The Meteoric Rise of the Gen Z Influencer
How a group of teenagers pivoted from Vine to venture capital
Generation Z is beginning to enter concrete history, and a handful of them have already made more money than you ever will. I’m talking about the social media influencers of the teenage set, names that may be vaguely recognizable to millennials but whose work is likely unfamiliar to them. While there are many figures this essay could focus on, we see this dramatic rise of the Gen Z influencer most clearly in four young men, representing three brands: Cameron Dallas (b. 1994), Jake Paul (b. 1997), and the Dolan Twins (b. 1999). All young, all white, all with boy-next-door good looks. All extremely wealthy.
Over the past five years, these stars have built up enormous followings, produced huge bodies of work, and made multiple millions of dollars. Today, they find themselves in position to become the entertainment and media moguls of the future. Is this a fluke, or a sign of things to come?
The Golden Age of Vine
Despite the differences in the directions their careers have since taken, all these stars started in the same place: Vine, a now-defunct social media platform that allowed users to post six-second videos. All four of these boys were early adopters and heavy users of the…
