Online influencers have shaped the way people interact with brands since the advent of social media, adding context to products outside of typical advertising channels. But the idea that more followers equate to more consumer sway is not always true. How exactly is influencer marketing evolving?

Beauty is in the throes of revolution. As people move away from the idealised to a celebration of real people, brands have an exciting opportunity to tap into the new beauty wave. With its #SephoraSquad, Sephora is going further, inviting everyday people to become influencers for the brand.

With her flawlessly rendered appearance and dramatic digital narratives, virtual influencer Lil’ Miquela has been challenging ideas of authenticity on Instagram since 2016. Why are brands and social media users embracing these CGI celebrities and could they ever replace their human counterparts?

The phrase “social media influencer” likely conjures up a specific image: a young, conventionally beautiful man or woman promoting weight-loss tea through #sponcon on your Instagram feed. Instagram, in particular, has long been the domain of the young and glamorous but, as ideals of beauty and celebrity continue to shift, a new wave of social influencer is taking shape. People are seeking out content from different groups of people, from Boomers subverting social norms around ageing, to young women who weight train, to the stars of reality TV who are sharing every detail of their lives on social media. In an age of hyper-accessibility, people are following influencers who more closely represent them and their interests.