But who influences the influencer?

Even the influential, it seems, are getting influenced by influencers. These Pied Pipers of LinkedIn tell us what to wear, what to eat, how to work, how to live. But hang on, who influences the influencer? Nietzsche, bless his moustache, warned us about herd morality: the sheepish instinct to follow the flock, even if the flock is marching toward a cliff with ring lights strapped to their heads. Influencers, those supposed shepherds of taste and purchasing habits, are themselves sheep in Gucci sneakers, bleating in unison to the tune of 'engagement metrics'. Their 'authenticity' is a performance choreographed by unseen shepherds: marketing departments, trend forecasters, and the occasional astrologer who insists Rahu entering Saturn demands a new protein shake.

Imagine the influencer as a Matryoshka doll. Open the lacquered exterior, and inside you'll find another influencer. Then another... until at the core sits an intern at a PR agency, desperately Googling 'best time to post thirst trap'. The herd morality trickles downward - or upward - until everyone is both shepherd and sheep, bleating into the void. So, who influences the influencer? The herd itself. The influencer is merely the loudest sheep who convinces us that following is leading, without mentioning anything about going up any garden path. In other words, quite the Nietzschean.