"Influencers"..........what a DUMB title

[some_of_us_are_sane]

I grew up in the 60's and 70's. We had a NAME for what is now referred to as "Influencers". WE CALLED THEM "Bullshit artists." Simpler and to the point.

Add a heap of narcissism, a mirror and a cheap camera, and.......VOILA! Big pile of crap with QUOTATION marks around it.

[The Blue Flower]

1. That was my opinion the first time I heard the word

It's total bs. It only means there are a bunch of folks who are dumb enough to listen to you, whether you know what you're talking about or not. And I know they're dumb because they need a bs artist to tell them what to think. The Influencees.

[some_of_us_are_sane]

6. You coined a new group...."Influencees"!

Perfect!

[Ocelot II]

2. Or hucksters.

Because that's basically what they are - they make videos about their exciting, glamorous lives that purport to offer expertise or advice, and incidentally include products that the huckster gets paid for using or displaying. The only difference from traditional advertising is that influencers use social media to create direct audience interaction to get "followers."

[some_of_us_are_sane]

7. In other words

"Grifters in good lighting".

[magicarpet]

3. Amateur media propagandists of the right-wing

[some_of_us_are_sane]

8. I have to say

It's attracted BOTH sides. Vanity knows no political affiliation. The internet is an equal opportunity vacuum and sucks mightily..

[progressoid]

10. Some are pros.

[some_of_us_are_sane]

12. Pros, alright...

"Pros

titutes".

[progressoid]

15. Heh heh

Tucker...Ben Shapiro...Candice Owens...Bannon...Laura Ingraham... etc...all "PROStitutes.

[Polly Hennessey]

4. Dumb from start to finish.

They are hucksters able to convince the really stupid. Oh, wait a minute, we are living in the era of Trump. How did this country become so moronic?

[Enter stage left]

5. And before that they were "snake oil salesmen"!

How far we have fallen.

[Keepthesoulalive]

20. You forgot televangelists

Jimmy and the head of liberty university.

[question everything]

9. And yet, at least one addressed the Democratic onvention

[some_of_us_are_sane]

13. Who?

They're everywhere now...we're not spared.

[question everything]

16. I don't remember. I'd better be careful, that post of mine questioning the appearance

was removed by a jury. I do not remember the charge.

“He has a million followers”, was the explanation.

[question everything]

25. Look at the list of speakers on the 3rd day of the convention

Many influencers and content creators

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100219365275

[some_of_us_are_sane]

31. I see something there

with the definition of: ""content creator"....LOL! I'm going into my kitchen now to "content create" myself a cup of morning coffee".

[LudwigPastorius]

11. Also Known As "Shills"

Talentless people peddling crap to the rubes, sucking the corporate...faucet

[some_of_us_are_sane]

14. Yep.

Stupid knows no party affiliation....

[some_of_us_are_sane]

30. Great definition, ludwig

You nailed it.

[BigmanPigman]

17. Do you mean "influencers" and "podcasters" are the same or different?

Many younger YouTubers such as Adam Mockler are sometimes called influencers.

Which of the "influencers" do you refer to?

[Maraya1969]

28. Yea I like those people. Many great young Democrats with their own shows now. Another is "Parker

get a job" or Parker Short who debates Republicans. It is getting irritating now though because they are just so damn stupid and he lets them hang on for too long in my opinion.

I also like watching Youtubes with people who travel the world and go to places like "The number 1 hotel in the world" and show you what they are like. I don't know if they get paid but if I were one of those places I might want to help them out if they came to my facility.

[some_of_us_are_sane]

32. As JImmy Durante used to say....

"EVERYONE want to get into the act!

[Mme. Defarge]

18. It triggers

my gag reflex.

[BeneteauBum]

19. They seek attention similar to getting 'liked' on social media.

Having people visit their sites is their only means of self esteem. It’s pitiful.

Peace ☮️

[Wiz Imp]

21. Having people visit ther sites is their source of income, not self esteem.

Many make well over a million dollars a year.

[some_of_us_are_sane]

33. Ah, now we get down to the "brass tacks"...

"Schilling". Sounds about right. Ego's fed, pockets filled.

[Keepthesoulalive]

22. Many of them are being paid

This is their only source of income.

[Wiz Imp]

23. Like it or not, top "influencers" make a ton of money at it

https://www.forbes.com/sites/stevenbertoni/2025/06/16/forbes-top-creators-2025/
#1. MrBeast
Earnings: $85 M

#2. Dhar Mann
Earnings: $56 M

#3. Jake Paul
Earnings: $50 M

#4. Rhett & Link
Earnings: $36 M

#5. Alex Cooper
Earnings: $32 M

#6. Charli D’Amelio
Earnings: $23.5 M

#7. Matt Rife
Earnings: $50 M

#8. Mark Rober
Earnings: $25 M

#9. Druski
Earnings: $14 M

#10. Khaby Lame
Earnings: $20 M

[question everything]

24. Doing what?

[JI7]

27. I don't know for sure but it seems like many of them became popular from streaming games

[some_of_us_are_sane]

38. Pitching, like a carnival barker...

Hawking- "Selling Aggressively: The most common usage, where someone is pushing a product, often in a loud or persistent manner."

[Wiz Imp]

40. How Do Influencers Make Money?

https://www.beehiiv.com/blog/how-do-influencers-make-money?srsltid=AfmBOorC1A48a29aKs4O1Xql8mulUWXnkjLsPASfTyTceypW9TI-LiDY

Social Media Stars: How Much Do They Really Make?
--------------------
Brand partnerships and sponsored content remain the bread and butter for most influencers. Brand deals happen when companies pay you to feature their products in your content. For example, a fitness coach might partner with a supplement company, while a travel blogger works with hotels.
---------------------
Affiliate marketing programs are where passive income actually works. Affiliate marketing lets you earn commission every time someone buys through your unique link or code.
------------------------
Selling your own products creates longevity beyond any single platform. Even micro-influencers can launch successful merch lines using print-on-demand services that need zero upfront inventory.
--------------------
The highest profit margins live in digital products and online courses. Digital products cost nothing to reproduce and can be sold infinitely.
--------------------

And another source is good old fashioned ads.

[JI7]

26. Those are very few . There are many that struggle and do desperate clickbait

And it's not gauranteed income and they have to put their own money into it.

This is different from the traditional ways where people would get paid a certain amount and things like travel and other things for the work is covered.

A lot of these people made money during covid becsuse people were stuck at home. But when things got better and places opened up they were not getting as many views anymore. And they blamed Biden and put out a bunch of shit blaming democrsts pushing Trump.

[Morbius]

41. Yeah.

For every successful "influencer" there are thousands of rather pathetic failures.

[Wiz Imp]

43. Not remotely true

https://www.business.com/articles/social-media-stars-how-much-do-they-really-make/

Multiple outlets have reported that nearly one in four people on social media consider themselves to be an influencer or content creator. However, NeoReach reported that roughly half (48 percent) of creator-earners only make $15,000 or less and only 15 percent make $100,000 or more annually. So, how did today’s top-earning social media stars get where they are? Experts say a combination of luck, consistency and personality helps social media stars grow their platforms.

That means a little over 50% of all influencers/creators are making at least $15,000. That's a long way from thousands of pathetic failures for every successful one.

[Morbius]

47. I stand corrected.

I apologize.

[Wiz Imp]

42. It's true that not a lot of people make big money (over a million dollars)

However, tons of people make decent money doing it.
https://www.business.com/articles/social-media-stars-how-much-do-they-really-make/
Social Media Stars: How Much Do They Really Make?

Multiple outlets have reported that nearly one in four people on social media consider themselves to be an influencer or content creator. However, NeoReach reported that roughly half (48 percent) of creator-earners only make $15,000 or less and only 15 percent make $100,000 or more annually. So, how did today’s top-earning social media stars get where they are? Experts say a combination of luck, consistency and personality helps social media stars grow their platforms.

So that's 15% of 25% of all people on social media making $100,000 or more. While that works out to only about 4% of all people on Social media, that is still a lot of people being able to support themselves solely based on their online presence.
https://datareportal.com/social-media-users

Detailed analysis by the team at Manochi shows that there were 5.79 billion social media “user identities” around the world at the start of April 2026.This impressive figure indicates that more than 2 in 3 people on Earth now use social media each month, and means that social media users are now a “supermajority”, with users now outnumbering non-users by more than two to one.

so 4% of 2/3 of the population of the US is well over 8 million people.

[some_of_us_are_sane]

34. Holy crap!

Ego boost......pockets burst.

[Buns_of_Fire]

29. It's the newest industry now that AI is contaminating many of the others.

I always thought it took a lot of chutzpah to label oneself an "influencer", a title that sets my teeth on edge. Now what happens when AI bots start influencing other AI bots? Oh, I know...

[some_of_us_are_sane]

35. YOU got it, Buns

We're about to change the "master/slave" dynamic in a REALLY SCARY way.

[mwmisses4289]

36. They used to call themselves "Trend Setters".

A lot of the stuff they touted was ugly and useless then, and it is still ugly and useless now. I try to avoid
"influencer" recommended stuff like the plague just like i tried to avoid "trendy" stuff when I was younger.

[some_of_us_are_sane]

37. They could very well be on street corners...

holding signs, "I INFLUENCE FOR CASH" and shaking their little tin buckets at passersby.

[question everything]

39. We Solve Murders, a book by Richard Osman

No, not part of the Thursday Murder club. Influencers are being recruited to promote.. stuff but really are being used to smuggle money. And then are publicly murdered to punish competing organizations.

Small time influencers who are hoping to make it big.

(I am still in the middle of the book so don’t know how it ends)

[Jacson6]

44. A loud mouth young person with an iphone or web camera.