Wondering what to make of ‘social influencers?’ Here’s Maya Sulkin at The Free Press:
[Sophie] Cohen said she’s now living the life of her dreams. “I make a great living. It’s a dream lifestyle. I fully work for myself.” She used to be embarrassed to admit her job was “content creation,” but not anymore. “It has become this very aspirational career, because there’s all the glamour of it, like the events and the free stuff. But I think the biggest luxury is not having to work a nine-to-five. And I think, in this day and age, for many young people, that’s what they want to be doing.” …
Influencers make money in two ways. First, companies pay them to promote products or brands. And second, as influencers accumulate followers—and begin to attract advertising—they are paid a percentage of the ad revenue.
Is it any wonder that so many Gen Zers want to be influencers?
I’d call them ‘celebrities,’ folks who are glamorous because they exist, not because they’ve achieved something impressive. The entire thought that mere existence, and I do mean mere, makes you great.
It’s a repugnant recipe for running a life, it seems to me, and I don’t think they get it. Yet. Age, that wicked devil, has one more trick to play on you: afflicting you with wisdom only in your old age.
