Meaning
Someone who can sway what other people buy, try, or believe, nowadays especially a social-media personality paid to post about products and brands. More broadly it remains a plain word for any person who inspires or guides the actions of others, a sense that is centuries old. Neutral-to-cynical; standard English, but calling oneself one often draws eye-rolls. Regional use: General English worldwide.
Origin
The noun is old: Merriam-Webster dates it to 1662, and the Oxford English Dictionary's earliest quotation, cited on Wikipedia, comes from Henry More in the mid-1600s describing a head and influencer of the Church. The modern commercial sense grew out of blogging in the early 2000s; Wikipedia traces the first influencer-marketing network to Ted Murphy's Blogstar Network in 2004, followed by PayPerPost in 2006, which paid forum users per promotional post and drew criticism over hidden sponsorship. During the 2010s the word settled on digital creators with large followings, distinctive personas, and ongoing brand deals, and dictionaries now carry the specific social-media subsense alongside the centuries-old general one.
Research Sources
References used to check this entry’s meaning, history, or documented forms.
Variants
- influencer marketing
- influencing (verb, as in influencing is a job)
- Instagram influencer
- social media influencer
Usage Examples
- The hotel invited a dozen influencers to promote its opening weekend.
- As a micro-influencer, she reviews hiking gear for a few thousand followers.
- The campaign paired a celebrity chef with local food influencers in each city.