Many young people are now vocationally pursuing celebrity on the internet as commercial, cross-platform, and highly relatable Influencers. Influencers are raking in millions of dollars, working with blue chip companies, establishing their own brands, and even effecting change in legal, economic, and social regulation in various societies. In fact, the communication formats of Influencers are so innovative that ailing legacy media formats are learning to brandjack their vernacular participatory cultures to appeal to young audiences. In this ever-evolving landscape – comprising ‘old’ digital media like blogs and online forums and ‘new’ contenders like TikTok, subscription platforms, and livestreaming – issues of governance and regulation are continuously emerging, especially in a culture where very young children are increasingly intertwined with commerce. Drawing on 13 years of traditional and digital anthropological research on internet celebrity, focused especially on the Asia Pacific and the Nordic, in this talk we will review the key issues pertaining to governance and regulation of the Influencer industry.
