不要輕視網紅,他們正在主宰世界!大綱

Don't Scoff at Influencers. They're Taking Over the World.
不要輕視網紅，他們正在主宰世界

ANAHEIM, Calif. — When the first TikTok star is elected president, I hope she will save some room in her cabinet for older and more conventional bureaucrats, even if they don't have millions of followers, great hair or amazing dance moves.
加利福尼亞州阿納海姆——當第一位TikTok明星當選總統時，我希望她能在內閣中爲年長的傳統官僚保留一些位置，即使他們沒有數百萬的追隨者，沒有漂亮的髮型，跳不出炫目的舞步。

I say "when," not "if," because I just spent three days at VidCon, the annual social media convention in Anaheim, hanging out with a few thousand current and future internet celebrities. And it's increasingly obvious to me that the teenagers and 20-somethings who have mastered these platforms — and who are often dismissed as shallow, preening narcissists by adults who don't know any better — are going to dominate not just internet culture or the entertainment industry but society as a whole.
我之所以說“當”而不是“如果”，是因爲我剛剛在阿納海姆的年度社交媒體大會VidCon上待了三天，和數千名現在和未來的網紅們在一起。在我看來，越來越清晰的一點是，掌握了這些平臺的青少年和年輕人（他們往往被一些不瞭解情況的成年人視爲膚淺、自滿的自戀狂）將不僅主宰網絡文化或娛樂產業，還有整個社會。

On the surface, this can be a terrifying proposition. One day at VidCon, I hung out with a crew of teenage Instagram stars, who seemed to spend most of their time filming "collabs" with other creators and complimenting one another on their "drip," influencer-speak for clothes and accessories. (In their case, head-to-toe Gucci and Balenciaga outfits with diamond necklaces and designer sneakers.) Another day, I witnessed an awkward dance battle between two budding TikTok influencers, neither of whom could have been older than 10. (Adults who are just catching up: TikTok is a short-form video app owned by the Chinese internet company Bytedance.)
從表面上看，這可能是一個可怕的提議。一天，在VidCon，我和一羣十幾歲的Instagram明星在一起，他們似乎大部分時間都是在跟其他創作者一起拍攝“合作”(collab)，並互贊對方的“行頭”(drip)——這是影響力人物對衣服和配飾的說法。（以他們爲例，從頭到腳都是Gucci和Balenciaga的衣服，搭配鑽石項鍊和潮牌運動鞋。）另一天，我目睹了兩個剛躥紅的TikTok網紅之間的一場尬舞，他們看上去不到10歲。（正在迎頭趕上的成年人請注意：TikTok是中國互聯網公司字節跳動旗下的一款短視頻應用。）

But if you can look past the silliness and status-seeking, many people at VidCon are hard at work. Being an influencer can be an exhausting, burnout-inducing job, and the people who are good at it have typically spent years working their way up the ladder. Many social media influencers are essentially one-person start-ups, and the best ones can spot trends, experiment relentlessly with new formats and platforms, build an authentic connection with an audience, pay close attention to their channel analytics, and figure out how to distinguish themselves in a crowded media environment — all while churning out a constant stream of new content.
但如果你能無視那些傻里傻氣、追求地位之舉的話，VidCon的許多人其實都很拼。成爲一名網紅是一份令人精疲力盡的工作，而擅長此道的人通常都用了好幾年的時間才一步步爬上來。許多社交媒體的影響者其實都是一人創業公司，其中的佼佼者可以發現趨勢走向、堅持不懈地嘗試新格式、新平臺，與受衆建立一個真實的聯繫，密切關注他們的渠道分析，找到如何在一個擁擠的媒體環境下脫穎而出的辦法——與此同時還在不斷產生新的內容流。

Not all influencers are brilliant polymaths, of course. Some of them have succeeded by virtue of being conventionally attractive, or good at video games, or in possession of some other surface-level attribute. Others have made their names with dubious stunts and extreme political commentary.
當然，並非所有網紅都是博學多聞的聰明人。他們中的一些人之所以成功，是因爲具有傳統的吸引力，或者擅長電子遊戲，或者擁有其他一些表面上的特質。還有人則以可疑的噱頭和極端的政治評論爆得大名。

But as social media expands its cultural dominance, the people who can steer the online conversation will have an upper hand in whatever niche they occupy — whether that's media, politics, business or some other field.
但隨着社交媒體擴大在文化中的主導地位，那些能夠在網上引導話題的人，將在他們佔據的任何利基領域處在上風位置——無論是媒體、政治、商業還是其他領域。

"The way to think of influencers or creators is as entrepreneurs," said Chris Stokel-Walker, the author of "YouTubers." "These people are setting up businesses, hiring staff, managing budgets. These are massively transferable skills."
“要把影響力人物或創造者看作創業者，”《YouTube網紅》一書的作者克里斯·斯托克爾-沃克(Chris Stokel-Walker)說。“這些人是在創業、招聘員工、管理預算。這些都是相當可轉用的技能。”

Just look at Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the New York Democrat who has become a powerful force in Congress by pairing her policy agenda with an intuitive understanding of what works online. Or look at what's happening in Brazil, where YouTubers are winning political elections by mobilizing their online fan bases.
看看代表紐約州的民主黨衆議員亞歷山德里婭·奧卡西奧-科爾特茲(Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez)，她已經成爲國會的一支重要力量，她把自己的政策議程與對網絡運作的直觀理解相結合。或者再看看巴西發生的事情，那裏的YouTube網紅通過動員他們的在線粉絲羣贏得政治選舉。

In the business world, influencer culture is already an established force. A generation of direct-to-consumer brands that were built using the tools and tactics of social media has skyrocketed to success — like Glossier, the influencer-beloved beauty company that recently raised $100 million at a valuation of more than $1 billion, or Away, the luggage start-up whose ubiquitous Instagram ads helped it reach a valuation of $1.4 billion. Many social media stars strike endorsement deals with major brands, in addition to earning money through advertising and merchandise sales. And even executives in sleepy, old-line industries now hire "personal branding consultants" to help increase their online followings.
在商業世界，有影響力的文化已經是一種既定的力量。利用社交媒體工具和策略打造的一代直接面對消費者的品牌，已經一炮而紅——像深受影響者喜愛的美妝公司Glossier最近籌集了1億美元，估值超過10億美元；又或者行李箱初創公司Away在Instagram上無處不在的廣告，幫助它達到14億美元的估值。除了通過廣告和商品銷售賺錢，許多社交媒體明星還與大品牌達成代言協議。甚至在那些昏昏欲睡的傳統行業裏，高管們如今也開始僱傭“個人品牌顧問”來幫助增加網上的關注者。

Natalie Alzate, a YouTuber with more than 10 million subscribers who goes by Natalies Outlet, is an example of the wave of influencers who treated their online brand-building as a business rather than a fun hobby. Four years ago, when Ms. Alzate first came to VidCon, she was a marketing student with fewer than 7,000 subscribers. She decided to study her favorite YouTubers, watch how they made their videos and then test videos in multiple genres, seeing which ones performed best on her channel.
娜塔莉·阿爾扎特(Natalie Alzate)的YouTube頻道叫Natalies Outlet，訂閱者超過1000萬。她是這一批網紅中的典型，他們把打造網絡品牌當成一種生意，而不是一種興趣愛好。四年前，當阿爾扎特第一次參加VidCon時，她還只是一名市場營銷專業的學生，只有不到7000名訂閱者。她決定研究一下自己最喜歡的那些YouTube網紅，看看他們是如何製作視頻的，然後測試不同類型的視頻，看看哪類在她的頻道上表現最好。

"I grew up watching people, like Michelle Phan, that were building legacies out of, honestly, just being really relatable online," Ms. Alzate said. "It was always an aspiration."
“我從小就看着像米歇爾·潘(Michelle Phan)這樣的人，說實話，他們的得以流傳的東西很大程度上都是在網上建立的，”阿爾扎特說。“這一直是我的抱負。”

Eventually, she hit on formats — like beauty tips and lifehacks — that reliably performed well, and she was off to the races. Today, she is a full-time YouTuber with a small staff, a production studio and the kind of fame she once coveted.
最終，她找到了一些確實表現不錯的模式，比如美容祕訣和生活小竅門，於是她就開始投身這個行業。如今，她是一名全職YouTube創作者，擁有不大的員工規模、一個製作工作室，以及她曾經夢寐以求的那種名氣。

In truth, influencers have been running the world for years. We just haven't called them that. Instead, we called them "movie stars" or "talk-radio hosts" or "Davos attendees." The ability to stay relevant and attract attention to your work has always been critical. And who, aside from perhaps President Trump, is better at getting attention than a YouTube star?
事實上，影響者已經統治這個世界很多年了。我們只是沒有這麼稱呼他們，而是稱他們爲“電影明星”、“脫口秀主持人”或“達沃斯與會者”。保持相關性和吸引別人注意你的工作的能力一直都很重要。除了特朗普總統，還有誰比YouTube明星更能吸引眼球呢?

VidCon, which started 10 years ago as a meet-and-greet event for popular YouTubers, is a perfect place to observe influencers in their natural habitat. And many of them were here to promote their channels, to network with other creators and to make strides toward the dream of internet fame.
VidCon始於10年前，最初是受歡迎的YouTube創作者的見面會，是觀察網紅在其自然棲息地的完美場所。他們當中許多人來這裏是爲了宣傳自己的頻道，與其他創作者建立聯繫，並朝着互聯網成名的夢想邁進。

Sometimes, that meant appearing in photos and videos with more popular influencers in an attempt to increase their own following, a practice known in influencer circles as "clout chasing." Other times, it meant going to panels with titles like "Curating Your Personal Brand" and "How to Go Viral and Build an Audience." For VidCon's featured creators, the super-famous ones with millions of followers, it can mean spending the day at a meet-and-greet with fans before going out to V.I.P. parties at night.
有時，這意味着與更受歡迎的網紅一起出現在照片和視頻中，以增加自己的關注者，這種做法在網紅圈子裏被稱爲“追逐影響力”。還有時要參加一些以“打造個人品牌”和“如何做到病毒傳播並建立受衆”爲主題的討論會。對於VidCon的特別主創們，也就是那些擁有數百萬粉絲的超級明星來說，白天則要和粉絲見面，晚上出去參加VIP派對。

Not all of the young people I met at VidCon will spend their whole lives pursuing internet fame. Some of them will grow up, go off to college and wind up becoming doctors, lawyers or accountants. Some will fizzle out and be replaced by a younger generation of internet stars.
並不是我在VidCon遇到的所有年輕人都用畢生來追求網絡上的名聲。他們中的一些人長大後會去上大學，最終成爲醫生、律師或會計師。還有一些人將會失敗，被年輕一代的網絡明星所取代。

But the lessons they learned from performing on YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok will stick with them, regardless of where they end up. Just as the 20th century groomed a generation of children steeped in the ethos of TV culture, the 21st century will produce a generation of business moguls, politicians and media figures who grew up chasing clout online and understand how to operate the levers of the attention economy.
但他們從YouTube、Instagram和TikTok上的表演中學到的經驗會一直伴隨着他們，不管他們最終成爲什麼樣的人。就像20世紀培養了一代沉浸在電視文化氛圍中的孩子一樣，21世紀也將培養出一代商界大亨、政界人士和媒體人士，他們在成長過程中追逐網絡影響力，懂得如何運用注意力經濟的槓桿。

"In the early days, it felt like this was a sub-niche of youth culture," Beau Bryant, the general manager of talent at Fullscreen, a management agency for digital creators, told me at VidCon. He gestured around at a room filled with influencers sitting on velvet couches. Some were taking selfies and editing their Instagram stories. Others were holding business meetings about partnerships and sponsored content deals.
“早期，我覺得這是青年文化的一個細分市場，” Fullscreen公司的人才總監博·布萊恩特(Beau Bryant)在VidCon對我說。他指了指滿屋坐在絲絨沙發上的網紅們。一些人在自拍，編輯他們的Instagram故事。一些人在舉行有關合作夥伴關係和贊助內容交易的商務會議。

"Now, it just feels like this is what youth culture is," Mr. Bryant said.
“現在，好像這就是青年文化，”布萊恩特說。

In other words, influencers are the future. Dismiss them at your peril.
換句話說，網紅就是未來。忽視他們，你只能後果自負。