What is a 'social media influencer'?

74,990 views ・ 2019-11-11

BBC Learning English


Please double-click on the English subtitles below to play the video.

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Feifei: Hi Neil, you look stressed?
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Neil: Oh, not really. Just writing a script
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for The English We Speak. I'm a bit stuck.
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Feifei: What's the phrase?
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00:16
Neil: Social media influencer.
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Feifei: Well, that's easy.
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Neil: Maybe for someone young
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and trendy like you! Go on then, tell me.
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Feifei: Let me talk you through it
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step-by-step. Well,
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you know social media?
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Neil: Of course! Facebook,
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Twitter, Instagram...
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00:29
Feifei: A social media influencer
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is someone who has a lot
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of followers online - and who
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is an expert or authority in a particular
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subject - like photography
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or cookery or make-up.
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Neil: OK.
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Feifei: What that person says, or does,
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or buys, or wears... can influence
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the decisions of their followers!
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Which is why we call them 'social media
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influencers'. Or simply, 'influencers'.
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00:53
Neil: OK, I have a few followers. So if
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I start, say, growing a long moustache,
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and all my friends copy me - would you
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say I was a social media influencer?
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Feifei: Err... I suppose so! And then,
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what might happen is
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the marketing department of
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a company selling moustache products
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gets in touch - and pays you to start using
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their moustache oil?
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Neil: OK. I like the sound of this.
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Grow a moustache and get paid.
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Let's listen to some examples.
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Our company was finding it hard to reach
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new customers aged 16 to 25.
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Then we hired a few
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social media influencers and
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sales just rocketed.
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Kylie Jenner is one of America's
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biggest social media influencers.
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Companies pay her up to
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a million dollars for a single post!
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There's a lot of debate about whether
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or not influencers should be open
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about who is paying
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them to promote products.
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01:53
Feifei: You're listening to The English
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We Speak from BBC Learning English.
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Our expression is
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'social media influencer'.
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So, Neil, how's the script going?
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Neil: I'm not writing it any more, Feifei.
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I'm focussing full time
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on my new business.
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Feifei: Ah, I see you've grown
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a moustache. Are you going to post
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a picture so all your
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twenty followers can see it and be
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influenced by your amazing style?
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Neil: Don't worry, I've realised I don't have
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enough followers, or authority,
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to influence anyone, Feifei.
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But I have discovered there's
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a gap in the market
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for organic moustache oil!
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Feifei: Oh, well done!
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Neil's Marvellous Moustache Oil...
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Neil: Nice. Now, I just need to find
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an influencer to help me with marketing.
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A hairy influencer.
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Feifei: Good luck, Neil!
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02:43
Neil: Bye.
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02:43
Feifei: Bye.
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