As brands extend their reach, social media platforms are increasingly becoming tools to draw in consumers and grow brand presence through influential millennials — the generation born between the early 1980s and the early 2000s. According to StatsSA data, more than 36% of the population is made up of people between the ages of 15 and 34. Brand influencers are becoming a canvas for brands to curate their identities to appeal to their "connected" customers. In the past two years social media culture has created new paths of employment for younger generations, creating platforms for micro-influencers. A micro-influencer is anyone who has between 1,000 and 100,000 followers and is defined as not "insta-famous" but carrying more clout to a committed audience. "Once people understand the power of social media, you can live for free," said Manthe Ribane, a multidisciplinary artist and one of South Africa's most influential personalities on social media. Ribane has more than 11,000 follower...
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