Author: Jessica Pittendreigh

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Jessica Pittendreigh is a First-Class Film Studies and English Literature graduate from The University of Manchester. A writer and filmmaker with experience on BFI Network productions, she has published work in Femmine, Echo Review, and The Mancunian. She has produced and directed short films and documentaries, and her work spans cultural journalism and visual storytelling.

The Rise of Micro-Influencers and the Price of Authenticity

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Since the rise of online content creators in the early 2010s, one thing has consistently separated those who grow in relevance from those who fade into the backdrop of trends and challenges: the delicate balance between relatability and inaccessibility. The creators who succeed feel exactly like us, flawed and chaotic and human, yet somehow elevated. Better social lives, better bodies, better careers. They become a distorted mirror image, recognisable as ourselves but just beyond reach. With influencing itself still wrapped in a layer of mystery, any perceived access to their lives is devoured by audiences. The rise of micro influencers…