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I love how we're all just using this invented marketing term "influencer" as if it's actually a real thing (it is not a real thing). It is slightly less obnoxi

I love how we're all just using this invented marketing term "influencer" as if it's actually a real thing (it is not a real thing). It is slightly less obnoxious than just calling it "first class" vs. "commoners" instagram, but still pretty obnoxious nonetheless.

mc32 7y ago
Some people are making money off of it. It may be frivolous or vacuous or derided, but someone is willing to pay for the phenomenon and “platforms” are making money of this belief as well.
DonHopkins 7y ago
"Influencer" is a polite euphemism for "Narcissist".
- bigiain 7y ago
  Only in the same way as "entrepreneur" is... Instagram "influencers" are just side-hustling with what they've got at their disposal, it's quite possible that if they were writing iOS apps as a side hustle instead we'd be championing them here...
  - rchaud 7y ago
    > if they were writing iOS apps as a side hustle instead we'd be championing them here If that were the case, I'd wager there'd be a similar number of "BrandonM" style comments about how what they're building "doesn't need to be an app" and was how they could have made a better version over the weekend.
yomly 7y ago
The word itself is a touch cringeworthy but the fact that the term is now ubiquitous should really be a hint of how big this phenomenon is. If you are unable to see the value in influencers (from a business perspective) it would simply suggest you are part of a segment that aren't engaged by them. If so don't let that fool you into underestimating the effect these people are having. Their audiences are highly engaged and are the same people who don't watch any TV and have adblock installed.
- oldjokes 7y ago
  No you are totally right, I'm sort of aware of their power. I'm just pointing out how obnoxious it is that we just stratified online websites into the elites and the commoners and invented terms for them to make people feel as special as when they fly first class. This is a new thing that happened all of a sudden in the past few years. It's an ugly trend taking over everything. Stratify all humans, treat the elites differently. Forget about net neutrality, we can do this within websites, within APIs, and so now we do.
  - cyberferret 7y ago
    I believe it is more of a 'use case' of the platform. Personally, I abhor and avoid anyone who sells paid advertising slots within their 'natural' photos, but I get that there are some people who will deliberately do this for $$$, and that there are product manufacturers who will pay people with an audience to do this. I tend to follow niche manufacturers (of guitars or other handmade instruments) directly because I am interested in their 'behind the scenes' photographic essays. No need for me to see them draped over someone who has no idea about the product but will happily drape them over themselves at some ubiquitous beach sunset shot. I don't think it is a 'class' thing as much as it is a 'positioning' thing.
    - bigiain 7y ago
      > Personally, I abhor and avoid anyone who sells paid advertising slots within their 'natural' photos ... From HN's FAQ: > Another kind of job ad is reserved for YC-funded startups. These appear on the front page, but are not stories: they have no vote arrows, points, or comments. (I don't _like_ it, but it's kinda part of choosing to use someone else's free service and the community it builds. They get to choose the rules, including who gets to monetise that community and how...)
      - anoncake 7y ago
        Those ads aren't natural photos, or any other kind of photos.
fiblye 7y ago
They’re advertisers, but (mostly) without the contract, steady income and outright obviousness to their target audience. Traditional ads are marked as ads and given generally separate spaces. This generation is all about “normal” people trying to organically influence people to buy some company’s cheaply made shit. It’s a real thing and it’s working.
bigiain 7y ago
I recall reading Malcom Gladwell's description of "Social Connectors" from back in 2000, and realising it accurately describes a few of my friends/acquaintances: "Connectors are the people in a community who know large numbers of people and who are in the habit of making introductions. A connector is essentially the social equivalent of a computer network hub. They usually know people across an array of social, cultural, professional, and economic circles, and make a habit of introducing people who work or live in different circles." I think today's "influencers" are similar but perhaps more shallow versions of Gladwell's "Connectors". I know if _I_ ask a question social media, I'll mostly get an answer if any of my friends know the answer. But when - for example - jwz asks "Dear Lazyweb", he'll get the guy who wrote the linux kernel subsystem or who runs the datacenter he's having problems with explain what's going wrong (often after having fixed it). The concept of some people being well connected enough to reach and influence a valuable number of important-in-some-context people is 100% "real". (Whether an attractive blonde showing off a specific brand of sunglasses or luggage in Instagram qualifies is questionable, part of me wants to say "Nope!", but I don't make my living trying to convince people to buy my brand of sunglasses or luggage, so what do I know?)
hn_throwaway_99 7y ago
> I love how we're all just using this invented marketing term "influencer" as if it's actually a real thing (it is not a real thing). That statement is ridiculous to me - actually more ridiculous than I find the whole "influencer" culture in the first place. "Influencer" absolutely is a real thing. The reason brands are willing to pay many thousands of dollars to get something as simple as a tweet, story or post about a product is quite simply because it works. On the other side, Snapchat lost $1.3 billion in valuation when Kylie Jenner tweeted "sooo does anyone else not open Snapchat anymore? Or is it just me... ugh this is so sad." Seems like "influencer" very accurately describes the role.
- manigandham 7y ago
  Famous people with influence have existed for centuries. There's nothing new here, other than more people claiming they can do it with fake numbers and the rise of talent agencies 2.0.
  - willdotphipps 7y ago
    Yes, i can see a Roger Corman movie about it now..Attack of the Crab Monsters Part 2 hides behind a tree not that i've watched it all, i like Bruce Willis and Arnold Schwarzeneggar films
  - hn_throwaway_99 7y ago
    > Famous people with influence have existed for centuries. There's nothing new here Baloney. How many teenagers could make literally millions of dollars in centuries past based primarily on their relatability (in addition to their video game or makeup application skills). Modern social networks and YouTube have opened up an entirely new way not to just have influence, but to monetize, productize and quantify it. I get it, you probably think it's all dumb and pointless, but to say it's "nothing new" is like saying the internet is nothing new because people have been sending messages back and forth for centuries.
    - manigandham 7y ago
tjpnz 7y ago
Or shill.
- ionised 7y ago
  Yeah, these people have always been known as shills, sell-outs and charlatans. 'Influencer' is new-speak trying to hide their shadiness.
  - yoz-y 7y ago
    That seems unnecessarily harsh. In most cases it is quite clear which post is sponsored and which isn't. Are podcasters with ads sellouts too?
    - tjpnz 7y ago
      >In most cases it is quite clear which post is sponsored and which isn't. It depends on where you set your bar. For some individuals (probably the bulk of Fyre Fest attendees) this is going to require explicit text.
    - ionised 7y ago
      > Are podcasters with ads sellouts too? Depends what they are shilling and whether the creators of the show would actually endorse those products themselves genuinely. Like, I personally wouldn't have an issue endorsing something that I use myself, but I would absolutely be a sell-out if I did it just for the money. I'm not a salesman.
newsgremlin 7y ago
They are advertisers. The same way you'd see people on TV ads saying how this new shampoo made their hair perfect or how this new toothpaste got rid of years of caffeine stains on their teeth.

mc32 7y ago

Some people are making money off of it. It may be frivolous or vacuous or derided, but someone is willing to pay for the phenomenon and “platforms” are making money of this belief as well.

DonHopkins 7y ago

"Influencer" is a polite euphemism for "Narcissist".

bigiain 7y ago
Only in the same way as "entrepreneur" is... Instagram "influencers" are just side-hustling with what they've got at their disposal, it's quite possible that if they were writing iOS apps as a side hustle instead we'd be championing them here...
- rchaud 7y ago
  > if they were writing iOS apps as a side hustle instead we'd be championing them here If that were the case, I'd wager there'd be a similar number of "BrandonM" style comments about how what they're building "doesn't need to be an app" and was how they could have made a better version over the weekend.

yomly 7y ago

The word itself is a touch cringeworthy but the fact that the term is now ubiquitous should really be a hint of how big this phenomenon is. If you are unable to see the value in influencers (from a business perspective) it would simply suggest you are part of a segment that aren't engaged by them. If so don't let that fool you into underestimating the effect these people are having. Their audiences are highly engaged and are the same people who don't watch any TV and have adblock installed.

oldjokes 7y ago
No you are totally right, I'm sort of aware of their power. I'm just pointing out how obnoxious it is that we just stratified online websites into the elites and the commoners and invented terms for them to make people feel as special as when they fly first class. This is a new thing that happened all of a sudden in the past few years. It's an ugly trend taking over everything. Stratify all humans, treat the elites differently. Forget about net neutrality, we can do this within websites, within APIs, and so now we do.
- cyberferret 7y ago
  I believe it is more of a 'use case' of the platform. Personally, I abhor and avoid anyone who sells paid advertising slots within their 'natural' photos, but I get that there are some people who will deliberately do this for $$$, and that there are product manufacturers who will pay people with an audience to do this. I tend to follow niche manufacturers (of guitars or other handmade instruments) directly because I am interested in their 'behind the scenes' photographic essays. No need for me to see them draped over someone who has no idea about the product but will happily drape them over themselves at some ubiquitous beach sunset shot. I don't think it is a 'class' thing as much as it is a 'positioning' thing.
  - bigiain 7y ago
    > Personally, I abhor and avoid anyone who sells paid advertising slots within their 'natural' photos ... From HN's FAQ: > Another kind of job ad is reserved for YC-funded startups. These appear on the front page, but are not stories: they have no vote arrows, points, or comments. (I don't _like_ it, but it's kinda part of choosing to use someone else's free service and the community it builds. They get to choose the rules, including who gets to monetise that community and how...)
    - anoncake 7y ago
      Those ads aren't natural photos, or any other kind of photos.

fiblye 7y ago

They’re advertisers, but (mostly) without the contract, steady income and outright obviousness to their target audience. Traditional ads are marked as ads and given generally separate spaces. This generation is all about “normal” people trying to organically influence people to buy some company’s cheaply made shit. It’s a real thing and it’s working.

bigiain 7y ago

I recall reading Malcom Gladwell's description of "Social Connectors" from back in 2000, and realising it accurately describes a few of my friends/acquaintances: "Connectors are the people in a community who know large numbers of people and who are in the habit of making introductions. A connector is essentially the social equivalent of a computer network hub. They usually know people across an array of social, cultural, professional, and economic circles, and make a habit of introducing people who work or live in different circles." I think today's "influencers" are similar but perhaps more shallow versions of Gladwell's "Connectors". I know if _I_ ask a question social media, I'll mostly get an answer if any of my friends know the answer. But when - for example - jwz asks "Dear Lazyweb", he'll get the guy who wrote the linux kernel subsystem or who runs the datacenter he's having problems with explain what's going wrong (often after having fixed it). The concept of some people being well connected enough to reach and influence a valuable number of important-in-some-context people is 100% "real". (Whether an attractive blonde showing off a specific brand of sunglasses or luggage in Instagram qualifies is questionable, part of me wants to say "Nope!", but I don't make my living trying to convince people to buy my brand of sunglasses or luggage, so what do I know?)

hn_throwaway_99 7y ago

> I love how we're all just using this invented marketing term "influencer" as if it's actually a real thing (it is not a real thing). That statement is ridiculous to me - actually more ridiculous than I find the whole "influencer" culture in the first place. "Influencer" absolutely is a real thing. The reason brands are willing to pay many thousands of dollars to get something as simple as a tweet, story or post about a product is quite simply because it works. On the other side, Snapchat lost $1.3 billion in valuation when Kylie Jenner tweeted "sooo does anyone else not open Snapchat anymore? Or is it just me... ugh this is so sad." Seems like "influencer" very accurately describes the role.

manigandham 7y ago
Famous people with influence have existed for centuries. There's nothing new here, other than more people claiming they can do it with fake numbers and the rise of talent agencies 2.0.
- willdotphipps 7y ago
  Yes, i can see a Roger Corman movie about it now..Attack of the Crab Monsters Part 2 hides behind a tree not that i've watched it all, i like Bruce Willis and Arnold Schwarzeneggar films
- hn_throwaway_99 7y ago
  > Famous people with influence have existed for centuries. There's nothing new here Baloney. How many teenagers could make literally millions of dollars in centuries past based primarily on their relatability (in addition to their video game or makeup application skills). Modern social networks and YouTube have opened up an entirely new way not to just have influence, but to monetize, productize and quantify it. I get it, you probably think it's all dumb and pointless, but to say it's "nothing new" is like saying the internet is nothing new because people have been sending messages back and forth for centuries.
  - manigandham 7y ago

tjpnz 7y ago

Or shill.

ionised 7y ago
Yeah, these people have always been known as shills, sell-outs and charlatans. 'Influencer' is new-speak trying to hide their shadiness.
- yoz-y 7y ago
  That seems unnecessarily harsh. In most cases it is quite clear which post is sponsored and which isn't. Are podcasters with ads sellouts too?
  - tjpnz 7y ago
    >In most cases it is quite clear which post is sponsored and which isn't. It depends on where you set your bar. For some individuals (probably the bulk of Fyre Fest attendees) this is going to require explicit text.
  - ionised 7y ago
    > Are podcasters with ads sellouts too? Depends what they are shilling and whether the creators of the show would actually endorse those products themselves genuinely. Like, I personally wouldn't have an issue endorsing something that I use myself, but I would absolutely be a sell-out if I did it just for the money. I'm not a salesman.

newsgremlin 7y ago

They are advertisers. The same way you'd see people on TV ads saying how this new shampoo made their hair perfect or how this new toothpaste got rid of years of caffeine stains on their teeth.