Who gave Influencers Their Power?

Ever wondered how someone becomes an influencer?

Not how they grew their account, but the reason why a mass of people starts to follow this specific account and support a person they’ve never met before?

Influencers are not just a phenomenon of the 21st century, they always existed in our society. People used to rush to buy certain magazines like ‘The Times’ to read a columnists view on the lastest politics movement, new movies and product releases... 

Nothing has changed, except that most of our interactions are now online and we can access many different opinions and recommendations within a seconds.

So who ultimately gave influencers today and back then their power? 

You guessed right- it was You and Me.

Without us, influencer marketing wouldn’t even exist.

When trying to analyze why we choose certain influencers I realised that we can’t analyse at all- the decision to follow an influencer is made solely on an emotional level, disregarding any social behavioural patterns.

This makes the whole rise of influencer marketing and their power over a large part of society a very interesting dynamic to follow.

If we give influencers their power, shouldn’t we theoretically be able to take it away as well? 

Having worked in the industry for multiple years, I’ve observed some obvious patterns that involuntarily get us hooked on the paradox mentioned above:

• We want to feel certain emotions. All the action we take is catalysed by emotion. Whatever sparks feelings in us will automatically receive our attention- regardless of good or bad. Posts that make us laugh, touch and challenge us. Messages we want to share with our friends and family, words we wouldn’t have been able to say ourselves or visions that are so inspiring to not be shared. 
• We want to feel like we are part of a community. The Social Identity Theory explains why we have the need to be part of a bigger group or community to meet our basic needs as humans. Recent studies have shown that the majority of our population struggles to feel like a part of a group, therefore online communities led by influencers are exploding. Despite all interactions being solely online, influencers succeed at creating an engaging community, interacting heavily with their followers on a personal level and sharing their day to day life. We get hooked on the opportunity to be part of someone else's life even if it’s only behind a screen as we lack intimacy in real life.
• Lastly, we want to gain expert knowledge and get inspired on the way. People follow people- our society is looking for a likeable person that shares expert knowledge AND provides inspiration in regards to personal interests. Original sources like books and studies become less attractive as the value gained is often less emotionally involving. With influencers, we are able to relate, get a real-life perspective and gain all the necessary information.

Summing up, I know we give influencers their power, which also means that they are only as powerful as we let them be. 

We are a crucial part of their success, yet it seems like they’re unstoppable when it comes to ruling today's world as they’re providing value to our day to day life we don’t want to miss.

I believe that we are the catalyst for the influencer industry growth and won’t be able to stop it- in today's world it comes down to supporting the right voices which provide real value to their audience, is it by engaging with their content, providing business opportunities for them or helping them build their own brands.

The question is though- how to identify an influencer that provides actual value?