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Online influencers play a major role in today's society. Online influencers have access to a large audience where they use their platform to interest, inform, motivate, and shape the beliefs and actions of their listeners. Today, online influencers are becoming more and more prominent, as we spend most of our time online. Many people look up to, trust, and support influencers they see online. Influencers may use their platform to share political beliefs, advertise companies' products, services, share tutorials, and expand their personal brand. 

In 2002, the first online influencers were “mommy bloggers.” Mommy bloggers are blogs created by women who share their experiences of being of mother. They also include stories about their families, children, and what to expect.

Online influencers started to become popular around 2009, with influencers on Youtube such as PewdiePie, Dude Perfect, and Ryan Higa. In 2010, Instagram was created and became accessible to the public. Instagram became popular very quickly, as it allowed users to post and share images of their daily lives. 

With social media on the rise, most of today’s influencers are found on TikTok, Instagram, Twitch, and Youtube. Most influencers create content about gaming, lifestyle, beauty, fashion, and reality TV. Many influencers are paid by brands to advertise and sponsor their products. This helps businesses expand their reach. You can also pay to have your posts sponsored on various platforms, which will help promote your profile. Influencers are incredibly powerful. 

Out of every social media platform, influencers make the most money on Instagram. There are four different types of influencers, mega, macro, micro, and nano. The most well-liked category of influencers are mega influencers. Typically, they are well-known individuals, or celebrities with a million or more followers, who earn up to $10,000 every post. People with 500K–1M followers are considered macro influencers. Their earnings range from $5,000 to $10,000 each post. With 5,000–100,000 followers, micro influencers have a smaller fan base compared to mega and macro influencers. They may earn between $100 and $500 every post. Nano influencers have between 1,000 and 10,000 followers, which is a smaller audience. Despite being influential, it's possible that not many people are aware of them. They may earn between $10 and $100 every post. (shopify)

Most influencers don’t discuss topics like politics, they typically post content that their audience can relate to. This helps them maintain their following and keep a good reputation. However, there has been controversy in the past when influencers have voiced their opinions about political circumstances. Some of their followers support their opinion meanwhile, others will no longer support them as a whole. 

It has become a normal thing for an influencer to get “cancelled.”  People can get cancelled due to racisist comments, inappropriate actions or content, offensive behavior, and so much more. Kanye West is a great example of a celebrity that has been canceled. Kanye has made many anti-semetic tweets about Jews in which made his fans question his morals. It is so easy for an influencer to say the wrong thing and lose their fans. This is why we need to be cautious of what we say, write, and how we express ourselves on social media.