28% of Irish people want a career as an online influencer

A new survey has revealed the Irish public’s attitude towards online influencers

How does a career through the lens of social media sound? While we’ve all been spending more time on our phones this year, when your entire career revolves around being ‘online’, it can all become a bit intense.

However, the pressures of a career on social media hasn’t deterred the Irish public – in a new survey by broadband and telecoms provider Pure Telecom, it’s been revealed that 28% of Irish people would want a career as an online influencer.

The financial issue

The survey of 1000 respondents also found that 50% of people feel they could earn more than the average national salary of €39,000 if they were an online influencer.

The income of an online influencer can widely fluctuate depending on their profile, but earlier this year, marketing firm Izea estimated the average fee for one Instagram post for a microinfluencer (one with under 100,000 followers) jumped from $134 (€122) in 2014 to $1,642 (€1490) in 2019. What’s more, last year’s report by inzpire.me noted that attaining 42,575 Instagram followers is enough for an influencer to earn the average UK salary.

The generation gap

While older generations may still view online influencing as an unstable career path, younger audiences are much more open to the idea. Whether it’s a difference in knowledge of technology, a different view of the sustainability of the gig economy, or simply a difference in time spent online, there’s no doubt that there’s a generational gap in attitudes towards the world of influencers. When the gap widens is when things can turn comical – comedian Seán Burke’s parody below pretty much sums it up.

Internet Creator gets interviewed on Mainstream Media pic.twitter.com/ZmHldVVJqk

— Seán Burke (@SeanBurkeShow) October 30, 2020

For younger social media users who make up the majority of influencer’s audience, who can blame them for aspiring to this career path? For those at the top of the pack, boasting millions of followers/subscribers, lucrative brand deals and celebrity status, the leap of faith into online influencing has definitely paid off.

Younger respondents to Pure Telecom’s survey are even more convinced of the monetary gains, as 58% of respondents in the 18-23 age bracket surveyed believe they can earn more than the average wage as an online influencer – that figure lowers to 52% for the 24-39 segment.

Doing their jobs

But whether we’re all convinced of the lucrativeness of becoming an influencer, there’s no doubt that those we choose to follow definitely live up to their title. 67% of respondents admitted they had made purchases that were inspired by an online influencer over the last 12 months. Such is the popularity across the board of the country’s top influencers, that even the Irish Government has considered leveraging their profiles to spread awareness of Covid-19 to younger demographics.

Paul Connell, CEO, Pure Telecom, said of the survey release: “For many, the viability of a career as an online influencer has now become undeniable, with the potential monetary gains associated with this new line of work continuing to turn heads. After a prolonged period of lockdown-induced reflection, I would imagine a sizable amount of the population are weighing up their career options, their life plans, and pouring more time and energy into passion projects. Having access to super-fast, reliable broadband is a fundamental part of helping people chart new paths forward. 

“With more and more major brands now factoring influencers into their budgetary plans, the potential to make a living as an influencer has never been higher.”