe those in the public eye need to possess in order to be considered a “real” influencer.

Aniya Davis, sophomore in Media, said she believes that to be an influencer, it “takes talent and vulnerability because you have to be ready for people to always critique you.”

Some argue that influencers lack a critical factor — talent.

“There’s a lot of people out there that don’t have actual talent, but they’re still influencers,” said Yasmen Pugh, junior in LAS.

Emily Lee, junior in LAS, said she believes that there is more to being an influencer than just talent.

“Good personality, a lot of energy (and) good time management skills (are needed) to handle what’s going on with your outside life as well as your social life,” Lee said.

For some, it’s about content. Activities like hauls and giveaways, which influencers often do, can spark joy in others.

“When really, it’s the same thing I used to do when I used to go to the mall with my friends, but you’re doing it (as) an influencer,” Wilson-Brown said.

By getting a glimpse into their life, fans sort of begin to think of them as a friend, which attributes to the influence of influencers.

The real importance of influencers is how they make people feel like they belong to a community, and as simple as it may seem, influencers can provide people with more than just entertainment. Whether it’s charisma, comedy or just plain content, it’s there, it’s growing, and there’s no way of closing the floodgates anytime soon.

“There’s this, like, human connection with this person,” Wilson-Brown said. “I don’t think we can underestimate the human connectivity associated with influencer culture being online as well.”

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