The ‘commodification of influence’ part 3: nano influencers

We recently released the third and final part of our investigation into South Africa’s covert paid influence industry. It was published in partnership with the Daily Maverick and funded by the Henry Nxumalo Foundation. You can read it here.

You can find the previous parts here: Part 1 | Part 2

This final part of our investigation profiles mega influencer’s ‘foot soldiers’: the nano influencers.

It looks at the economic and other incentives that these small-scale influencers have for taking part in covert paid influence campaigns. It puts a human face to this industry where many people are just trying to do what they need to do to survive, unaware of the macro implications of the role they play in the commodification of influence; a trend across Africa and the world.