The Spectacle of Influence(rs) with Sara Petersen

What Works

How influencers, well, influence the way we see the world, our work, our families, and ourselves? And how does the spectacle we immerse ourselves in daily contribute to our perfectionism, anxiety, or fear? In the fifth installment of Self-Help, LLC, I talk about all that and more with Sara Petersen. This is an edited version of an episode that originally ran in October 2022.

There’s an influencer for every thing these days. Camping equipment? Sure. Nutritional supplements? You bet. Miniatures? You know it. College admissions? But of course. In this episode, though, we’re going to focus on one of the original influencer niches: MOMS.

The rise of the influencer ushered in a new outlet for self-help. Now, not only are there motivational books and talks, there’s a product endorsement to help you live your best life. Influencers give us, perhaps, the direct line between personal growth and consumer capitalism. I talk with the author of Momfluenced, Sara Petersen, about all of that and more.

Footnotes:

• Subscribe to Sara Petersen’s newsletter
• Grab your copy of Momfluenced
• “Life After Lifestyle” by Toby Shorin
• “The Rhetoric of the Image” by Roland Barthes
• The Society of the Spectacle by Guy Debord
• Episode 393 with Kelly Diels
• Episode 395 with Steph Barron Hall
• “The Influencer Industry: Constructing and Commodifying Authenticity on Social Media” by Emily Dean Hund

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