Given the uncertain future the rising generation are facing, the idea of sacking everything off and selling some teeth whitening products to your followers on Instagram to make a few million is becoming ever more appealing. Especially when you’re crammed on the Northern line at 8:30am having just spilt boiling coffee all over your hand while trying to read Normal People by Sally Rooney.
From Emma Chamberlain vlogging her front-row experience at LV, to James Charles posting a ‘get ready with me’ video ahead of his first ever Met Ball appearance, the life of an influencer, however hard they may insist they work, is a seemingly endlessly glamorous one: and unsurprisingly, a lot of us want in.
According to a new survey by the Morning Consult, around 86 per cent of Americans aged 13 to 38 have said they would be willing to try out influencing as a career. Meanwhile, 61 per cent of those surveyed claimed they are already posting about brands they like without being paid to do so. However, only 12 per cent actually consider themselves to be an influencer.
As social media continues to infiltrate our lives in strange and unforeseen ways, it should come as no surprise that sites such as Instagram and YouTube have now influenced our future job prospects. According to this survey, advertisers said they trust influencers more than celebrities to sell their products. Even in the realm of politics, social media has become a hotly contested space to win over voters.
Young people are living more and more online, with TikTok becoming the latest platform to propel its users into strange and unfathomable stardom, therefore creating a career from these sites feels increasingly attainable. Look no further than Dazed cover star Lil Nas X, who turned a meme into the biggest song of 2019.