Instagram offered a perfect venue for the influencer: no voluminous writing or emotional disclosure of the self were required. Glossy images alone were enough to attract a following that could later be monetized. Where the term blogger described a literal activity of writing, “influencing” is closer to the financial side of what’s going on. It’s a sales job, convincing audiences to buy something, first a vision of aspirational lifestyle and then the products that make it up.
