The world of work has undergone a real transformation in the last decade, largely caused by digitization. The answers to the question ‘What do you want to be when you grow up?’ are increasingly diverse and the more traditional professions have been joined by many others widely linked to technology such as: programmers, data analysts, UX / UI designers, but also content creators for platforms such as YouTube, Instagram, TikTok or Twitch, among other
From Qustodio, a safety and well-being platform for families, they have observed during the last year a great growth in the use of social networks by minors, increasing the time spent by 76% compared to 2019, data that their annual study collects’ Applications and minors: a year trapped behind the screens’, and that also shows that the use of online video platforms such as YouTube would have increased by 25%.
“These data are a clear example of the current situation. Minors spend more time on social networks consuming content created by influencers and they become role models ”, states Eduardo Cruz, CEO and co-founder of Qustodio. “It is normal that our children want this type of role. The life that is shown in the networks is idyllic and used as a marketing hook, that your job is to play video games or travel around the world motivates more than a job of 8 to 5 ”, he points out.
As in the past, children dreamed of being knights or warriors because they found in them inspiration and the exaltation of all the values that they wanted to represent, today, young people and minors aspire to be influencers, the new references of the new generations . In fact, according to data from the XIII Adecco Survey What do you want to be when you grow up ?, the profession of youtuber appears as the fourth most desired for the almost 2,000 Spanish boys and girls between 4 and 16 years old.
The reality is that the world evolves and with it, new professions are born. So much so, that in Spain there are more than 7,500 people dedicated to creating content on the networks, turning their lifestyle into a marketing business. A dynamic that is difficult for older generations to understand, but much admired by digital natives.
It is a fact. The profession of influencer exists and has become one of the highest paying jobs in recent years. In fact, according to the Influencer Marketing Hub report, the social media advertising business grew in 2020 by around 8.2 billion euros. Instagram occupies the first position of the ranking in which a macro-influencer could earn between 4,000 and 8,000 euros per post and a mega-influencer for promotional content would never accept less than 8,000 euros and could reach a million euros in cases of celebrities. On YouTube, a nano-influencer can earn between 16 and 160 euros and a mega-influencer can earn more than 16,000 euros per mention. While the average salary of a Primary Education teacher is around 2,000 euros, according to data from the UGT and that of a doctor at about 4,400 euros. These data become one more motivation for young people.
The demand for these professionals by brands has been so high that studies have been created to learn how to exercise this position. In 2019, the Autonomous University of Madrid decided to create the course ‘Intelligence Influencers: Fashion & Beauty’, organized by the Faculty of Psychology and the School of Economic Intelligence of the UAM, together with the collaboration of the Ibiza Fashion Week to train the young people in this new profession.
The figure of the influencer is nothing more than a new marketing tool that brands integrate into their strategies in order to generate more sales and a greater brand reputation and it works. The success of the phenomenon is due to the sense of credibility that the opinions of these content creators bring today. It is not known how long it will last, what is obvious is that influencers have power, and a lot, over consumers and over children.
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