They Came to See Us Suffer

An essay on influencers could start with Marx, or theories of performance, or how doctrines of personal branding first promulgated in the 1990s have forged an unholy union with new technologies of exposure and surveillance. But you’re probably reading this on the internet, and I’m afraid you’ll click away. So let’s begin with a beautiful blonde woman whose future is uncertain, who needs your help, who wants you to watch.