The Bubble

The bubble is a socioeconomic internet occurance created by influencer marketing and the expansion of e-commerce driven through social media platforms. Consider this timeline as representation of this theory.

2010: Instagram is created.

2012: 

Gangam Style Becomes first video on YouTube to reach 1 Billion views.

Instagram user base reaches 50 Million  

Facebook purchases Instagram for 1 Billion Dollars. ($300 million in cash, the remainder in Facebook stock.)

Kanye West Releases the Yeezy Clothing Brand Spring Ready to Wear and begins collaborations with Adidas.

2013:

Instagram integrates video, business accounts, advertising, and direct messaging, Influencer Marketing reaches an all time high industry worth. (First spike in existence, poised for extreme growth)

American Microblogging Website Twitter acquires video based social media site: “vine” and goes public. 

President Obama gets inaugurated to begin his second term.  

2014-2016:

The golden age of influencer marketing: Global spending on influencer marketing jumps from 100 Million(2014) to 480 Million (2015)

Lele Pons becomes the first Viner to reach 1 Billion “loops” on Vine.

Instagram user base reaches 500 Million [100 million user increase each year between 2014-2016] 

Amazon Stock reaches all time high, jumping well past Apple Stock. 

Official Yeezy/Adidas Collaboration releases Yeezy Season 1 and Yeezy Boost. Yeezy Boost recieves FNAA Shoe of the year. (2015)

Donald Trump formally formally launches 2016 presidential campaign. (2015) 

November 8, 2016, Trump and Pence were elected President and Vice President of the United States.

December 16, 2016, Vine announces Close.

Ending the golden age of influencers. 

2017-Now:

Influencer growth still on the rise. Global spending projected to increase to $5-10 Billion by 2020. 

Fyre Fest (2017) 

The Americans Meme (2018) Dir. Bert Marcus. [Netflix] 

So what is the bubble?  

The bubble is the mess we’ve made, where we’ve allowed business and people to take stock in these artificial structures. People spending real dollars, for pictures, tags, likes, followers and alike. This bubble is an event that must end like the housing market in 2008, like the roaring 20’s. It will affect global economics, socioeconomic structures, and social psychology. 

The bubble is just that. A bubble. Good luck when it pops.