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These days, everyone seems to want to be an influencer. Gone are the days when people dreamed of becoming doctors or lawyers. Instead, the #1 career aspiration for many people these days is “social media influencer.” That’s according to a new survey of more than 2,000 adults in the United States by Morning Consult.
And, as might be expected, this desire to become an influencer was most pronounced amongst young members of Generation Z. A clear majority (57%) of these young adults said that being a social media influencer was their career of choice.
While this might sound a bit outrageous on the surface, if you think about it, it makes a lot of sense. Who wouldn’t want to give up the daily 9-to-5 grind for a glamorous life filled with Instagram-worthy vacations, lucrative product sponsorship deals, and huge audiences of adoring admirers? Right now, 53% of young adults would leave their current jobs if they could sustain their lifestyle as an influencer.
Changing perceptions about influencers
Just a few years ago, being an “influencer” carried some faintly negative perceptions. It somehow implied that you were gaming the system due to your incredibly good looks, or that you were making money by pitching some shady products that you personally had no intention of using. It also usually implied that you were narcissistic – the kind of person who carried around a selfie stick everywhere you went.
But, oh, how times have changed. Right now, trust in social media influencers is at an all-time high. In 2019, only 51% of people trusted influencers. In 2023, 61% of people trust influencers. Moreover, a clear majority of adults (53%) now view social media influencer as a “respectable” career choice.
TikTok as a game-changer
So what changed? According to some, it’s TikTok. Yes, that’s right, many people now credit TikTok with democratizing the social media influencer game and making it more respectable as a profession. Before TikTok came along, being an influencer usually required you to spend lavishly on the overall production quality of your photos and videos. But the TikTok aesthetic is much more of a no-frills, low-edit approach. It’s about being real and in the moment, and it has really leveled the playing field.
In short, TikTok is the reason why it’s possible for 80-year-old grandmothers to become social media influencers, as CNN recently reported. It’s the reason why the White House is now recruiting influencers on specific political issues, and the reason why brands have absolutely fallen in love with the concept of partnering with influencers within certain demographics.
“I want to be a social media influencer when I grow up”
So what do you do when your young pre-teen or teen happily announces to you that they plan to become an influencer when they graduate college? It can be a difficult pill to swallow if you had set your sights on them becoming lawyers or doctors one day, but here’s the thing: at least they could gain valuable experience in brand management, running a business, and dealing one-on-one with customers and vendors. Who knows? If things go according to plan, they could soon be millionaires working 4-hour workweeks.
