Questões de Inglês

A History of the Influencer, from Shakespeare to Instagram

By Laurence Scott

Late last year, the Daily Mail identified Ralphie
Waplington as Britain’s “youngest social media
‘influencer’ ”. Ralphie, who is two, has twenty thousand
Instagram followers. For most of his life, he has been
[5] an unknowing model of baby clothes and other infant
paraphernalia. Members of his extended family must
seek approval before posting their own photos of
Ralphie, lest an off-message picture harm his brand.

Ralphie is undeniably cute. But his cuteness only
[10]compounds the sense of unease we feel whenever
we contemplate influencers and their craft. On one
level, “influencer” is an anodyne, commercial label,
describing someone who monetizes an online
following by endorsing products or services – a
[15]celebrity spokesperson for the social-media age.
And yet “influencer” also sounds slightly sinister; the
Influencer could be a Batman villain, alongside the
Joker.

Connectivity is the basis _____ the heightened role
[20] that influence now plays _____ our lives. Digital
technologies soften the borders between people and
create a porousness _____ which influence depends.
In a fairly undisguised etymology, the word “influence”
comes from the Latin for “inflow”, which provides an
[25] image of the way that, every second, our thoughts
now stream _____ one another’s pockets. Admitting to
being influenced, we give up the attractive idea that, as
individuals or societies, we are entirely self-contained.

Influence was worrisome long before it was digital.
[30] The word “influence” appears in a quarter of William
Shakespeare’s plays, in which the condition of being
influenced is rarely happy or dignified. Almost without
exception, Shakespeare gives influence a darkly
astrological cast. Shakespeare’s portrayal of influence
[35] may seem outmoded, but it has an unsettling echo
in the fact that, in many ways, online influence isn’t
directed by human agents. The algorithms that dictate
which videos are recommended by YouTube, or the
hidden engines that prioritize certain social-media
[40] posts over others, are the digital equivalents of
Shakespeare’s remote, “skyey” influences.

Lately, the influencer phenomenon has been mutating
in surprising ways. In December, The Atlantic reported
on people who style their social-media content to make

[45] it seem as though they are sponsored by businesses.
One example is the aspiring life-style influencer
Sydney Pugh, who describes taking a picture of the
coffee she had just bought, then captioning it with a
jaunty declaration of love for Alfred Coffee. Meanwhile,
[50] last year, news reports began to appear about hackers
locking influencers out of their social-media accounts
and charging them ransoms.

In a recent tweet, Pope Francis called the Virgin Mary
“the first ‘influencer,’ ” encouraging others to follow her
[55] #blessed example by spreading the word of God. As
Francis’s characteristically trendy claim reminds us,
influence doesn’t have to be aligned with corporate
interests: there are positive ways to influence people.

Adapted from: https://www.newyorker.com/ culture/annals-of-inquiry/a-history-of-theinfluencer-from-shakespeare-to-instagram

A History of the Influencer, from Shakespeare to Instagram

By Laurence Scott

Late last year, the Daily Mail identified Ralphie
Waplington as Britain’s “youngest social media
‘influencer’ ”. Ralphie, who is two, has twenty thousand
Instagram followers. For most of his life, he has been
[5] an unknowing model of baby clothes and other infant
paraphernalia. Members of his extended family must
seek approval before posting their own photos of
Ralphie, lest an off-message picture harm his brand.

Ralphie is undeniably cute. But his cuteness only
[10]compounds the sense of unease we feel whenever
we contemplate influencers and their craft. On one
level, “influencer” is an anodyne, commercial label,
describing someone who monetizes an online
following by endorsing products or services – a
[15]celebrity spokesperson for the social-media age.
And yet “influencer” also sounds slightly sinister; the
Influencer could be a Batman villain, alongside the
Joker.

Connectivity is the basis _____ the heightened role
[20] that influence now plays _____ our lives. Digital
technologies soften the borders between people and
create a porousness _____ which influence depends.
In a fairly undisguised etymology, the word “influence”
comes from the Latin for “inflow”, which provides an
[25] image of the way that, every second, our thoughts
now stream _____ one another’s pockets. Admitting to
being influenced, we give up the attractive idea that, as
individuals or societies, we are entirely self-contained.

Influence was worrisome long before it was digital.
[30] The word “influence” appears in a quarter of William
Shakespeare’s plays, in which the condition of being
influenced is rarely happy or dignified. Almost without
exception, Shakespeare gives influence a darkly
astrological cast. Shakespeare’s portrayal of influence
[35] may seem outmoded, but it has an unsettling echo
in the fact that, in many ways, online influence isn’t
directed by human agents. The algorithms that dictate
which videos are recommended by YouTube, or the
hidden engines that prioritize certain social-media
[40] posts over others, are the digital equivalents of
Shakespeare’s remote, “skyey” influences.

Lately, the influencer phenomenon has been mutating
in surprising ways. In December, The Atlantic reported
on people who style their social-media content to make

[45] it seem as though they are sponsored by businesses.
One example is the aspiring life-style influencer
Sydney Pugh, who describes taking a picture of the
coffee she had just bought, then captioning it with a
jaunty declaration of love for Alfred Coffee. Meanwhile,
[50] last year, news reports began to appear about hackers
locking influencers out of their social-media accounts
and charging them ransoms.

In a recent tweet, Pope Francis called the Virgin Mary
“the first ‘influencer,’ ” encouraging others to follow her
[55] #blessed example by spreading the word of God. As
Francis’s characteristically trendy claim reminds us,
influence doesn’t have to be aligned with corporate
interests: there are positive ways to influence people.

Adapted from: https://www.newyorker.com/ culture/annals-of-inquiry/a-history-of-theinfluencer-from-shakespeare-to-instagram

A History of the Influencer, from Shakespeare to Instagram

By Laurence Scott

Late last year, the Daily Mail identified Ralphie
Waplington as Britain’s “youngest social media
‘influencer’ ”. Ralphie, who is two, has twenty thousand
Instagram followers. For most of his life, he has been
[5] an unknowing model of baby clothes and other infant
paraphernalia. Members of his extended family must
seek approval before posting their own photos of
Ralphie, lest an off-message picture harm his brand.

Ralphie is undeniably cute. But his cuteness only
[10]compounds the sense of unease we feel whenever
we contemplate influencers and their craft. On one
level, “influencer” is an anodyne, commercial label,
describing someone who monetizes an online
following by endorsing products or services – a
[15]celebrity spokesperson for the social-media age.
And yet “influencer” also sounds slightly sinister; the
Influencer could be a Batman villain, alongside the
Joker.

Connectivity is the basis _____ the heightened role
[20] that influence now plays _____ our lives. Digital
technologies soften the borders between people and
create a porousness _____ which influence depends.
In a fairly undisguised etymology, the word “influence”
comes from the Latin for “inflow”, which provides an
[25] image of the way that, every second, our thoughts
now stream _____ one another’s pockets. Admitting to
being influenced, we give up the attractive idea that, as
individuals or societies, we are entirely self-contained.

Influence was worrisome long before it was digital.
[30] The word “influence” appears in a quarter of William
Shakespeare’s plays, in which the condition of being
influenced is rarely happy or dignified. Almost without
exception, Shakespeare gives influence a darkly
astrological cast. Shakespeare’s portrayal of influence
[35] may seem outmoded, but it has an unsettling echo
in the fact that, in many ways, online influence isn’t
directed by human agents. The algorithms that dictate
which videos are recommended by YouTube, or the
hidden engines that prioritize certain social-media
[40] posts over others, are the digital equivalents of
Shakespeare’s remote, “skyey” influences.

Lately, the influencer phenomenon has been mutating
in surprising ways. In December, The Atlantic reported
on people who style their social-media content to make

[45] it seem as though they are sponsored by businesses.
One example is the aspiring life-style influencer
Sydney Pugh, who describes taking a picture of the
coffee she had just bought, then captioning it with a
jaunty declaration of love for Alfred Coffee. Meanwhile,
[50] last year, news reports began to appear about hackers
locking influencers out of their social-media accounts
and charging them ransoms.

In a recent tweet, Pope Francis called the Virgin Mary
“the first ‘influencer,’ ” encouraging others to follow her
[55] #blessed example by spreading the word of God. As
Francis’s characteristically trendy claim reminds us,
influence doesn’t have to be aligned with corporate
interests: there are positive ways to influence people.

Adapted from: https://www.newyorker.com/ culture/annals-of-inquiry/a-history-of-theinfluencer-from-shakespeare-to-instagram

Why do we buy into the 'cult' of overwork?

By Bryan Lufkin, 9th May 2021

Although many of us associate overly ambitious workaholism with the 1980s and the finance industry, the tendency to devote ourselves to work and glamourize long-hours culture remains as pervasive as ever. In fact, it is expanding into more sectors and professions, in slightly different packaging. Overwork isn't a phenomenon exclusive to Silicon Valley or Wall Street. People work long hours all over the world, for many different reasons

In Japan, a culture of overwork can be traced back to the 1950s, when the government pushed hard for the country to be rebuilt quickly after World War Two. In Arab League countries, burnout is high among medical professionals, possibly because its 22 members are developing nations with overburdened healthcare systems, studies suggest. Reasons for overwork also depend on industry. Some of the earliest researchers on burnout in the 1970s asserted that many people in jobs geared toward helping others, like employees in clinics or crisis-intervention centers, tended to work long hours that led to emotional and physical exhaustion – a trend which is shown up in the pandemic, too. But millions of us overwork because somehow, we think it’s exciting – a status symbol that puts us on the path to success, whether we define that by wealth or an Instagram post that makes it seem like we're living a dream life with a dream job. Romanticization of work seems to be an especially common practice among "knowledge workers" in the middle and upper classes. In 2014, the New Yorker called this devotion to overwork "a cult".

According to Anat Lechner, clinical associate professor of management at New York University. "We glorify the lifestyle, and the lifestyle is: you breathe something, you sleep with something, you wake up and work on it all day long, then you go to sleep. Again, and again and again."

Adapted from: Home - BBC Worklife.

Why do we buy into the 'cult' of overwork?

By Bryan Lufkin, 9th May 2021

Although many of us associate overly ambitious workaholism with the 1980s and the finance industry, the tendency to devote ourselves to work and glamourize long-hours culture remains as pervasive as ever. In fact, it is expanding into more sectors and professions, in slightly different packaging. Overwork isn't a phenomenon exclusive to Silicon Valley or Wall Street. People work long hours all over the world, for many different reasons

In Japan, a culture of overwork can be traced back to the 1950s, when the government pushed hard for the country to be rebuilt quickly after World War Two. In Arab League countries, burnout is high among medical professionals, possibly because its 22 members are developing nations with overburdened healthcare systems, studies suggest. Reasons for overwork also depend on industry. Some of the earliest researchers on burnout in the 1970s asserted that many people in jobs geared toward helping others, like employees in clinics or crisis-intervention centers, tended to work long hours that led to emotional and physical exhaustion – a trend which is shown up in the pandemic, too. But millions of us overwork because somehow, we think it’s exciting – a status symbol that puts us on the path to success, whether we define that by wealth or an Instagram post that makes it seem like we're living a dream life with a dream job. Romanticization of work seems to be an especially common practice among "knowledge workers" in the middle and upper classes. In 2014, the New Yorker called this devotion to overwork "a cult".

According to Anat Lechner, clinical associate professor of management at New York University. "We glorify the lifestyle, and the lifestyle is: you breathe something, you sleep with something, you wake up and work on it all day long, then you go to sleep. Again, and again and again."

Adapted from: Home - BBC Worklife.

Why do we buy into the 'cult' of overwork?

By Bryan Lufkin, 9th May 2021

Although many of us associate overly ambitious workaholism with the 1980s and the finance industry, the tendency to devote ourselves to work and glamourize long-hours culture remains as pervasive as ever. In fact, it is expanding into more sectors and professions, in slightly different packaging. Overwork isn't a phenomenon exclusive to Silicon Valley or Wall Street. People work long hours all over the world, for many different reasons

In Japan, a culture of overwork can be traced back to the 1950s, when the government pushed hard for the country to be rebuilt quickly after World War Two. In Arab League countries, burnout is high among medical professionals, possibly because its 22 members are developing nations with overburdened healthcare systems, studies suggest. Reasons for overwork also depend on industry. Some of the earliest researchers on burnout in the 1970s asserted that many people in jobs geared toward helping others, like employees in clinics or crisis-intervention centers, tended to work long hours that led to emotional and physical exhaustion – a trend which is shown up in the pandemic, too. But millions of us overwork because somehow, we think it’s exciting – a status symbol that puts us on the path to success, whether we define that by wealth or an Instagram post that makes it seem like we're living a dream life with a dream job. Romanticization of work seems to be an especially common practice among "knowledge workers" in the middle and upper classes. In 2014, the New Yorker called this devotion to overwork "a cult".

According to Anat Lechner, clinical associate professor of management at New York University. "We glorify the lifestyle, and the lifestyle is: you breathe something, you sleep with something, you wake up and work on it all day long, then you go to sleep. Again, and again and again."

Adapted from: Home - BBC Worklife.