Online influencers are part of the fabric of society these days, and the general meaning is someone who influences others to take some sort of action using reach, contextual credibility, and salesmanship. These actions may refer to buying, voting, listening, watching, or following. In most cases, online influencers have the power to affect the purchase decisions of their followers because of the relationship they have built through adding value to people’s lives.
Many have massively large social media followings, but that's not necessarily part of the criteria to be considered an online influencer. It is important to be able to reach people, but some niches or followings are smaller, and some are localized, which don't require hundreds of thousands of followers. Some of the most common types of influencers are celebrities, experts in a specific topic or niche, big brands, bloggers, and content creators and marketers.