Child Influencers: How Children Become Entangled with Social Media Fame
Cambridge; Hoboken, NJ: Polity Press (2026), xvi, 192 pp.
Contains illustrations, bibliogr. pp. 162-186
ISBN 978-1-5095-6802-4 (pdf); 978-1-5095-6803-1 (pbk)
‘Child Influencers’ have historically been used as a ‘catch-all’ term to refer to all forms of children who acquire some form of online celebrity. But as the chapters of this book will demonstrate, the early histories of ‘Mummy Bloggers’ (chapter 1), ‘Micro-Microcelebrity’ (chapter 2), ‘Family Influencers’ (chapter 3), and ‘Child Influencers’ (chapter 4) indicate that history is much more nuanced. Further, the contemporary discourse on platform-specific phenomena like ‘KidTok’ (chapter 5), internet-native trends like ‘Meme Celebrities’ (chapter 6) and ‘Viral Stars’ (chapter 7), and the legacies of children in traditional entertainment through ‘Variety Stars’ (chapter 8) underscore that despite not starting out as ‘Influencers’ per se, many children may go on to parlay or groom their fame into vocational, professional Influencers. More crucially, the wider ecology of institutions and ‘Factories’ (chapter 9) reveals the increasing structuration of the child Influencer industry involving multiple intermediaries and stakeholders. Finally, followers – including fans and anti-fans/ haters – continue to serve as important sources of governance and community policing through their efforts in the ‘Ground Zero’ (chapter 10) of fan fora and social media." (Introduction, pages 1-2)
Introduction, 1
1 Mummy Bloggers, 15
2 Micro-Microcelebrity, 31
3 Family Influencers, 45
4 Child Influencers, 62
5 KidTok, 77
6 Meme Celebrities, 92
7 Viral Stars, 104
8 Variety Stars, 119
9 Factories, 132
10 Ground Zero, 146
Conclusion, 159
1 Mummy Bloggers, 15
2 Micro-Microcelebrity, 31
3 Family Influencers, 45
4 Child Influencers, 62
5 KidTok, 77
6 Meme Celebrities, 92
7 Viral Stars, 104
8 Variety Stars, 119
9 Factories, 132
10 Ground Zero, 146
Conclusion, 159