“It could be said that Instagram is the great classifieds ad of a deindustrialized economy, and that in this economy, scams and pyramid schemes are treated as decent and natural things”
Instagram has birthed a peculiar economic model, one where influencers amass billions without tangibly advancing societal development, wealth, or wisdom. Purchasing a refrigerator, a car, or a tractor serves clear purposes: they enhance quality of life or productivity, embodying the tangible benefits of an industrial economy. In contrast, spending on an influencer’s life coaching or miracle dietary supplements—often imported cheaply from abroad—relies on little more than persuasive rhetoric. Instagram, in this sense, functions as a digital classifieds ad for a deindustrialized economy, where scams and pyramid schemes are often normalized as legitimate commerce.
The Rise of Permission Marketing
This shift in commerce was foreshadowed at the turn of the millennium. In 1999, a Yahoo direct marketing manager published Permission Marketing: Turning Strangers into Friends and Friends into Clients, introducing the concept of “permission structures.” Traditional advertising, dubbed “interruption marketing” for its disruptive nature, was losing its edge for two reasons. First, consumers were overwhelmed by a barrage of ads, rendering them desensitized to new products. Second, and less obvious, was market stagnation: with many products reaching a plateau of quality, consumers grew loyal to established brands, unmoved by claims of superior features.
The solution, the author proposed, was “permission marketing”—a strategy where customers willingly engage with brands, not because of product superiority, but through a personal connection with the seller. This model paved the way for the Instagram influencer, a charismatic figure who thrives not on the objective value of their offerings but on the subjective trust they cultivate with their audience.
The Influencer Economy: Charisma as Currency
Today’s Instagram influencers are the embodiment of this vision, masterful at selling novelty items—often derided as “useless trinkets”—through charm and relatability. Unlike the durable goods of the industrial era, these products, from dubious supplements to trendy gadgets, often lack lasting utility. Yet, their success hinges on the influencer’s ability to forge an emotional bond with followers, transforming strangers into loyal customers. These dynamic underscores a broader economic shift: one where value is derived less from innovation or utility and more from personality-driven marketing.
While this model generates significant revenue, it raises questions about its societal impact. Does the influencer economy empower entrepreneurship, or does it perpetuate a cycle of fleeting trends and questionable products? As Instagram continues to shape modern commerce, the line between genuine value and persuasive hype becomes increasingly blurred.
Bases on an article in https://strategic-culture.su by Bruna Frascolla
Image: unsplash.com
