Emily Hund

Emily Hund studies social media influencers. Her book The Influencer Industry: The Quest for Authenticity on Social Media, tracks the development of the influencer phenomenon from a haphazard group of people scrambling for work to today’s multifaceted industry with expanding global impact. Her writing and commentary draws on eight years of research, analyses of 2,000 press articles, participant observation at industry events, and most crucially, dozens of in-depth interviews with influencers, brand executives, marketers, talent managers, trend forecasters, and other participants in the industry.  She has seen the influencer industry develop from both sides of the coin; prior to pursuing a research career, she worked as a magazine writer and social media editor. Currently she is a research affiliate with the Center on Digital Culture and Society at the University of Pennsylvania’s Annenberg School for Communication.