So influencers seem to be someone whom the ‘influenced’ by admire, relate to and quite possibly aspire to be like.  I think I’m right in saying that modern ‘influencers’ have a large online following but potential short-term careers. My daughter Betsy has been filling me in about the case of you-tuber James Charles who was accused of using his money, fame and influencer online status to manipulate straight men sexually. I can’t begin to keep up with the ins and outs of the case but apparently a rival you-tuber Tati Westbrook pulled him up on it and his influencer status rapidly diminshed.

The plot thickened with James defending his innocence and regaining his followers. Cosmopolitan dedicated a whole article to sharing the true story, so this is big business! It shows how being an influencer goes beyond ‘selling’ merchandise and is a powerful position to hold. I’m vaguely concerned how woefully ill informed I am about modern influencers. I’ve no idea who many of the biggest instagram social influencers are for example, yet I am happy for my kids to have exposure to their message day in day out.  It feels like I’ve turned my back for a second and being ‘influencer’ aware has become a large part of parenting that I’ve completely missed. Where influencer status comes from is perhaps something worth discussing within families. It could even be explored in school tutorial programmes. The history of influencers old and new. To what extent is Mussolini similar to Nigel Farage?