The Influencer of the Future Is Here, and They Don't Want to Sell You Anything More thought-leaders than tastemakers, "genuinfluencers" are less interested in promoting products than they are in spreading ideas. Author: Photo: Christian Vierig/Getty Images More thought-leaders than tastemakers, "genuinfluencers" are less interested in promoting products than they are in spreading ideas. Charli D'Amelio has a TikTok following roughly the size of the population of the Philippines. She only just downloaded the app in May 2019, but in less than two years, the 16-year-old has assembled a double-tapping empire out of the snappy, viral dances you've no doubt seen, and maybe even tried.