The grownup sibling of the Phoneaholic Teenager and the cousin of the Sleazy Streamer, the influencer is often the prime example of why Social Media Is Bad and/or New Media Are Evil. Expect them to be image-obsessed, deceitful, manipulative of their audience and those around them, to be shilling bad (if not actually illegal) products, to live under Social Media Before Reason, and to be prejudiced, self-absorbed, and bitchy. Expect them to get a lot of coverage on the Shallow News Site Satire.

At best, they'll be portrayed as shallow, dim, and spoiled, although it's possible for the much milder examples to come closer to being a Lovable Alpha Bitch or a Jerk with a Heart of Gold who is simply not living up to the values that they preach online. At worst, they'll be a pure Villain with Good Publicity or achieving Fame Through Infamy who uses their reputation to commit crimes, up to and including rape and murder. However bad they are, they'll definitely be a Shameless Self-Promoter, an Attention Whore, and a Stepford Smiler. They will usually wield Instant Humiliation: Just Add YouTube! with prejudice, but it's also common for this to be how they get exposed for what they are.

This is primarily a trope that emerged in The New '10s and The New '20s, at which point the online influencer became so mainstream that they — and legions of wannabes — were impossible to ignore. Specific details of individual behavior depend on whichever platform is the most popular and monetised at the time. Whether on a Character Blog, Friending Network, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok or some form of Fictional Social Network that was definitely not created as part of Writing Around Trademarks, these basic features will apply, even if the specific details differ. Regardless of medium, it's not unusual to see a YouTuber Apology Parody when the influencer feels they've been caught out.

Not to be confused with Anti-Role Model. See also Nice Character, Mean Actor, for an older version of this trope. Although theoretically a different occupation, these tropes have a lot of overlap. Rich Bitch will also frequently go along with this trope if they're particularly successful, or for that matter Mock Millionaire since they might be just posing with all those luxury items. If they court controversy or make a nuisance of themselves to attract views/clicks/likes, compare the Shock Jock. Compare and contrast with Internet Jerk, who has all of the spite but none of the fame. They may be both a cause and a victim of Internet-Induced Idiocy.

Despite this trope's name, this is not necessarily related to The Corrupter, though both could notoriously overlap (as social media influencers tend to be infamous for making others follow in their footsteps).

While this is Truth in Television to a degree (some influencers have been caught out or accused of committing crimes), no real-life examples, please!

Examples: