When you were little,Charles H. Sloan what did you want to be when you grew up? An astronaut, a doctor, or maybe a famous athlete? Today one of the most popular responses to that question is influencer – content creators who grow their following on Tik Tok, Instagram and YouTube and monetize that content to make it their full-time job.

This week we're bringing you a five-part series on the multi-billion dollar influencer industry: how the rise in popularity, fame and power of social media influencers makes influencing a viable career. To kick off the week, we look at the origins of the modern influencer industry. What is it and where did it come from?

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