As a person who watched the web crawl, then sprint, I see influencers as a real trade: part entertainer, part marketer, part small business owner (with all the headaches). Done with integrity, it widens who gets paid for creative labor, grows culture, and builds communities; the catch is that algorithms behave like fickle bosses, so creators need fair contracts, unions, and safety nets. Teach media literacy, require transparency about ads and AI, and I’m comfortable calling it a profession.