Looking back, 2024 will be remembered as a breakout year for influencers.
For the first time ever, influencers were invited to create content at the Democratic National Convention. The Department of Justice accused Russia of paying American influencers to spread propaganda. And candidates Donald Trump and Kamala Harris appeared on podcasts like the Joe Rogan Experience and Alex Cooper’s Call Me Daddy, helping them reach new audiences and mobilize voters.
About one in five U.S. adults say they get news from influencers, according to a recent Pew Research Center poll – and the number climbs for younger age groups. Thirty-seven percent of people aged 18-29 said they got news from influencers – about the same portion who say they get news from TikTok. While both Democrats and Republicans get news from influencers, the influencers themselves lean slightly conservative, according to the Pew poll.
The shift in the media landscape raises new questions about the impact of influencers. As part of our Disinformation Resilience Training Series, PEN America’s Kurt Sampsel gave an overview of the landscape, followed by a conversation with journalist Robert Downen, actress and activist Malynda Hale, and podcast creator and host Bridget Todd. The panelists described what they see as the biggest benefits – and biggest risks – for having influencers in the information ecosystem.
“It’s really kind of a double edged sword. On the one hand, I think that information really should feel democratized, right? It should feel that people should feel like they have meaningful ownership over discourse, especially people who are traditionally marginalized,” said Todd, host of the podcast There Are No Girls on the Internet and fellow at Harvard University. “But you know, it’s kind of like what Spider-Man says, ‘With great power comes great responsibility.’”
THE PROMISE
1. Influencers Can Change Discourse for the Better
Todd noted that some of the biggest social movements of the past few years – including Black Lives Matter and Me Too – started on social media and with groups who have not always had a voice in mainstream media.
“Being able to use platforms like social media to really feel like they have ownership over the discourse has been great,” she said. “I firmly believe when there are more people involved in discourse, that is objectively a good thing, especially when more and more people are not really feeling themselves or seeing themselves reflected in traditional media. Those folks are smart enough to see the ways that traditional media has, in some ways, really failed them or overlooked them or not served them the way they’re looking to be served.”
2. Influencers Reach New Audiences
Influencers are able to deliver news to different audiences who don’t consume as much mainstream media. Through her podcast and substack, #WeNeedtoTalk, Hale said she has reached a diverse demographic of people who not only want the news, but a perspective that fosters critical thinking.
“I have heard on several occasions from many people that they weren’t aware of certain things happening in our society or current events, and they wouldn’t have known had I not posted about it or shared it directly from mainstream media,” she said.
3. Influencers Create Authentic Connections
Influencers are able to create personal connections with their audience that build trust. Todd and Hale were among the influencers invited to the Democratic National Convention – a recognition that influencers could be pivotal in helping politicians with messaging.
“I feel that sharing information, but also how I feel about it from a human perspective, is something that has helped me build my following,” Hale said. “I think having just a seemingly regular person help you process the news and understand it honestly in a more palatable way, is a huge benefit, not only to the audience, but also to news sources and the people that want the information spread and to reach the general society.”
THE PERIL
1. Influencers Aren’t Bound by Disclosure Rules
In Texas, Downen, who covers democracy and threats to it for The Texas Tribune, has documented some of the dangers of influencers – including in influencing politics. He reported about a company called Influenceable with GOP ties that paid Gen Z influencers to support – without any disclosure – impeached Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.
“There’s a lot of holes in our broader campaign finance and political disclosure rules that allow for influencers to have a lot more sway over public discourse, specifically on social media, than I think a lot of people are recognizing,” he said.
In a different sphere, Todd reported on the fast-fashion clothing brand Shein when it brought influencers to its Chinese factories where it has been accused of human rights abuses. The swift backlash from viewers and listeners against the company and the influencers who had accepted a paid trip demonstrated to her that “audiences are a lot savvier than maybe we’ve been giving them credit for.”
2. Anyone Can Be an Influencer
It might sound democratic, but the fact that anyone can hang up a shingle as an influencer means it’s hard to tell who is reliable.
“We have so many platforms and so many opportunities to share our opinions and our thoughts; it is becoming a very oversaturated market,” Hale said. “And I think what counts as success for influencing is what your reach is, and not necessarily who’s presenting the best information with integrity.”
On the other hand, as Downen notes, journalists have their own history of troubling conflicts of interest, going to back to William Randolph Hearst. ”Let’s be clear that journalism has always had some great ethical lines that have been blurred, I guess, to put it lightly,” he said.
3. ‘Dunking Is Not Debunking’
Some unethical actors use “rage bait” to increase engagement on social media platforms, thereby reaching a wider audience with bad information. People who jump into comments to debunk disinformation might inadvertently boost it. As one webinar attendee put it, “dunking is not debunking.”
“Unfortunately, sometimes the more inflammatory you are, the more attention you get, and the more divisive you are, the more you’re pushed out into that algorithm,” Hale said.
4. Trust Can Be Exploited
Todd said the trust that comes from a personal connection can easily be exploited.
“I think we’re seeing a lot of that right now with the rise of extremist thinking being pushed very effectively by some influencers. So that trust, the same thing that makes influencers really good and really effective, can also be the same reason why inflammatory or false information or harmful information can really take root and spread.”
The Future of Influence
Sampsel stressed that both traditional journalists and online influencers bring something to the table. “I realize that it can sound a bit Pollyannaish,” he said, but explained that each has something to learn from the other.
“In my view, the biggest problems in our information ecosystem are things like disinformation, things like polarization, propaganda, lack of trust, information gaps. And I feel like both influencers and journalists can tackle these problems by playing to their strengths, as well as by adopting new skills and practices that have proven successful,” he said.
The gap between influencers and journalists may not be so wide in years to come.
“I think we’re going to see in the future now a lot more influencer-led news houses and news sources,” Hale said, mentioning We Are Chorus as one example. “I definitely think we’re going to start seeing more influencers kind of band together to be a giant hub to provide information to the general public.”