The Surprising Possibilities of Being an Online Influencer

Here in St. Louis, the Post-Dispatch is out with a piece taking a look at some of the locals making a living as social media “influencers.”

It’s crazy to me to think that some people are able to make (and sustain) a living on nothing more than their online presence, and I say that without any element of disdain or criticism. In fact, quite the opposite. I think it’s fantastic.

As someone who’s never quite taken to having a fully baked presence on social media, it’s impressive to see people who are just so damned good at it. (I quit Facebook at the beginning of this year and now have just a Twitter account. You can join about 40 others by following me: @mwense. Don’t worry; your timeline will not be flooded.)

It’s hard to imagine the amount of work that must go into that, even for those who just do it as a side gig. Seems like you’d have to pull a lot of elements together—everything from internet savvy and planning to marketing and business acumen—to make something like that take off.

One other thing it’s hard for me to imagine: growing up as a family member of an influencer. When I was growing up, the photos my mom took of me were mostly candid shots put into a photo album that would go into a filing cabinet. (Every once in a while, we’d get posed at a JC Penny.) I can’t imagine what it might have been like to have pictures of me shared with thousands of people.