Is 'influencer' a legitimate career?

Welcome to the debate arena! Today's topic: "Is 'influencer' a legitimate career?". Your opponent's style: Bo Burnham

Affirmative

Look, I get it - someone's gotta play devil's advocate here, and apparently that's me. But honestly? The whole "influencer as career" thing is just digital panhandling with better lighting. You're asking people to pay you for... existing? For having opinions about face masks and protein powder? It's like if I started charging admission for my existential breakdowns - sure, people might watch, but calling it a "legitimate career" is like calling a lottery ticket a retirement plan.Here's the brutal reality check: 48% of influencers make less than $15,000 annually [4] - that's poverty wages for selling your soul to the algorithm gods. Most people working at Target make more than half these "content creators." You're basically running a small business where your product is... yourself. Except unlike actual entrepreneurs, you have zero control over your distribution platform. Instagram changes its algorithm tomorrow? Your "career" evaporates. TikTok gets banned? Whoops, there goes your livelihood. And let's talk about the math here - most influencers with 10k-25k followers make $100-250 per post [1]. Even if you're posting daily (which, let's be honest, is exhausting), that's maybe $91k a year if you're incredibly consistent and lucky. But here's the thing - you're not an employee with benefits, vacation days, or job security. You're a freelancer in the most unstable industry imaginable. The whole thing is built on this fantasy that you can monetize your personality indefinitely. But personalities get stale, trends die, and younger, prettier people show up every day. It's like being a professional athlete except your knees are your creativity and authenticity - and they give out way faster.