Emily Hund, author of the book, The Influencer Industry: The Quest for Authenticity on Social Media (Princeton University Press, 2023), will offer a history of the rise to prominence of social media influencers at a campus talk on October 4. Hund is a research affiliate at the Center on Digital Culture and Society at the University of Pennsylvania’s Annenberg School for Communication. The Influencer Industry tells the story of how early digital creators scrambling for work amid the Great Recession gave rise to the multibillion-dollar influencer industry that has fundamentally reshaped culture, the flow of information, and the way we relate to ourselves and each other. Drawing on in-depth interviews with leading social media influencers, brand executives, marketers, talent managers, trend forecasters, and others, Hund shows how the creating, monetizing, and marketing of social media content has permeated our lives and untangles the unforeseen cultural and economic costs. Hund’s talk will be held in Gasson Hall, room 202, beginning at 5:30 p.m.