‘Influencers’ are a dime a dozen, so have a backup plan or you’ll be desperate for your next dime

I’ve never understood the term “influencer” as it relates to today’s social media world.

I first heard it several years ago when I was on a press trip in Yukon. I crossed paths with two bloggers from Toronto who insisted on sizing up “old-school media” against their new idea of “journalism” – or blogging – also known as unpaid writing – also known as writing ’cause it’s fun and people click the heart and “like” me. (Sense my sarcasm?)

Three times per year, we aired travel programming on my syndicated radio shows. In short: a tourism board flew us to their location and I’d spend three or four days taping programming to promote the destination. In shorter short: I was paid to vacation.

I had dinner with the unpaid vacationing bloggers. It felt like an interrogation as they pooh-poohed the idea of “traditional” radio and newspaper still being a thing. That was the moment I decided I never wanted to be an “influencer” — whatever it is.

They searched me on Instagram. I didn’t have an account at the time. They moved to Twitter where they called out my number of followers and read aloud my tweets. I said, very dryly, that I had no idea what I tweeted because my staff was doing it. The meal was awkward, with two wannabes attempting to downplay the accomplishments of someone established in the industry.

Our two worlds were vastly different: I owned a media company that was publishing bestselling books and producing content for 40-some American radio stations, while they were living in their parents’ basements writing about yummy food of which they took pictures and posted to a blog in hopes of making a few bucks from ads – or scoring free meals from restaurants.

It’s interesting that they didn’t recognize how much of today’s trends are yesterday’s art.

It’s called podcasting now but back in the day it was called radio. Guess what. It’s still radio. Talk radio was done in one of two ways: interview style with conversation or storytelling and theatrics. Yup, podcasting is radio with different transmission. Hate to break it to you, “influencers,” but your podcast is trendy radio.

Before you wonder why I’m going on a rant about “influencers” and call me a bitter has-been, it’s because I just read a story about a Chinese “influencer” who died after live-streaming himself chugging bottles of booze.

We see the dangers of “influencer” culture where a person must constantly up their game to maintain a loyal following or lose out to the next content creator. It’s often done through recklessness and outrageousness, perhaps resulting in injuries, life destruction and, as noted, death.

My nephews are caught up making videos and building what they think will become a profitable YouTube page. The likelihood of it happening? Not very. And that’s nothing personal, it’s just that content creators are a dime a dozen.

Don’t be fooled by the few people who gain instant stardom from a viral video or get their 15 minutes of fame on TV. After all, can you name any of the past 10 American Idol winners? Didn’t think so. (And one of them is back playing music in subways for spare change. Really.)

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