Quick, name a famous influencer, someone who has really broken out of the whole internet label to become known in the mainstream. What influencers come to mind?
Is it TikToker Charli D’Amelio or her sister Dixie? Addison Rae? Tinx or Alix Earle? Or maybe a YouTuber like Emma Chamberlain, Nikkie Tutorials, Jackie Aina, James Charles, or Mr. Beast? An Instagram fashion girlie like Aimee Song or workout queen Kayla Itsines?
No matter who you think of, they likely have this in common: They didn’t blow up in the last year. Or even the year before that.
We are in a drought of famous influencers, and it may be here to stay. People just aren’t breaking through online the way they used to, becoming household names and garnering real, mainstream fame.
It used to go like this: An influencer or content creator would spend anywhere from a very short to a respectably decent amount of time building up their content and fan base. Maybe they were family vloggers, or prank YouTubers like the Paul brothers, or makeup artists or fashionistas. Then, there’d be a tipping point. Suddenly, these people were being written about in mainstream media like People and Us Weekly, landing roles in movies and television shows, and attending high-class events.
Remember in 2021, when influencers like Chamberlain and Rae attended the Met Gala and everyone freaked out? This year, Chamberlain attended the Met again (she’s actually become somewhat of a fixture and works the red carpet for Vogue), but the rest of them have dried up. And even if Anna Wintour wanted to invite a fresh crop of internet talent, who would she choose? Can you name anyone in the past year who has ascended in a major way?
The last true influencer to truly “make it” in this way was Alix Earle, who became a household name seemingly overnight in early 2023 and has done quite well for herself. That’s not just my opinion. Sophie, who runs a business consulting on social media called Pretty Little Marketer, identified Earle as the most recent to “blow up” as well.
“I’d say she’s exceeded well past the title of influencer to global celebrity status,” she says.
This doesn’t mean that people aren’t doing well on social media. The problem is that too many people are doing well on social media. It’s not unique these days to have hundreds of thousands—or even millions—of followers, to have an agent, or to get lucrative brand deals. But with a huge pool of creators who are hard to differentiate from each other, the hard part seems to be standing out at all.
“There are many influencers who still make it ‘big’ in terms of opportunity and following, but we’ve seen fewer boom into mainstream media as we have in the past,” Sophie says.
Some influencers are able to reach a burst of virality that can lead to a career in content creation, but they still find it hard to stay in the public consciousness. Sophie gives the example of “Tube Girl” a.k.a. Sabrina Bahsoon. Bahsoon went viral on TikTok last year for over-the-top videos of herself strutting and vogueing on London’s tube, many of which were set to Tate McRae’s “Greedy.” Bahsoon now has nearly a million followers and a ton of brand deals, but you could hardly say she’s a household name.
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