Is becoming an influencer on everyone's bucket list?

What is it that makes an influencer relevant in an already saturated digital space?

When Aakash Ranison, who considers himself a climate optimist, started documenting specific aspects of his life (mostly of him travelling across India) in 2012 (the pre-Instagram era), ‘sustainability’ wasn't a buzzword. His mission: "I wanted to blog about eco-conscious travel, which many people were oblivious about." Ranison posted his findings on Facebook and Google+ to engage with readers—with imagery being an afterthought. When Instagram launched soon after in 2010, Ranison found the platform intriguing. "The concept was new and quite interesting. I liked that I could document my life with people close to me without manually sending them all pictures from my travels. Fast-forward to today, and Instagram is no longer that platform that allows people to post whatever they want. In fact, the idea of a ‘content creator’ has taken on a new term. Weirdly my job involves winning new people as opposed to sharing the best bits of my life and work with the people I cherish the most."

In recent years, the digital landscape has witnessed an exponential rise in the number of individuals pursuing a career as social media influencers. These influencers have gained significant popularity across various online platforms, amassing numerous followers and commanding considerable influence. This phenomenon begs the question: Why is everyone becoming a social media influencer? 

The numbers add up

India has nearly 80 million content creators, including video streamers, influencers, bloggers, and essentially anyone building a community around their niche. As of 2022, the influencer marketing industry in India was valued at over ₹ 12 billion. It was projected to grow at a CAGR of 25 per cent over the next five years.

A survey conducted by iCubesWire, a digital marketing agency, revealed that 34 per cent of respondents buy products or services after watching influencers' posts, Reels and videos on popular social media platforms, including Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and so forth.

The ‘influencer’ tag

One of the primary reasons people choose to become social media influencers can be pinned down to the democratisation of content creation. In the past, traditional media channels had a firm grip on determining who had access to large audiences. However, with the advent of social media platforms, anyone with an Internet connection and a creative idea can now produce and distribute content to a global audience. This accessibility has opened up new opportunities for individuals seeking to showcase their talents, share their expertise, or express their creativity.

Nirmika Singh, former Executive Editor of Rolling Stone India and a content creator believes every decade has witnessed the development of primary channels for outreach. Back in the day, when the Internet was just a germ of an idea, the radio, video and then MTV influenced us. "These mediums were the mouthpiece of a select few that influenced a whole generation. Everything was so controlled. Now, that access has been democratised and has made it easier for everyone to exert influence. Does everyone's voice matter? Maybe not, but social media platforms have instilled enough confidence in people with a smartphone to believe their opinion has weight," she says.

The current landscape

It's becoming increasingly evident (maybe to brands later) that the real influencer is someone who doesn't necessarily have a massive follower count. Snehal P, a resident of Pune with 500 followers on Instagram, believes an influencer is a person who can have an impact on others’ purchasing decisions. "Anyone can be an influencer, whether they have 500 followers (like me) or 500k. For example, I started using a skincare product and was impressed. I told everyone how good it was. I even made a story on my Instagram. My followers mainly comprise friends and people who know me personally. They know how careful I am when choosing skincare products. I received a lot of queries about the product and how one can order it. Afterwards, several of them bought the product. I can proudly consider myself an influencer, as several of my friends made a buying decision based on my recommendation," she says. 

New-found confidence

We're constantly encouraged to be who we want to be. The excessive messaging that invites young people to take charge of their destiny can, at times, instill false confidence, especially for a generation that's grown up in the social media age. Viraj Mehta, a counsellor, believes Gen Z has been conditioned to think that their opinion matters. "In some cases, it does because they form part of the current zeitgeist and have their finger on the pulse of what's happening. And so when they see people their age put themselves out there and earn money, they believe they can replicate that model for themselves," he says. Mehta goes on to say that this false notion of celebrity has had a detrimental effect on young minds who view social media as the only outlet for creativity and validation. 

Singh says she's happy with the 'influencer tag' because she believes it is part of her job to inform opinion as a journalist. "Influencers with a solid body of work, those who are authentic, will always be in demand. It gets dangerous when influencing comes with very little expertise. And if these voices begin to clutter the space and become louder, our idea of what the space is will also be corrupted," says Singh, who recently launched Mox Asia, a full-stack talent agency and creative firm to amplify artists across genres.

Do we lose out?

Actor Karan Tacker believes he's warming up to the idea of being an “influencer” but remains firm in his belief that he will always be an actor first. The Mumbai native says it's easy to get pigeonholed into categories that shape how others in the industry perceive you. Does he believe actors are losing out in the social media game, given that anyone can now become an influencer? "I don't think we're losing out, but we've definitely had to learn how to navigate the space without losing sight of who we are. Brand endorsements have always been around, and while it's helped monetarily, earning a living from doing great work is my priority," he says.

Tacker admits to struggling to keep up on social media, primarily when documenting every second of his life. The actor says there is pressure to conform to what everyone else is doing, including making trending Reels, but he's chosen to avoid that trap. "I think bonafide artists have a knack for influencing because they are people-centric, given that they must navigate multiple identities and versions of their art. So, finding a footing is accessible in a way. And those are the people who have the natural propensity to become easy influencers, and if they are more driven, they will monetise it. It's a struggle for people who find even the basics of social media exhausting," he says.

Reinvention

In a highly cluttered space comprising cringe dance moves, boys with six-pack abs, and brand endorsements, a creator's longevity is rooted in reinvention. Jashoda Madhavji, founder of Dream N Hustle Media—a boutique venture specialising in brand building, publicity, marketing, and celebrity management—who has worked with influencers like Prajakta Koli, Dolly Singh and Carry Minati, among others, believes relevance becomes a problem when a creator thinks they have arrived after gaining virality. "Most brands today have a talent pool to choose from, and if creators are not constantly reinventing, there’s a high chance of being disregarded for big-ticket campaigns. Social media users have short attention spans and highly saturated feeds. So only the most relevant creators will stand out to them and entice them to hit that ‘follow’ button. Brands want to partner with pertinent creators because this will make their campaign resonate with social media users and sales conversions," she says. 

Madhavji believes at least two-thirds of creators are now trying to make money from their content elsewhere. They are pushing back against platforms like YouTube and Instagram. They are looking for more independence over their income that doesn’t depend on the whims of the various platforms initially pitched as a monetary avenue independent from traditional gatekeepers like studios and publishers. "YouTube creators were among the first to experience what happens when a platform’s algorithm decides to stop paying you, followed by OnlyFans and Tik Tok. Creators must diversify their labour and revenues across platforms and projects to build sustainable audiences and careers," she says.

At a fundamental level, there is a deep-seated anxiety in the creator community that a platform that appears to be a foundation of the social media ecology can vanish overnight. Some of the top creators are now launching their bespoke merchandise, restaurant chains and dance studios, turning brand ambassadors and reality show hosts, foraying into production and direction and securing plum roles in OTT productions because they enjoy a certain level of mass patronage and have built credibility over the years.

"It’s no longer cool to simply be just a creator; you’re expected to be a brand, producing for YouTube, Instagram and any other social media platform that will come along in the future. Entrepreneurial creators consider themselves cross-platform, multi-media brands, simultaneously dependent on and independent from the platforms they work across," says Madhavji. 

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