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Influence: How social media influencers are shaping our digital future
A detailed review of what businesses need to know about influencer strategies, social media and how digital communication works.
Digital influencing is one of the most exciting and disruptive new industries, forecast to be worth billions by 2020, but those charged with making this an effective part of their digital strategy rarely understand how this emergent industry works. When it comes to online growth, digital influencers are now consistently outperforming traditional media and brand advertising, even if much of what they do remains a mystery to many people.
Sara McCorquodale is the UK's leading authority on the influencer space, and this new book demystifies exactly how digital influence works, interrogates the phenomenon, analyzes its problems, and forecasts its future. A compelling and deeply insightful book, this will be a must-read for anyone whose business success is dependent on prospering online.
In Influence, readers will gain a foundation of knowledge into how and why digital communication has become so dominated by influencers, as well as gaining invaluable, never-before-heard insights from the influencers themselves. They will understand how digital trends emerge, the building blocks that make bloggers, vloggers and instagrammers so compelling, and why the context in which influencer marketing emerged is so closely linked to its ongoing success.
Thanks to Sara's independent analysis of influencer media and marketing, readers will finish the book with a clear understanding as to the problems now faced by businesses and brands around the world, and how such issues can be identified, tackled and overcome.
Digital influencing is one of the most exciting and disruptive new industries, forecast to be worth billions by 2020, but those charged with making this an effective part of their digital strategy rarely understand how this emergent industry works. When it comes to online growth, digital influencers are now consistently outperforming traditional media and brand advertising, even if much of what they do remains a mystery to many people.
Sara McCorquodale is the UK's leading authority on the influencer space, and this new book demystifies exactly how digital influence works, interrogates the phenomenon, analyzes its problems, and forecasts its future. A compelling and deeply insightful book, this will be a must-read for anyone whose business success is dependent on prospering online.
In Influence, readers will gain a foundation of knowledge into how and why digital communication has become so dominated by influencers, as well as gaining invaluable, never-before-heard insights from the influencers themselves. They will understand how digital trends emerge, the building blocks that make bloggers, vloggers and instagrammers so compelling, and why the context in which influencer marketing emerged is so closely linked to its ongoing success.
Thanks to Sara's independent analysis of influencer media and marketing, readers will finish the book with a clear understanding as to the problems now faced by businesses and brands around the world, and how such issues can be identified, tackled and overcome.
224 pages, Paperback
First published September 5, 2019
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
February 19, 2024
Have you ever considered creating content and sharing online in order to make extra income? It is very common nowadays. You must feel everyone is trying to start up their own business. Everyone is complaining about the full-time works and advocate for freelancing or working part-time or something flexible. They want to work for their “dreams” rather than boring jobs. Especially, young generation feels angry and helpless. They think corporations are too capitalistic and want to exploit workers. For sure, some people are still proud of their jobs, but it is becoming normal for employees to express distaste for works.
If you go to social media, you would find lots of videos that tell you to quit your current job and teach you how to start your own “business”. The business generally means setting up your own YouTube channel, IG and FB accounts, and even TikTok account. They claim you could and should be your own boss and never would you need to work for others again.
Do you remember the early days of social media? There was no ads or sales recommendation. We only saw posts from our friends and family. It is totally opposite today. You seldom see contents from close ones anymore. Mostly we come across endless advertorials. These posts want to sell you something based on tracking and personalized recommendation. In fact, this is called the economy of algorithms. Online commerce has replaced physical marketplace. The whole internet then becomes the largest marketplace.
Similar to traditional marketing, business needs to pitch their products to consumers. Business put ads on TV or in the newspaper to attract customers. When everything moves to the cloud, how could business reach customers effectively? TV and newspaper were things of the past. Business needs a new way to market their products. How do they solve the problems? The answer is by hiring “influencers”. The videos that ask you to quit are made largely by influencers. They claim being influencers bring them lots of money. They say you could also make impacts and income by positively influencing others.
There are several synonyms for influencers. There is no official definition. You may also call them KOL, online celebrity, etc. There are millions of influencers online. It is highly likely you know someone who is already an influencer. Influencer seems everywhere. They are present in every field. People nowadays distrust traditional institutions. Instead, people are more willing to trust individual influencer. Therefore, companies have to rely on influencers to reach the target audience. Have you ever wondered why influencer has become so powerful? If you want to get the answers, the book reviewed here is a good place to explore.
Influence: How social media influencers are shaping our digital future was published in 2019. It’s a bit outdated in 2024. However, it still provides valuable insights. The author Sara McCorquodale is a leading British expert on the “influencer industry”. She worked as a journalist then started her own company CORQ. It’s a leading company that reports on the influencer industry in Britain. Influencer is itself an industry. Just like every industry has its framework. Being an influencer also requires you to follow the rules of games closely. Otherwise, you would never become a successful influencer. This book sheds light on this emerging industry. In fact, many experts think the industry is already mature. If business wants to scale up, every leader should know the basics.
The book shows how marketing works behind the posts we see every day. It starts from the beginning. The history of influencer dated back to the 20th century. People bought things endorsed by TV celebrities or movie stars. In certain fields, people also relied on experts to decide what to buy. Around 2000s, as traditional institutions lost credibility, people started to place faith in individuals. The invention of social media platforms made sharing easy for everyone. Everyone was able to share their thoughts online after the internet gradually became commonplace. User-generated content prevailed.
In the beginning, people just wanted to share their opinions. They recorded the videos in front of iphones and uploaded to YouTube, took pictures and uploaded to IG, and wrote reviews on blog. They wanted others to avoid bad products. Interestingly, it became the best way to directly sell products to the potential customers. Companies found it very effective and hired more and more normal people to “share” their experiences. It is essentially promotion and brings about a new marketing business model. This business model has become the cornerstone of today’s economy.
Being an influencer is hard work. It is just another full-time job. This book introduces the lesser known world of influencers to us. The industry could be more exploitative than traditional corporate world. If you want to attract followers and fans, you have to be “authentic”. The competition is so fierce that it seems every influencer is authentic. To catch more attention, they need to devise innovative ways to keep the followers happy. Unfortunately, oftentimes it means influencers have to make some sacrifices to show their authenticity. For example, they have to be flamboyant. Worse, they may choose to fake the authenticity by lying or acting. They may have no choice but to recommend a product they actually dislike. They have to do everything to sell the products because if they don’t they would get no income.
The internet sometimes also can be a chaotic place. When you become an influencer, it’s highly likely you will encounter people that don’t like you. They are called trolls. They will try to harass or annoy some influencers. It could be devastating for the mental health. Many influencers eventually “retire” due to the rampant harassment. Every influencer needs to learn how to balance the pros and cons. They need to find a way that is likeable and also avoid offending anyone. It’s a hard work and not easy to achieve.
The book also discusses many cultural issues in the influencer industry. According to survey, being an influencer is the No.1 dream job to many youngsters. Everyone wishes to influence others and make money. There are dozens of stories in the book. In fact regardless of your age, everyone really has the opportunity to become one. However, you have to remember it could be very frustrating and daunting task. Persistence is key. You also need to cultivate the right mindset. Money should be secondary. You should always stay true. This is the only way to win people’s hearts and trusts.
To a certain degree, the prevalence of influencers reflects individualism has replaced collectivism worldwide. There is no centrality anymore. The Church has lost authority. Corporations are replaced by gig workers. Family dwindles. Now everything centers on individual. This paradigm shift of mind is particularly apparent among Z generation. The advent of internet is the catalyst of this megatrend. In the 2010s, people normally call someone influencer if he/she has millions of followers. In 2020s, micro-influencers become mainstream. As long as you have maybe over 10,000 followers, you are qualified to be an influencer. It is also part of the strong de-centralizing movement in motion right now.
If you are curious about the eco-system of internet, you should understand influencers. The future is becoming more and more digital. Learning about it is fascinating. This book teaches readers a lot. It’s worth a read.
If you go to social media, you would find lots of videos that tell you to quit your current job and teach you how to start your own “business”. The business generally means setting up your own YouTube channel, IG and FB accounts, and even TikTok account. They claim you could and should be your own boss and never would you need to work for others again.
Do you remember the early days of social media? There was no ads or sales recommendation. We only saw posts from our friends and family. It is totally opposite today. You seldom see contents from close ones anymore. Mostly we come across endless advertorials. These posts want to sell you something based on tracking and personalized recommendation. In fact, this is called the economy of algorithms. Online commerce has replaced physical marketplace. The whole internet then becomes the largest marketplace.
Similar to traditional marketing, business needs to pitch their products to consumers. Business put ads on TV or in the newspaper to attract customers. When everything moves to the cloud, how could business reach customers effectively? TV and newspaper were things of the past. Business needs a new way to market their products. How do they solve the problems? The answer is by hiring “influencers”. The videos that ask you to quit are made largely by influencers. They claim being influencers bring them lots of money. They say you could also make impacts and income by positively influencing others.
There are several synonyms for influencers. There is no official definition. You may also call them KOL, online celebrity, etc. There are millions of influencers online. It is highly likely you know someone who is already an influencer. Influencer seems everywhere. They are present in every field. People nowadays distrust traditional institutions. Instead, people are more willing to trust individual influencer. Therefore, companies have to rely on influencers to reach the target audience. Have you ever wondered why influencer has become so powerful? If you want to get the answers, the book reviewed here is a good place to explore.
Influence: How social media influencers are shaping our digital future was published in 2019. It’s a bit outdated in 2024. However, it still provides valuable insights. The author Sara McCorquodale is a leading British expert on the “influencer industry”. She worked as a journalist then started her own company CORQ. It’s a leading company that reports on the influencer industry in Britain. Influencer is itself an industry. Just like every industry has its framework. Being an influencer also requires you to follow the rules of games closely. Otherwise, you would never become a successful influencer. This book sheds light on this emerging industry. In fact, many experts think the industry is already mature. If business wants to scale up, every leader should know the basics.
The book shows how marketing works behind the posts we see every day. It starts from the beginning. The history of influencer dated back to the 20th century. People bought things endorsed by TV celebrities or movie stars. In certain fields, people also relied on experts to decide what to buy. Around 2000s, as traditional institutions lost credibility, people started to place faith in individuals. The invention of social media platforms made sharing easy for everyone. Everyone was able to share their thoughts online after the internet gradually became commonplace. User-generated content prevailed.
In the beginning, people just wanted to share their opinions. They recorded the videos in front of iphones and uploaded to YouTube, took pictures and uploaded to IG, and wrote reviews on blog. They wanted others to avoid bad products. Interestingly, it became the best way to directly sell products to the potential customers. Companies found it very effective and hired more and more normal people to “share” their experiences. It is essentially promotion and brings about a new marketing business model. This business model has become the cornerstone of today’s economy.
Being an influencer is hard work. It is just another full-time job. This book introduces the lesser known world of influencers to us. The industry could be more exploitative than traditional corporate world. If you want to attract followers and fans, you have to be “authentic”. The competition is so fierce that it seems every influencer is authentic. To catch more attention, they need to devise innovative ways to keep the followers happy. Unfortunately, oftentimes it means influencers have to make some sacrifices to show their authenticity. For example, they have to be flamboyant. Worse, they may choose to fake the authenticity by lying or acting. They may have no choice but to recommend a product they actually dislike. They have to do everything to sell the products because if they don’t they would get no income.
The internet sometimes also can be a chaotic place. When you become an influencer, it’s highly likely you will encounter people that don’t like you. They are called trolls. They will try to harass or annoy some influencers. It could be devastating for the mental health. Many influencers eventually “retire” due to the rampant harassment. Every influencer needs to learn how to balance the pros and cons. They need to find a way that is likeable and also avoid offending anyone. It’s a hard work and not easy to achieve.
The book also discusses many cultural issues in the influencer industry. According to survey, being an influencer is the No.1 dream job to many youngsters. Everyone wishes to influence others and make money. There are dozens of stories in the book. In fact regardless of your age, everyone really has the opportunity to become one. However, you have to remember it could be very frustrating and daunting task. Persistence is key. You also need to cultivate the right mindset. Money should be secondary. You should always stay true. This is the only way to win people’s hearts and trusts.
To a certain degree, the prevalence of influencers reflects individualism has replaced collectivism worldwide. There is no centrality anymore. The Church has lost authority. Corporations are replaced by gig workers. Family dwindles. Now everything centers on individual. This paradigm shift of mind is particularly apparent among Z generation. The advent of internet is the catalyst of this megatrend. In the 2010s, people normally call someone influencer if he/she has millions of followers. In 2020s, micro-influencers become mainstream. As long as you have maybe over 10,000 followers, you are qualified to be an influencer. It is also part of the strong de-centralizing movement in motion right now.
If you are curious about the eco-system of internet, you should understand influencers. The future is becoming more and more digital. Learning about it is fascinating. This book teaches readers a lot. It’s worth a read.
February 25, 2021
Great book - very interesting history on influencers
Great book - get an insight into how influencer activity started, a thorough history with some really great examples.
Loved that there was a glossary at the back!! Somethings I’d never even heard of! 😂
Well written, easy to digest and full of REALLY interesting content if you’re looking to learn more about the rise of the social media ‘influencer’ and how it’s shaped how we as marketers or brands work with these communities on social media.
Great book - get an insight into how influencer activity started, a thorough history with some really great examples.
Loved that there was a glossary at the back!! Somethings I’d never even heard of! 😂
Well written, easy to digest and full of REALLY interesting content if you’re looking to learn more about the rise of the social media ‘influencer’ and how it’s shaped how we as marketers or brands work with these communities on social media.
April 14, 2020
[I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review]
An interesting look at the rise of influencer marketing and where it’s heading, with lots of UK-based examples. I included this book in a review collection featured 1/7/20 on my Instagram https://www.instagram.com/p/B7BbczIAKVy/
An interesting look at the rise of influencer marketing and where it’s heading, with lots of UK-based examples. I included this book in a review collection featured 1/7/20 on my Instagram https://www.instagram.com/p/B7BbczIAKVy/
November 23, 2020
This is a really interesting book, definitely bizarre to see how influencers have come about and come from nothing, in such a shirt space of time really. I liked the way it was written too.
Thank you NetGalley for my complimentary copy in return for my honest review.
Thank you NetGalley for my complimentary copy in return for my honest review.
February 13, 2020
Some interesting thoughts and ideas, but fairly dry to read.
June 12, 2020
Really fascinating research. McCorquodale does a fantastic job breaking down the uses of social media and unveiling its problematic history.
January 25, 2020
I picked up this book as a random choice from my local library because it seemed interesting. It gives you the short history of influencers and their current stature in media, irrespective of the platform.
If you ask me what I learnt by reading this book - it would be a mish mash of this and that. The author picks up all aspects of ‘influencing’, but what is her goal is still elusive to me. I am giving this book 3 stars only because there was so much I didn’t know before reading it. After reading it, I am not very impressed. :|
If you ask me what I learnt by reading this book - it would be a mish mash of this and that. The author picks up all aspects of ‘influencing’, but what is her goal is still elusive to me. I am giving this book 3 stars only because there was so much I didn’t know before reading it. After reading it, I am not very impressed. :|
December 25, 2020
原來我看這本書看了這麼久@@，不過每次看得都比較集中，所以讀完感覺其實自己是一口氣看完的……
本書優點在於出版時間極進，因此很多觀點並不過時，且加入了許多令人印象深刻的事件與人物方便理解。商業名詞和概念解釋也相當到位，正如定位所說，是“一本寫給商務人士的網紅經濟總覽”。當然，如果目標群體是“想成為油管主的人”，書中也有許多內容可以起到宏觀引導與警示作用。
本書優點在於出版時間極進，因此很多觀點並不過時，且加入了許多令人印象深刻的事件與人物方便理解。商業名詞和概念解釋也相當到位，正如定位所說，是“一本寫給商務人士的網紅經濟總覽”。當然，如果目標群體是“想成為油管主的人”，書中也有許多內容可以起到宏觀引導與警示作用。
April 28, 2023
The book only explains what happened in the past.
September 29, 2020
Out of all the digital marketing books I saw in the bookstore while I was in Sydney, this one popped up because unlike the others, it focused on social media influencers, which is not something I have seen very often explored in books. I give props to the author for identifying an area that definitely needs to be explored and dissected further, as it is the future we are moving towards.
In terms of content, it is good if the reader has no previous knowledge about digital marketing and the influencer sphere. It provides a brief story of how influencers came to happen, and some basic strategies on how to deal with them. However, it is not a mind-blowing book, and I expected some more depth in the analysis.
Overall, a good introductory book to the world of influencers, but if you have grown up in this area, don't expect it to teach you anything new.
In terms of content, it is good if the reader has no previous knowledge about digital marketing and the influencer sphere. It provides a brief story of how influencers came to happen, and some basic strategies on how to deal with them. However, it is not a mind-blowing book, and I expected some more depth in the analysis.
Overall, a good introductory book to the world of influencers, but if you have grown up in this area, don't expect it to teach you anything new.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews