Nobody Knows for Sure Who the Social Media "Influencers" Really Influence

There was a joke about influencers that circulated some time last year — although nobody knows for sure if it was a joke. At one of the local embassies (that I won't mention for obvious reasons), a team went to brief the ambassador and the senior staff on plans for an event they were hosting in a few days. Among other items on the agenda was "Guests," a list of people — laid out in groups — who had been invited to attend. And there came a time to discuss the item.

After a quick scan, the ambassador asked, "Who are these people listed as 'influencers'?" They are a group of young people in Kigali, a staffer from the communications department replied, who are famous and active on social media. And then the Excellency, who seemed amused by the idea, came up with another question: "Who do they influence exactly?"

As you can imagine, this is where things got more interesting.