But social media has drastically changed the indicators of success for an influencer. Now influence is more often defined by number of followers and likes and comments, by metrics of fan engagement, by sponsors and by money. More and more, building an influence parallels growing a brand or selling a product. Marketing principles like audience segmentation, SWOT analyses, the 4P's and Fogg Behavior Model are more applicable than ever before. Human beings are commodified on the internet. They are essentially a product and let me tell you, they are in demand. 

With the power and leverage that social media has over consumer behavior some pretty wild concepts were born. There's the good like James Charles creating a safe space for boys to wear makeup, the bad like Logan Paul vlogging a body in Japan's suicide forest and calling it suicide awareness, and the wtf like a computer generated virtual Instagram model and singer known as Lil Miquela. 

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Through tons of online researching, podcast listening, and video watching, I have uncovered some pretty interesting tidbits about the industry and have related them back to marketing concepts providing insight into how people build a personal brand on the internet. 

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