Anyone who has ever looked at much social media will have seen posts and videos from unknown people demonstrating something or other or showing you a new method to cook or clean or fix or whatever. You get my drift.
Most of these posts seem quite innocent in their pursuit of five minutes of fame, even if only with strangers on the Internet. But some of the authors of these posts are in it for the long haul, hoping for riches beyond what can be earned by way of a “normal” job. These people are known as “influencers,” and being an influencer has become their full-time occupation – one that can make people millionaires very quickly if – and “if” is the 64-million-dollar question – they have what today’s watchers want or are interested in.
Here’s how “influencing” works. You (the influencer) have an idea and make videos about whatever that idea is. For example, some years ago a little boy named Ryan Kaji1 liked to play with new toys and have his father video what he thought about them. Ryan’s father posted these reviews on YouTube, and soon enough, toy companies began sending Ryan toys to review and post the reviews on YouTube. The more views he got, the more toys he was sent, and the more followers he got, the more companies wanted to post ads on his video posts. As a result, Ryan generated lots of $$$.
Today, Ryan Kaji is worth over 100 million dollars, all because he liked to play with toys and have his father post the videos on social media.
Ryan wasn’t alone. All over the world, youngsters realized the worth of social media and saw that it could be used to generate business and mega bucks, all without an exam or a degree or an apprenticeship to their name.
Another well-known influencer is a Dutch lad, Jelle Van Vucht, called Jelly2. He and his mates video themselves playing video games and then post the videos on social media. Jelly earns money through sponsorships, partnerships, and sales from his clothing line and other merchandise. In 2019, his income was $14 million. Who knows what he’s worth today.
These are just a couple of examples of highly successful influencers. For every successful one, there are thousands of wannabes who don’t make it.
There are also many charitable influencers – individuals who are doing a service. For example, Ima Survivor Sanctuary is based in Texas and was borne out of hurricane Harvey when a farmer lost his homestead and filmed his return to the devastation of his home being washed away and the majority of his animals missing or dead. Miraculously, several of his animals survived 6-foot deep flood water.
His pages on FaceBook and YouTube posts videos several times a week of animals he has rescued and their antics. These videos are not only entertaining but also informative. Lester Morrow3, the poster, was a teacher up to the day his page started generating income and is now a full-time “influencer,” running his sanctuary and enjoying the company of his “family” – his followers. To-date he earns approximately $250,000 a year, which all goes into his non-profit sanctuary, to the delight of his followers, who gain great comfort from his and his animals’ escapades.
Many others post videos about their their cancer journeys, up to and including their deaths. Elena Huelva4 was a 20-year-old girl who, for the past four years, did just that – the highs and lows of living with cancer right up to her death on January 3 this year. As sad as this is, it brought comfort to many others on journeys with cancer. Yes, she earned revenue based on the number of followers and sponsors of her page, which gave her an income of approximately $300,000 annually. But no doubt the biggest revenue was how she helped others come to terms with their suffering and cope with it.
Hundreds on social media earn money by being influencers. It’s a new way to make money and, in some cases, become rich beyond one’s dreams, even multi-millionaire rich. Will it last or is it a flash in the pan, a 21st-Century phenomenon ? Will the tide turn and people stop watching “nobodies” tell them how or what their lives should look like or include?
I suspect this will continue for the few who have something special to say and offer. But the others? They’ll just disappear back whence they came, hopefully unharmed by the desperation of trying to make it big in a fantasy career.
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- “How Ryan Kaji Became the Most Popular 10-Year-Old in the World,” Belinda Luscombe, Time.com, November 12, 2021
- “Jelly Age, Bio, Net Worth, Career, Personal Life and FAQs,” Sportskeeda Wiki
- “Lester Morrow Net Worth 2022,” The Famous Things, September 18, 2022
- “Influencer Elena Huelva Dead at 20 After Battle with Cancer,” Enews, January 5, 2023
| Copyright © 2023 by Penelope Griffiths |
Penny, thank you much for this informative post. I confess, I had no idea that being an “influencer” was even a way to earn enough money to live on, let alone become very rich! I wonder whether I might still have a shot at being a public speaker (“MORRIS DEAN In a Matter of Speaking”) via YouTube or Twitter or whatever….
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