After watching The Social Dilemma, I am hung up on thinking about the spread of misinformation on social media. Most of the time, when people talk about this issue, they think about the extremist groups on Facebook, or the crazy Facebook friends you know posting nonsense. However, there's a corner of the internet that is potentially even more dangerous for spreading misinformation: influencers.
While influencer marketing is a force to be reckoned with, especially for consumer companies, there is a dangerous side to the power that influencers have cultivated. Influencers have a platform with followers who are looking for their guidance on all aspects of life. Several influencers have been using this platform to spread misinformation about US politics by sharing Qanon beliefs. Many of these influencers are sponsored by major brands like Nike, Lululemon, Nordstrom - who leverage affiliate and influencers networks to sponsor posts to identify these micro-influencers. For a micro-influencer campaign, these brands may not be vetting each influencer as closely as they might for a bigger influencer. Therefore, they are unknowingly attaching their brand to misinformation online.
When we think about policy interventions to monitor and restrict misinformation on social media, it's difficult to think about interventions that can actual target these influencers. Influencers have the freedom of speech to say what they will to their followers. The responsibility is on the individual brands to ensure they are not sponsoring individuals who are a perpetuating conspiracy theories in our country.
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