The Influencer Business
What happens when social media influencers - people who have thousands of followers - ask businesses for gifts or services in exchange for promotion?
Earlier this year, a baker in Liverpool in north-west England vented her frustration on Twitter over constantly being asked by social media influencers for free cakes. Laura Worthington tweeted: βI wasn't kidding when I said this happens a lot.β Many other businesses publicly sided with Laura Worthington on social mediaβ¦ but were they being fair? We investigate the impact of influencers β people with large and/or powerful social media followings. What are the rules and ethics around advertising and promotion? And can we really trust the people behind big social media accounts? After all, their reputations rest in part on the idea of authenticity.
Presenters: Jonathan Griffin and Lee Kumutat
Producer: Lee Kumutat
Studio manager: Nigel Appleton
Photo Caption: Influencer Lisa Linh promotes a number of brands β including hotels and credit card companies
Photo Credit: Lisa Linh
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- Fri 31 Aug 2018 21:06GMTΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ World Service except News Internet & West and Central Africa
- Sat 1 Sep 2018 10:32GMTΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ World Service except News Internet
- Sun 2 Sep 2018 00:32GMTΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ World Service except East and Southern Africa, News Internet & West and Central Africa
- Mon 3 Sep 2018 01:32GMTΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ World Service West and Central Africa
- Mon 3 Sep 2018 03:06GMTΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ World Service Online & UK DAB/Freeview only
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In-depth reporting on the world of social media