Before 12 year-old Sephora girls, there has been a long string of influencers dating back as early as the 18th century. Many don’t realize that the word “influencer” is a title for many occupations, content creating being one of them. Queen Charlotte was considered the world’s first influencer, as her luxury brand, Queensware, gained business and followers all over the world.
Fictional characters were the next wave of influencers, starting off with Santa Claus promoting beverage sales during the Great Depression in 1932. Brands conjured up fictional characters, such as Quaker Oats’ “Little Mikey.” These characters were essentially created to sway consumer’s decisions, influencing society’s desire to buy what they were selling.
After fictional characters came celebrity endorsements, an act of giving one’s public approval to someone or something. In contrast to characters, celebrities were real people with mass amounts of followers. Their status has the ability to influence people to buy products they promote. Large companies, such as Nike and Pepsi, are most likely to invest in celebrity influencers. These big companies form partnerships with celebrities, paying them to promote their products in exchange for money and publicity. With celebrities came reality TV, the most notable example being Keeping Up With The Kardashians. People are drawn to the personalities on reality TV because they have the basis of portraying transparency, making the stars more relatable than traditional celebrities.
This led the way to social media and influencer marketing. Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, most social media platforms arose and people were excited to share their lives on social media. Because of their ability to influence the decisions of their audience, these “regular” people became known as influencers. Instead of posting giant mansions or private jets, they post relatable content about the good, the bad, and the ugly in their lives. As influencers became more prevalent, brands started leveraging their influence by sending them free products, and sometimes even payments, asking them to post about it to their audience.
Regardless of some influencers being viewed as greedy, influencers also often promote healthy lifestyles and the realities of people’s everyday lives. In an interview with The Monarch Times, Mt. Eden senior and influencer Nishi Prasad said that “influencers now prefer to just make videos and get money off of it and not really enjoy it.”
Prasad’s content focuses on makeup, “Get Ready With Me” videos, and clothing hauls. Not only that, her page is filled with positivity, spreading inspiring messages to her audience. She has a fundraiser, “Emergency Relief for Gaza,” on her page, using her mass following to spread awareness and aid. She recently began posting content in December of 2023, pushing aside her fears of having people judge her for pursuing something she enjoys. Prasad loves the support people give her as it encourages her to continue creating content: “I love the fact that it’s something that makes me happy, and that a lot of others enjoy when I make little videos.” Prasad currently has over 5,000 followers on Instagram, starting by posting videos of herself, trying something new and putting herself out there.
Prasad is exceptionally humble about her social media status and success despite owning her own eternal bouquet business (@nishisbouquet) and co-owning a thrifted clothing business (@antiquethrifts) with Mt. Eden seniors Sahit De La Cruz and Luis Torres.
For those looking to follow in her footsteps, Nishi advised, “Do it. It’s so fun and I think you’d enjoy it too. People who hate on other people don’t even like their life, they’re just bored. Who cares! If it ever feels like you’re making content and it’s not going anywhere, that’s normal! With time and patience you’ll grow, so don’t give up!”
