What Is An 'Influencer Farm'?

Hundreds of influencers, lined up in cubicles each with their own ring light and microphone. Flickering fluorescent lights overhead illuminate what looks like a concrete parking lot. Footage of these facilities taken in China and other Asian countries made its way onto English-language TikToks earlier this year and terrified many who saw a vision of a dystopian reality.

What Is An 'Influencer Farm'?

An influencer farm is a facility in which groups of influencers are managed and trained to sell goods during livestreams.

During the coronavirus pandemic, a form of live selling became increasingly popular on Chinese live-streaming platforms like Douyo and Taobao. Influencers sell products such as makeup, food, appliances, and clothing to viewers on livestreams. They also have conversations, telling stories, and interact with fans who ask questions in the chat. The shopping livestreams are very popular, attracting hundreds of millions of viewers.

As of 2023, the entire live-shopping industry is estimated to bring in over $500 billion dollars a year.

Why Do People Watch The Livestreams?

Like with other kinds of influencers, audiences develop a parasocial relationship with the person they see each day on their screen. In China, the influencers are sometimes called "key opinion leaders," or KOLs. There are many kinds of livestreams ranging from comedy to confessional, from sensual to serious, so you can find whatever fits your taste.

It's also true that many people just do their shopping through the livestreams. It's like looking for something on Amazon, but with some entertainment thrown in.

How Did Influencer Farms Begin?

The extremely lucrative live-selling industry naturally attracts a lot of people running businesses and seeking profits. Some influencer farms are training facilities run by agencies, which treat influencers like workers and teach them how to entertain viewers. The influencers allegedly work under difficult conditions, with little time off.

Why Isn't It Happening In The US?

There have been attempts to export the business model of influencer farms to the United States and other countries. However, these have been largely unsuccessful. Some critics, like Katherine Dee, have argued that it may be due to cultural differences in how parasocial relationships are formed: in American culture, values like authenticity and unscriptedness are prized over the constant availability and polishedness that the live-stream selling influencers seem to offer.

Another reason might be the dominance of other forms of selling and buying for retail in America, or the lack of large social media platforms specifically committed to live-shopping.

Although some might argue influencer farms just haven't happened yet in America, and will be coming soon to a social media platform near you.

For the full history of influencer farms, be sure to check out Know Your Meme's encyclopedia entry for more information.