Influence Ownership Strategy Digital Business

Why Influence Is a Bubble About to Burst

By Mahfod December 24, 2024 6 min read

Why “Influence” Is a Bubble That Will Burst (And What Will Replace It)

The influence economy has exploded in 10 years.

Millions of people create content on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube. Some earn millions. Most earn crumbs.

But even those who “succeed” are sitting on a house of cards.

Being an influencer means being a human billboard.

It’s tiring. It’s precarious. And it only lasts so long.

The Economic Architect doesn’t seek influence.

They seek Ownership.

The Anatomy of the Influence Economy

How the Influencer Model Works

The influencer exchanges:

  • Their time (content creation)
  • Their image (permanent exposure)
  • Their authenticity (or what’s left of it)

For:

  • Advertising revenue
  • Brand partnerships
  • Merchandise sales

The Reality in Numbers

Revenue distribution (approximate):

  • 1% of creators capture 90% of revenue
  • 90% of creators earn less than minimum wage
  • The median is close to €0

Average lifespan:

  • 2-5 years of “relevance” for most
  • Frequent burnout
  • Constant audience renewal

Algorithmic dependence:

  • One algorithm change = -50% reach possible
  • No control over distribution
  • Slave to platforms

The Hidden Side of “Success”

Even influencers “who succeed” live a silent hell:

Constant Production No post = no revenue. The algorithm punishes absence. Vacation = audience loss.

Permanent Exposure Non-existent private life. Constant criticism. Daily trolls and haters.

Dependence on Youth The audience ages slower than you. New creators are younger, “fresher.” The popularity curve always ends up going down.

Eroded Authenticity Every partnership is a compromise. The character takes over the person. Identity merges with the brand.

Why the Bubble Will Burst

Reason 1: Total Saturation

Everyone has become a “content creator.”

In 2024:

  • 50+ million creators on YouTube
  • 200+ million “creator” accounts on Instagram
  • 1+ billion TikTok videos uploaded per month

The supply of attention is fixed (24h/day per person). The supply of content is infinite.

Result: The value of each individual creator falls.

Reason 2: AI Replaces Humans

AI can now:

  • Generate realistic faces (avatars)
  • Clone voices
  • Create consistent content
  • Post automatically

Why pay a human influencer when an AI avatar costs 100x less and never asks for vacation?

Brands are starting to use virtual influencers.

Reason 3: The Audience Becomes Cynical

The public has figured out the game:

  • “It’s a disguised ad”
  • “They’re paid to say that”
  • “It’s not authentic”

Trust in influencers is collapsing.

Peer recommendations (customer reviews, forums) are regaining credibility.

Reason 4: Brands Optimize

Brands measure ROI more and more precisely.

They’re realizing many influencer partnerships have mediocre ROI.

Money is moving toward:

  • Targeted paid media
  • Proprietary content marketing
  • Micro-influencers (cheaper)
  • AI tools

Influence vs Ownership

Here’s the fundamental distinction:

The Influencer

What they own: Their “personal brand”

What they DON’T own:

  • The platform (Instagram, TikTok, YouTube)
  • The algorithm
  • The audience (it belongs to the platform)
  • The data
  • The distribution channel

Risk: A ban, an algorithm change, a controversy = everything disappears.

The Owner Architect

What they own:

  • Their websites (domains)
  • Their email lists (data)
  • Their systems (infrastructure)
  • Their content (assets)
  • Their automated revenue

What they don’t own: Celebrity (but they don’t care).

Risk: Diversified, controllable, mitigatable.

The Pipes vs Celebrity

Ask yourself this question:

Would you rather be the clown dancing on TikTok (Influencer) or the one who owns the theater (Architect)?

The Clown

They depend on:

  • The theater owner (the platform)
  • The audience that comes (the algorithm)
  • Their ability to entertain (their energy)

If they stop dancing, income stops. If they age, the audience leaves. If they make a mistake, they’re canceled.

The Theater Owner

They own:

  • The building (the infrastructure)
  • The ticketing system (payments)
  • The spectator list (the audience)

They can:

  • Bring in different artists
  • Change the show
  • Sell the theater
  • Retire

The owner doesn’t depend on their own stage performance.

The Architect’s Strategy

The Architect doesn’t seek visibility for its own sake.

They seek to own the pipes through which money flows.

Pipe 1: Organic Traffic (SEO)

Your articles rank on Google. Traffic comes whether you post or not. You own the content.

Pipe 2: The Email List

You own the addresses. No algorithm between you and your audience. Direct, guaranteed communication.

Pipe 3: Automated Systems

Your AES generate revenue without your presence. You can disappear, revenue continues.

Pipe 4: Sellable Assets

Your sites, your systems have resale value. An influencer can’t sell their “influence.”

The Transition from Influence to Ownership

If you’re currently an influencer (or tempted to become one), here’s how to transition.

Step 1: Capture Your Audience

Transform your followers into email subscribers.

Followers don’t belong to you. Emails belong to you.

Offer something of value in exchange for the email.

Step 2: Create Permanent Assets

Transform your ephemeral content into permanent content.

  • Stories → Blog articles
  • TikTok videos → YouTube channel + Website
  • Instagram posts → Newsletter

Permanent content works for you. Ephemeral content dies.

Step 3: Automate Revenue

No longer depend on one-off partnerships.

Create automated revenue:

  • Digital products
  • Evergreen affiliation
  • Subscriptions
  • SaaS

Step 4: Reduce Exposure

Progressively, reduce your personal presence.

Go from personal branding to system branding.

Your system becomes the brand. You become invisible (if you wish).

Step 5: Exit Possibility

With tangible assets, you can:

  • Sell your sites
  • Sell your lists
  • Sell your systems

An influencer can’t sell their face.

The Future of the Attention Economy

What Will Decrease

  • Generic human influencers
  • Ephemeral valueless content
  • Dependence on social platforms
  • Non-differentiated “personal brands”

What Will Increase

  • Automated content systems
  • Direct media ownership
  • Proprietary communities (not on social networks)
  • Deep expertise vs broad visibility

The New Elite

The new digital economic elite won’t be made of visible “stars.”

It will be made of invisible owners.

Those who own the sites you visit. The systems that send you emails. The tools you use. The content that ranks on Google.

You’ll never know their faces. But they’ll own the infrastructure.

Conclusion

The influence economy is a bubble.

It has enriched a few. It has exhausted many others. It will deflate facing saturation and AI.

The Economic Architect doesn’t play this game.

They don’t want to be famous. They want to own the pipes.

They don’t want likes. They want assets.

They don’t want attention. They want ownership.

Would you rather be the clown dancing or the one who owns the theater?

Choose ownership.

Become an Architect.