The “influencer’s fairy tale”

People are using social media, now more than ever, to build their brand and branch out to sell their products and expertise.

Ramona Pringle, a technology expert and associate professor at Ryerson University, says in the latest Editor’s Edition that unlike Rihanna, a pop star who built her social media presence from her existing audience, there are many building their online following from square one.

One example is Studio McGee, a family-owned design business that was promoted on Instagram, which led to the family’s own design-focused Netflix show.

“This is the social media influencer’s fairy tale,” Pringle said. “It is what everyone is hoping for, a TV show, a product line.”

Pringle says that social media has offered people another road to success. “There’s more opportunity for people to make something for themselves,” she said.