"Influencers"

Manic Moran

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120959996#Comment_120959996

I'm not entirely sure I agree with your second paragraph. I'm more a content creator than influencer (though I have been willingly used to push PR agendas when there happens to be mutual benefit), but I'm earning more than the local average salary through my Youtube side gig: I consider myself reasonably successful. I would attribute that not to fortunate happenstance but instead as a result of a number of deliberate decisions I made over time, together with sacrifice of time and effort. There's an old military axiom that there is no such thing as luck, merely a meeting between opportunity and preparation. It's a job, and I'm paid accordingly. The more effort I put into it (and I've cut back of late to address work/life balance issues), the more I get paid.

Many people have grand ideas as to their career, and set up a shop, a manufacturing or software business, whatever, only to have their dreams dashed as the business fails. Absolutely, social media aspirants can have their goals fail despite input of effort and capitol. It's a business like any other. Make sound decisions, and you're likely to be successful. The seven Ps: Proper Prior Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance. Just assume 'build it and they will come', and you're going to join the local failed storefront in failure.

Sleepy

@Manic Moran I'd firmly classify what you do as content creation rather than "influencer" and felt I was pretty clear in that distinction. Those prepared to put the effort to become an expert in niche fields and hoping to make a living sharing that expertise on Youtube (or even those who first become adept at filming and editing and then document their journey of learning such skills etc.) aren't quite the same as those who dream of becoming a famous fashion / lifestyle vlogger or e-gaming streamer.

There's simply so much competition in those fields that making a good living from them is as unlikely as making it as a Premiership footballer or Hollywood star. Certainly, it's possible, but only for a very small number of people and for the vast majority chasing the dream, it'll remain nothing more than that. The competition is simply too extreme and no matter how much one plans or grinds at it, the opportunity for an ordinary teenager to become successful at it is narrowing by the day as more kids jump at that dream: including those with privileges the average teenager can't ever hope to match (e.g. access to fashion labels / shows / celebrity contacts via nepotistic means etc.)