Living Under The Influence Of All The Influencers In The World
MERRIAM-WEBSTER’S word of the year is “gaslighting.” They define it as: the psychological manipulation of a person usually over an extended period of time that causes the victim to question the validity of their own thoughts, perception of reality, or memories and typically leads to confusion, loss of confidence and self.
Perhaps only senior citizens will remember “Gaslight,” the 1944 movie with Ingrid Bergman and Charles Boyer. The M-W dictionary definition absolutely describes what Boyer was doing to Bergman. His obsessive interest in their home rises from a secret that compels her to question her own thoughts and doubt her sanity.
My own word of the year would have been “influencer,” defined as one who exerts influence: a person who inspires or guides the actions of others. It is a word I see increasingly in advertising, coupled with another lovely word, “curator.” Here’s an example often seen in Amazon ads on Facebook: “You may be interested in these items curated by our influencers.” We are never told who these influencers are. I wonder who is trying to gaslight me at Amazon.
John C. Dvorak is an American columnist and broadcaster in the areas of technology and computing. He describes influencers this way: “The old theme of laziness and mellowness runs counter to today’s influencers, who are businesspeople and upscale inspirational promoters of a go-getter way of life.”
I think circus pitchmen and sales people on Infomercials qualify as go-getters. They are self-starters, live wires, even hustlers. Remember those glorious Infomercials? Admit it, did you buy a Ginzu knife? It could slice bread and chop wood. Ron Popeil’s Showtime Rotisserie BBQ (Set it and Forget it). “The new price on this wonderful machine is less than $100.00,” smarmy Ron smiled into the TV camera. “You can have one for only five easy payments of $19.95,” (Which is a whole quarter less than $100.00).
Is there a picture of you somewhere in your Snuggle Blanket with sleeves? Thirty million of them found their way into homes. And Susanne Somers almost convinced me to buy a ThighMaster. I admit I watched the Infomercial to oogle Susie’s thighs. I am allergic to most animals but I could breathe easily around my Chia Pet, and I was one of the hundred million owners of a George Foreman Grill. George was paid 1.3 million dollars to hawk those grills. But I wasn’t one of the millions who bought the Richard Simmons “Farewell to Fat Cooking Book.” All those people were first class influencers.
Back in the day, influencers may have been what we called spokesmen, or spokespersons, to be politically correct. In fact, in political circles a spokesman is known as “a source close to ….”, fill in the blank with whatever — The White House, Congress, the Governor..
When I was younger I had thoughts of becoming a spokesman because they always operated in the inner circles of business, government, and even religion – “a spokesman for the Pope said that his Christmas message would be…”. A disaster isn’t officially a disaster until a spokesman for FEMA puts a monetary value of the loss of property. I didn’t know how to even begin to be a spokesman. College course directories never listed spokesmen classes. There was no “Spokespeaking for Dummies” available. You name it. It all boils down to a source close to an influencer who is probably gaslighting us.
Influencers in marketing have been around for a long time. They do not have to be recognizable Hollywood personalities. Think Marlboro Man. Influencers are remarkable, memorable, relatable, and most important, relevant to the audience. One was a giggling doughboy, another was a lively drumming bunny, and don’t forget a clown named Ronald.
Social Media influencers have risen to the top in marketing. A social media influencer has a large following on one or more social media platforms and can influence the buying decisions of their followers.
Does the name Piper Rockelle mean anything to you? Probably not. She is a 15-year old American social media personality, singer, dancer and actress. Piper also runs a successful YouTube channel where she films funny trends like doing the opposite of what her parents say for 24 hours. She also uploads her own music videos onto the platform. She has eight million Tik Tok followers, 67,000 followers on Instagram, and 8.5 million followers on You Tube. Oh, and she takes in more than $600,000 a month. She may be the Queen of influencers as advertisers scramble to reach her affluent teen followers.
I am still resistant to buying a product because someone famous recommends it. But then, no company has been smart enough to nab Sophia Loren as its influencer. I don’t care what the product is. If Sophia recommends it, I’ll jump right in because, “Hey Paisan, thatsa’ some spicy meatball.” She can gaslight me anytime she wants.
Contact Jerry Gervase at jerrygervase@yahoo.com
