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I use Instagram and other social media. But I just don't get how this works. Perhaps someone can give me and others an overview. I only see the posts from my fr

I use Instagram and other social media. But I just don't get how this works. Perhaps someone can give me and others an overview. I only see the posts from my friends, so how would posts from these "influencers" influence me or other's like me? Why would I follow some random person I don't even know? Really, I'm looking for some enlightenment here. I assume that I'm not the only one.

billdybas 8y ago
It's the same way any other marketing material may influence you to make a purchase. A lot of online influencer marketing is recommendation-based: "I like this product, so you should buy it, too." Think of it similar to celebrity endorsements in traditional media. For many Millennials and Gen Z who follow these influencers, they are like celebrities (but usually on a smaller, niche-scale).
0x38B 8y ago
I'm in the same boat, but what I've found from talking with many people is that they use Instagram to discover places and get an inside look, with what they see on Instagram determining whether they go or not. This leads to reviews on Google like "they run a really good Instagram, but things don't measure up in-person" (I saw this exact review the other day).
- nomocrypto 8y ago
  Sounds like they just learned a good lesson about not trusting marketing. ;)
- gm-conspiracy 8y ago
  Ha. I just checked into a Marriott about an hour ago. In the lobby, there was a giant touchscreen and one of the icons was "social media". I tapped it, and it said "Our Instagram account is currently offline."
  - coatmatter 8y ago
    I chuckle to myself every time I see a superfluous piece of technology like this being out of service. Then, I realise the probable reality is that no one cares. All they care about is that the core business is still operating (for better or worse). I've never managed to get free WiFi properly working on a plane or train.
davidmurdoch 8y ago
Many people browse the Explore tab more than their home feed. Even if they don't follow these people, they still may see the post and even without "liking" it it will up the posts "impressions" (business accounts can see these stats). Brands buy ads for exactly this reason. Influencers are the same.
Swizec 8y ago
Think of instagram as an entertainment platform rather than a social network. Yougo there to kill time in the waiting room, or for some light entertainment after turning off the lights and before falling asleep. Your friends aren’t interesting enough for that. So you follow some professional entertainers, influencers. And that’s it. Now you can be marketed to.
Lazare 8y ago
> I only see the posts from my friends, so how would posts from these "influencers" influence me or other's like me? Why would I follow some random person I don't even know? Everyone else is busy following other people that they don't know. Why? I dunno, ask them. But keep in mind, other words for "influencer" would be "blogger", "streamer", "content producer". Have you never found a cool channel on Youtube that has enjoyable content? Maybe humour, or crafts, or lets play walkthroughs of video games? Boom, those are influencers. We're all spending time watching other people (be it a streamer on Twitch or a movie start in a blockbuster movie), and brands are willing to pay money to ensure we see their products while we do it. My partner is learning how to make soap (surprisingly interesting hobby) so she follows a number of different soapmakers on social media to learn more about their recipes, tips and tricks, see cool designs. And also, if one of those soapmakers she respects strongly recommends some range of fragrance oils, or whatever, she's likely to consider them closely when she buys some. Think maybe a craft supply company would be willing to throw some money (or at least free supplies) at someone who will recommend them? There's nothing new here; celebrity endorsements date back to ancient Rome if not even earlier; gladiators were paid to endorse consumer products. If people will watch it, someone else will pay to advertise in the background. :)
- intrasight 8y ago
  >Have you never found a cool channel on Youtube that has enjoyable content? I subscribe to a dozen Youtube channels - mostly educational - not just "cool". My question/point was about Instagram. Not much educational value from a photo of a girl in a bikini at a pool ;)
  - Lazare 8y ago
    > I subscribe to a dozen Youtube channels - mostly educational Alright, but obviously the most popular channels on Youtube are entertainment not educational, so you understand that most people are using these mediums in a way that's quite different to you, right? Any even those "educational" channels are being run by what a marketing exec would think of as an influencer. Just because you're watching some guy build a coffee table out of reclaimed lumber (or whatever) doesn't mean someone isn't willing to pay money to make sure it's being done with a specific brand of power tools, in case you decide to buy one just like you saw in the video. > Not much educational value from a photo of a girl in a bikini at a pool My partner follows a number of Instagram accounts devoted to specific hobbies she has, such as soapmaking, or animal rescue/wildlife rehabilitation. Instagram is about way, way more than just "girls in bikinis". But again! Many of the people looking at girls in bikinis on Instagram are women wishing they looked like that; if the model posts about how some (probably fraudulent) supplement helped her, you don't think that'll cause a direct boost in sales? Anything with eyeballs looking at it is worth slapping an ad on. And given how many people are looking at Instagram every moment of every day, obviously it qualifies. If it's not a great platform for you, that's fine (I don't even have the app installed, so I'm totally in agreement), but given Instagram is apparently well over 500m MAUs, that says more about us than Instagram. :)
bigbluedots 8y ago
Central to all of the posts in the article is semi nudity, or at least showcasing the female body. That should give you some hints.
coatmatter 8y ago
Quick question: Do you own any Apple or similar big-brand products? If so, why? Six months ago, I bought a Penny Skateboard because I discovered they were a "thing", thanks to Casey Neistat's videos. I don't even particularly like that YouTuber, but find his "content" fascinating and videos a pleasant way to burn time. I don't aspire to be like Casey Neistat in most ways - I'm not even interested in making YouTube videos. First class flights don't intrigue me, because I handle economy just fine and like flying in any form. If I saw him in the street, I'd probably say hi but I wouldn't ask for a selfie or shoutout. So why did I buy a Penny board - something one might associate as only being for children (some people feel this way about bicycles too) - why was I "influenced"? Because I discovered that there exists a third option to skateboards and longboards (both of which don't really enamour me because the former are too noisy and the latter are too large). Penny boards, on the other hand appear inoffensive but are challenging and thus rewarding to learn. Plus, they're not expensive - so I figured, why not give it a go and see if I can learn a new balance-skill especially since it's not something everyone can manage? Next, I saw a pre-Christmas sale, said "yolo" and just went for it. I'm glad I did go for it because not only have I learned something that some people will never be able to learn, but I'm still continuing to improve more than 100 hours later while others my age decide to stay on their couches, or almost worse: sign up to boot camp-style ongoing gym memberships so they can hit the meat market on a Saturday night or beach weekend. Like with any business, it's a numbers game. You might not feel directly influenced and you very well may not be, but most people still will have tried Coca-Cola at least once in their lives.

billdybas 8y ago

It's the same way any other marketing material may influence you to make a purchase. A lot of online influencer marketing is recommendation-based: "I like this product, so you should buy it, too." Think of it similar to celebrity endorsements in traditional media. For many Millennials and Gen Z who follow these influencers, they are like celebrities (but usually on a smaller, niche-scale).

0x38B 8y ago

I'm in the same boat, but what I've found from talking with many people is that they use Instagram to discover places and get an inside look, with what they see on Instagram determining whether they go or not. This leads to reviews on Google like "they run a really good Instagram, but things don't measure up in-person" (I saw this exact review the other day).

nomocrypto 8y ago
Sounds like they just learned a good lesson about not trusting marketing. ;)
gm-conspiracy 8y ago
Ha. I just checked into a Marriott about an hour ago. In the lobby, there was a giant touchscreen and one of the icons was "social media". I tapped it, and it said "Our Instagram account is currently offline."
- coatmatter 8y ago
  I chuckle to myself every time I see a superfluous piece of technology like this being out of service. Then, I realise the probable reality is that no one cares. All they care about is that the core business is still operating (for better or worse). I've never managed to get free WiFi properly working on a plane or train.

davidmurdoch 8y ago

Many people browse the Explore tab more than their home feed. Even if they don't follow these people, they still may see the post and even without "liking" it it will up the posts "impressions" (business accounts can see these stats). Brands buy ads for exactly this reason. Influencers are the same.

Swizec 8y ago

Think of instagram as an entertainment platform rather than a social network. Yougo there to kill time in the waiting room, or for some light entertainment after turning off the lights and before falling asleep. Your friends aren’t interesting enough for that. So you follow some professional entertainers, influencers. And that’s it. Now you can be marketed to.

Lazare 8y ago

> I only see the posts from my friends, so how would posts from these "influencers" influence me or other's like me? Why would I follow some random person I don't even know? Everyone else is busy following other people that they don't know. Why? I dunno, ask them. But keep in mind, other words for "influencer" would be "blogger", "streamer", "content producer". Have you never found a cool channel on Youtube that has enjoyable content? Maybe humour, or crafts, or lets play walkthroughs of video games? Boom, those are influencers. We're all spending time watching other people (be it a streamer on Twitch or a movie start in a blockbuster movie), and brands are willing to pay money to ensure we see their products while we do it. My partner is learning how to make soap (surprisingly interesting hobby) so she follows a number of different soapmakers on social media to learn more about their recipes, tips and tricks, see cool designs. And also, if one of those soapmakers she respects strongly recommends some range of fragrance oils, or whatever, she's likely to consider them closely when she buys some. Think maybe a craft supply company would be willing to throw some money (or at least free supplies) at someone who will recommend them? There's nothing new here; celebrity endorsements date back to ancient Rome if not even earlier; gladiators were paid to endorse consumer products. If people will watch it, someone else will pay to advertise in the background. :)

intrasight 8y ago
>Have you never found a cool channel on Youtube that has enjoyable content? I subscribe to a dozen Youtube channels - mostly educational - not just "cool". My question/point was about Instagram. Not much educational value from a photo of a girl in a bikini at a pool ;)
- Lazare 8y ago
  > I subscribe to a dozen Youtube channels - mostly educational Alright, but obviously the most popular channels on Youtube are entertainment not educational, so you understand that most people are using these mediums in a way that's quite different to you, right? Any even those "educational" channels are being run by what a marketing exec would think of as an influencer. Just because you're watching some guy build a coffee table out of reclaimed lumber (or whatever) doesn't mean someone isn't willing to pay money to make sure it's being done with a specific brand of power tools, in case you decide to buy one just like you saw in the video. > Not much educational value from a photo of a girl in a bikini at a pool My partner follows a number of Instagram accounts devoted to specific hobbies she has, such as soapmaking, or animal rescue/wildlife rehabilitation. Instagram is about way, way more than just "girls in bikinis". But again! Many of the people looking at girls in bikinis on Instagram are women wishing they looked like that; if the model posts about how some (probably fraudulent) supplement helped her, you don't think that'll cause a direct boost in sales? Anything with eyeballs looking at it is worth slapping an ad on. And given how many people are looking at Instagram every moment of every day, obviously it qualifies. If it's not a great platform for you, that's fine (I don't even have the app installed, so I'm totally in agreement), but given Instagram is apparently well over 500m MAUs, that says more about us than Instagram. :)

bigbluedots 8y ago

Central to all of the posts in the article is semi nudity, or at least showcasing the female body. That should give you some hints.

coatmatter 8y ago

Quick question: Do you own any Apple or similar big-brand products? If so, why? Six months ago, I bought a Penny Skateboard because I discovered they were a "thing", thanks to Casey Neistat's videos. I don't even particularly like that YouTuber, but find his "content" fascinating and videos a pleasant way to burn time. I don't aspire to be like Casey Neistat in most ways - I'm not even interested in making YouTube videos. First class flights don't intrigue me, because I handle economy just fine and like flying in any form. If I saw him in the street, I'd probably say hi but I wouldn't ask for a selfie or shoutout. So why did I buy a Penny board - something one might associate as only being for children (some people feel this way about bicycles too) - why was I "influenced"? Because I discovered that there exists a third option to skateboards and longboards (both of which don't really enamour me because the former are too noisy and the latter are too large). Penny boards, on the other hand appear inoffensive but are challenging and thus rewarding to learn. Plus, they're not expensive - so I figured, why not give it a go and see if I can learn a new balance-skill especially since it's not something everyone can manage? Next, I saw a pre-Christmas sale, said "yolo" and just went for it. I'm glad I did go for it because not only have I learned something that some people will never be able to learn, but I'm still continuing to improve more than 100 hours later while others my age decide to stay on their couches, or almost worse: sign up to boot camp-style ongoing gym memberships so they can hit the meat market on a Saturday night or beach weekend. Like with any business, it's a numbers game. You might not feel directly influenced and you very well may not be, but most people still will have tried Coca-Cola at least once in their lives.