Do Influencers help me grow?

A disclaimer to begin with: I am not against the Influencers and Influencer Marketing. I am highlighting this from an individual perspective who is influenced by an influencer.

I am not sure if you have asked this question to yourself. In business, we often talk about "influencers" and "Influencer marketing". According to the Influence Marketing Hub, the influencer and its business is about USD 16.4 Billion. (https://influencermarketinghub.com/influencer-marketing-statistics/, as seen on 25th Nov 2022). Social media has made the term

influencer

popular and has expanded its reach. There were influencers even before social media, but they could influence in a limited geography.

An etymology reference of the word "Influence" from Wiktionary is

From Middle English influence,from Old French influence ("emanation from the stars affecting one's fate"),from Medieval Latin īnfluentia,from Latin īnfluēns ("flowing in"), present active participle of īnfluō ("flow into"), from in- ("in-") + fluō ("flow").

Doublet of influenza.

Doublet of influenza means the roots of both these words are the same. If we study the lifecycle of an influencer, it will not be difficult to find that whatever one is getting influenced stays for a short period. The "influence" just "flows off". Does that not happen to Influenza also? They come and go, causing no major casualties.

Who are the real beneficiaries of the Influencer and Influencer Marketing? The obvious ones are businesses ; Influencers themselves and the ecosystem that works on managing these Influencers. How does an influence works on us, in general?

We adopt the style, food, habit of the influencer

We do not look at the long-term effects beyond what the influencer has said

We get distracted shortly by another influencer

We do not sustain the changes

Instead, what if we seek inspiration? How would that be different? What does it means to get inspired?

Inspiration comes from the word "Inspire". Inspire is rooted into.

From Middle English inspiren, enspiren, from Old French inspirer, variant of espirer, from Latin īnspīrāre, present active infinitive of īnspīrō ("inspire"), itself a loan-translation of Biblical Ancient Greek πνέω (pnéō, "breathe"), from in + spīrō ("breathe"), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)peys- ("to blow, breathe").

Breathing is a very intrinsic process. One inhales air, absorbs the oxygen into our system, collects the impure carbon dioxide from our system and then exhales. It brings changes that are permanent and have a life critical impact. The changes that we will bring through inspiration will be.

The changes that are most suitable for us

The changes that are sustainable

The changes will be relatively long term

The changes rarely get reversed based on another source of inspiration

Adopt what is best suited for us

Mahatma Gandhi is one of the greatest source of inspiration globally. Does everyone live like a Gandhi? No. But all the people who are inspired by Gandhi pick an aspect from his life and adopt for themselves.

Inspiration makes you Think and Act, where Influence makes you Act.

What if you have to become an Influencer or Source of Inspiration?

To become an Influencer, you have to actively do several things in the media where you will be noticed and you would act based on how your target is responding. The entire activity is orchestrated. Maybe that is why one can monetise the role of influencer.

Most often, you would not even know that you are a source of an inspiration. You continue to do the right things that help others in your ecosystem.

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