Lying and Cheating: Fallouts of the Influencer Economy
In Get Rich or Lie Trying, the author Symeon Brown dwells on the manner in which the “influencer” economy is goading many young adults (and perhaps older ones too) to resort to any means to grow their followers.
Even those that already seem to hold sway over huge audiences are under immense pressure to keep the graphs rising. After all, ‘likes’ can easily plummet when the crowd shifts whimsically from today’s Instagram star to tomorrow’s TikTok hero. Ironically, both the challenges and the tantalizing ease by which one can become an influencer is drawing digitally-savvy hordes to the shores of this new possibility.
The Lure of Deception
The rising desperation of ‘influencers’ to reign among the celebrated or chased is leading, at least among some, to unscrupulous practices. A few are lying. Others are selling fraudulent products or schemes: like tickets to non-existent concerts, or some Bernie Madoff type pyramidical scheme. Or they’re peddling risky cosmetic surgeries, which are more difficult to sell in regulated media channels. Some are morphing key aspects of their identity to fit into a trending persona: for instance, if brown-skinned models are being sought by a fast-fashion brand, white-skinned models might darken their skin colors and obscure their racial origins to fit the bill.
Brown: Growing Up In A Tough Neighborhood
The magnetic pull of online hustles are naturally stronger in low-income communities. The author, Symeon Brown himself grew up in Tottenham, north London. Where he witnessed scuffles between the police and his neighbors, many of whom were single mothers or struggling teens, all trying to get ahead or survive with some gig or the other. What they didn’t lack were the insignia of luxury: “baggy Akademiks jeans, Fubu tops and Timberland boots.” What was less easy to muster in their multi-racial community that comprised Ghanaians, Cypriots, Turks and Caribbeans were college-worthy grades.
Ultra-popular Role Models
What they did have to compensate for a seemingly bleak future were influencer role models. Some of whom were hip-hop artists, who had morphed Cinderella-like, from rags to riches after one jaunty hit. Or models, whose instagrammed bodies seized eyeballs, with small manageable efforts: like frequently changing one’s clothes, sporting the sleekest hairdos or tweaking one’s makeup.
Learning From the Hype Masters
The best means to learn the methods of influencers is to sign up for charged courses run by already-successful influencers. Even if these social media gurus may not be able to impart the specifics of their witchery (which can comprise of effort, talent, and the elusive wink from Lady Luck), the potential gains are no longer dismissible. Apparently, the reigning queen among Instagram influencers, Kylie Jenner, earns as much as $ 1.2 Mn per post. Even a tiny fraction of that sum can make this feel like a hustle worth chasing.
The tug towards such riches is stronger in our increasingly consumerized era. As Brown puts it, “In recent decades, aspiration has been heavily wrapped up not in what we aim to do, achieve or create, but in what we can afford to buy.”
The David taking on Goliath story has morphed. The underdogs who manage to seize the honey-pot now wield gigantic power over their devoted tribes, but also stay intensely anxious about losing their magical (and often inexplicable) appeal. Immense success seems to be built on equally colossal insecurities.
References
Symeon Brown, Get Rich or Lie Trying: Ambition and Deceit in the New Influencer Economy, published by Atlantic books, 2022.