Is This The Future Of The Influencer Industry?
Cosmopolitan - South Africa|March 2019

These women have millions of Instagram followers, front-row seats at fashion weeks and the latest designer clothes … but they’re not real. This new social-media trend is the most futuristic yet: computer-generated avatars that look, talk and behave like real people. But, asks Hannah-Rose Yee, is this really how the influencer world is going to evolve?

Hannah-Rose Yee
Is This The Future Of The Influencer Industry?

Miquela Sousa has a constellation of freckles dusted right across her nose. Every week she posts a selfie featuring those freckles to 1,5-million followers via her booming Instagram account, @lilmiquela. She is 19 years old. She is a slashie – model-slash-singer-slash-influencer extraordinaire – with two ear-wormy singles that have 1,5-million monthly streams on Spotify. She lives in Los Angeles. She gets hangovers, goes to the gym and loves ice cream, Alexander Wang and the religious experience that was ‘Beychella’ (Beyoncé’s spectacular 2018 Coachella performance).

‘My days vary depending on my mood,’ Miquela tells me over e-mail. ‘I guess you could say I’m a late riser. I usually get out of bed around 11.’ On an average day she heads to her music studio or catches up with friends. In the evenings she follows a strict routine: she washes her face (‘I’ve been told never to go to bed with a dirty face!’), meditates and switches on her lavender-oil diffuser. ‘Winding down at the end of the day is tough for me,’ she says. ‘But I’ve found this routine really helps calm my mind.’

So far, so normal. But Miquela is not like you or me. In her words, she’s a robot designed by Brud, an enigmatic Californian company that specialises in ‘robotics [and] artificial intelligence’, though many believe she is merely a digital avatar. Make no mistake: though she poses in real-world scenarios alongside real people (such as Australian influencer Margaret Zhang and, more recently, Tracee Ellis Ross), and though she works with brands such as Prada, she is not a human being.

Denne historien er fra March 2019-utgaven av Cosmopolitan - South Africa.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

Denne historien er fra March 2019-utgaven av Cosmopolitan - South Africa.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

FLERE HISTORIER FRA COSMOPOLITAN - SOUTH AFRICASe alt
Marc Buckner
Cosmopolitan - South Africa

Marc Buckner

The Bachelor SA Season 2’s star is here to make you swoon. Find out why boss babes are ready to risk it all for this adventurous dog lover.

time-read
1 min  |
May 2020
I Tested Positive For The Alzheimer's Gene At 26 Years Old
Cosmopolitan - South Africa

I Tested Positive For The Alzheimer's Gene At 26 Years Old

A DNA testing kit is like a crystal ball, but what if you don’t like what you see?

time-read
3 mins  |
May 2020
Basically No-One Has A 28-Day Menstrual Cycle
Cosmopolitan - South Africa

Basically No-One Has A 28-Day Menstrual Cycle

Brought to you by: the idea of a ‘normal’ period is a lie

time-read
2 mins  |
May 2020
For Those Times When You're Like, ‘I Love You, But You're Annoying...'
Cosmopolitan - South Africa

For Those Times When You're Like, ‘I Love You, But You're Annoying...'

Coupledom can be hard!

time-read
5 mins  |
May 2020
How To Get Sh*t Done
Cosmopolitan - South Africa

How To Get Sh*t Done

Calling all procrastinators: sometimes getting started on a new project or goal can be the hardest part. Here’s how to stop putting it off and actually press go

time-read
5 mins  |
May 2020
Is Rage Bait Okay?
Cosmopolitan - South Africa

Is Rage Bait Okay?

It has become the new engagement strategy for many brands. Companies bait their followers into engaging with their content around topics that cause outrage. But is this okay? Social -media strategists Talya Goldberg and Jabulile Dlamini -Qwesha share their views.

time-read
2 mins  |
May 2020
Is Cardio A Scam? And 7 Other Not-stupid Questions About Fitness Things
Cosmopolitan - South Africa

Is Cardio A Scam? And 7 Other Not-stupid Questions About Fitness Things

Thanks for calling 0800 -WTF- Is -This

time-read
3 mins  |
May 2020
Hold The Phone
Cosmopolitan - South Africa

Hold The Phone

Zozibini Tunzi is here to remind you all to Take. Up. Space. She’s rewriting the pageantry rulebook, and she wants you to join in (in a bath, wearing sparkly boots, because that’s just how we roll).

time-read
10 mins  |
May 2020
How To Tell It Like It Is *And Finally Get A Promotion*
Cosmopolitan - South Africa

How To Tell It Like It Is *And Finally Get A Promotion*

Receiving constructive criticism on your work can be terrifying. But do it right and it can be a career game-changer.

time-read
5 mins  |
May 2020
What Makes A Compulsive Liar?
Cosmopolitan - South Africa

What Makes A Compulsive Liar?

We all do it. Tell those lit t le white lies to ourselves, and others. But what about those for whom lying is a way of life? Catriona Harvey-Jenner investigates the rise of a new kind of scammer.

time-read
10 mins  |
May 2020