The Baffler | Instagram
Young, lower-tier influencers—people with followers numbering in the thousands, not hundreds of thousands—are particularly vulnerable to buying into an operation like this, in part out of a desperation to go viral. They have been sold the idea that thirty seconds of fame can lead to a stable career, leading 57 percent of American teens to claim they would like to be an influencer when they grow up. The truth is that success as an influencer is, at best, fleeting and, at worst, unachievable…. Highly exploitable young workers in an unregulated gig economy, in other words, make for ideal marks. Above: This could be your life!