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In the age of social media, influencers are the wannabe celebrities who are actually shaping trends and opinions. While traditional celebrities earned their fame through real-world actions and PR, influencer fame is typically manufactured by a system designed to promote engagement over authenticity or merit.
Let’s not even get into the whole AI influencer market — which is projected to reach $111.78 billion by 2033, with a compound annual growth rate of 38.4 percent — because the level of deception expands at a quantum rate and is too hard to comprehend at this point.
The reality of the human influencer industry is even more deceptive than the public realizes. Even the biggest influencers rely on a web of deception, where fake followers and bots along with easily manipulated algorithms, artificially inflate their audience (25 percent have fake followers). In most cases, this fame is engineered by the platforms because they profit from it.
Top-Earning Social Media Influencers: |
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| MrBeast | Income: $85 million (2025) |
| Dan Bongino | Worth: $150 million (2024) |
| Charlie Kirk | Worth: $12 million (2024) |
| Benny Johnson | Income: $174 million (2024) |
| Dinesh D’Souza | Worth: $4 million (2024) |
| Tucker Carlson | Income: $50 million (2024) |
| Kylie Jenner | Income: $710 million (2024) |
| Charli D’Amelio | Income: $23.5 million (2024) |
| Andre Tate | Worth: $12 million (2023) |
| Jordan Peterson | Income: $2 million (2023) |
| Ben Shapiro | Income: $10 million (2024) |
| Steven Crowder | Income: $7.5 million (2023) |
| Tomi Lahren | Worth: $3 million (2023) |
| Mike Cernovich | Worth: $5 million (2023) |
| Addison Rae | Worth: $9 million (2024) |
| Candace Owens | Worth: $2 million (2024) |
Sixty-four percent of Earth’s population is on social media, often acting like a digital mob that is 5.24 billion strong, vaulting influencers on their cyber shoulders. This groupthink dynamic amplifies engagement and sensationalism, boosting follower counts, because anything that increases engagement translates to higher social media company profits ($251.45 billion globally).
The more followers and engagement an influencer has, the more data these companies collect about user behavior, fueling targeted advertising and driving even greater profits, but ironically all mega-influencers (those with 500k+ followers) have the lowest engagement, which is a strong indicator of fake followers.
These platforms systematically distort the true nature of influence, creating a false sense of credibility based on inflated metrics rather than merit. This contributes to the spread of misinformation. For instance, a study from JAMA Internal Medicine found the majority of health advice from influencers had no scientific merit.
Designed to drive commercial capitalism, the influencer ecosystem thrives by manipulating consumer attention and boosting sales. Over time, it has morphed into an ideal tool for creating a false consensus in society on what is considered factual. There is a growing effort to address what DARPA and the Department of Defense consider to be a significant national security threat but the tech companies are fighting hard against regulation.
While science establishes facts through the gradual process of building consensus via rigorous peer review, influencer culture thrives on platforms that fabricate consensus through nearly instantaneous, manipulated algorithmic amplification, with no foundation in verifiable evidence.
In essence, this system actively shapes public perception; it doesn’t just amplify or selectively frame narratives — it creates the illusion of widespread public consensus. The majority of these influencers have consumed their own Kool-Aid.
What makes this even more troubling is how this culture has also blurred the line between self-serving influencers and bona fide journalists.
The Trump administration has played a key role in legitimizing influencers as credible reporters, disregarding the fact they operate without accountability in a system that prioritizes engagement over truth.
Armed with the decades-old Fox News playbook — substituting objective reporting with agenda-driven rhetoric — these individuals expertly distort the truth for their own personal gain, while further eroding the already fragile public trust in fact-based journalism.
Misinformation, Deception, and Harm Reveal the ‘Dark Side’ of Influencer Culture, Alarming Study Says
The author writes, “Social media influencers have transformed marketing, shaping consumer behavior, brand strategies, and even societal norms. While their reach and impact are undeniable, a new study published in Psychology and Marketing from the University of Portsmouth highlights the psychological, social, and security risks associated with influencer culture, calling for stricter regulation.”
Why the Influencer Industry Needs Guardrails
From Harvard Business Review: “The author argues for an industry in which unethical behavior is punished; professional expectations, pay, and desired outcomes are standardized; and creators are given the same rights and protections as other professional marketers.”
From Clicks to Chaos: How Social Media Algorithms Amplify Extremism
From Observer Research Foundation: “Algorithms are quickly becoming a keystone of content distribution and user engagement on social media. While these systems are designed to enhance the user’s experience and engagement, they often unintentionally amplify extremist propaganda and polarizing narratives. This amplification can exacerbate societal divisions, promote disinformation, and bolster the influence of extremist groups. This is called ‘algorithmic radicalization,’ which shows how social media platforms coax users into ideological rabbit holes and form their opinions through a discriminating content curation model.”
Some Thoughts on Social Media and Capitalism
The author writes, “Communicative capitalism refers to Capitalism’s place and role in the modern internet. These brief thoughts attempt to break down and think about the ideas of Jodi Dean, namely in the book The Communist Horizon, in order to explain what is meant by Communicative Capitalism and how we, as users of the modern internet, are used to make a profit for large corporations.”
Assessing the Threat of Social Media to National Security: Information Operations in the 21st Century
The author writes, “This paper investigates how social media can be used maliciously, with a particular focus on TikTok. TikTok, one of the United States’ most popular platforms, is connected to the People’s Republic of China via its parent company, ByteDance Ltd. This thesis assesses the unique threat that TikTok poses to U.S. National Security by examining the PRC’s strategic goals in cyberspace. Amidst rising tensions between the U.S. and PRC, this research seeks to explain the TikTok threat in deeper context.”
A Study Found That X’s Algorithm Now Loves Two Things: Republicans and Elon Musk
The author writes, “Elon Musk’s X may have tweaked its algorithm to boost his account, along with those of other conservative-leaning users, starting around the time he announced his support of Donald Trump’s presidential campaign.”
Dictatorships Will Be Vulnerable to Algorithms
From Wired: “AI is often considered a threat to democracies and a boon to dictators. In 2025 it is likely that algorithms will continue to undermine the democratic conversation by spreading outrage, fake news, and conspiracy theories. In 2025 algorithms will also continue to expedite the creation of total surveillance regimes, in which the entire population is watched 24 hours a day.”
AI Influencer Market Statistics 2025: Growth, Trends, and Industry Insights
The author writes, “The broader influencer marketing industry is now valued at $24 billion, showing the increasing reliance on AI and human-driven influencers to connect with audiences. Platforms like Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts are the most effective content formats for AI influencers, helping brands maximize engagement. However, this growth also comes with ethical concerns. 43.8% of marketing professionals express concerns about AI influencers, questioning their transparency and impact on consumer trust.”
AI and Manipulation on Social and Digital Media
From The Rathenau Instituut: “How can AI on social and digital media influence our behavior? In the third blog of our blog series ‘AI and Manipulation’: an interview with policy advisor Nadia Benaissa from Bits of Freedom and Richard Rogers, Professor of New Media and Digital Culture at the University of Amsterdam.”
Strategic Artificial Intelligence Planning Alert: A State and Federal Regulatory Roadmap for 2025 Compliance
From Hinshaw Law: “The World Economic Forum has stated that 88 percent of C-suite executives indicated that adopting artificial intelligence (AI) in their companies is a key initiative for 2025. Companies are pivoting from merely testing AI to expanding AI use cases in their business processes. While these new use cases can bring significant business benefits, they also introduce real contractual and legal risks that should be thoughtfully considered and potentially mitigated.”
