Episode Summary
Is social media influence something you’re using for good, or has it quietly become something else entirely?
Because the line between building genuine community and weaponising a platform is thinner than most people want to admit. In this episode, Sooz Young goes there.
This is a solo episode and a direct one. Sooz breaks down what social media influence actually is in 2025 and 2026, how it works across platforms, how business leaders are either building something worth having or eroding trust they can’t afford to lose, and why bots, cancel culture and performative outrage deserve a serious conversation in the small business and entrepreneurial space.
In this episode you'll learn:
- What social media influence actually is, and why it’s not about follower count
- How influence behaves differently across Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok and LinkedIn
- Why business leaders are influencers whether they choose to be or not, and what responsibility comes with that
- The dark side: how platforms are being used to pull people down, manufacture outrage and weaponise audiences
- Bots, fake engagement and why engagement numbers on social media are not what they appear to be
- The real-world impact of toxic online culture, particularly on young people
- Daniel Priestley’s Key Person of Influence framework, plus a sixth element Sooz adds: your values
- Six practical steps to building lasting, trustworthy influence in your industry
- Why employees are brand influencers and how to use that well
- The challenge: how to audit your last 10 posts and get intentional about what you’re building
Episode Chapters
- 00:00 Introduction
- 02:19 What social media influence actually is
- 07:31 Platform by platform: Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, LinkedIn
- 13:19 Business leaders as influencers
- 17:10 The dark side: cancelling, pylons and performative outrage
- 23:18 Bots, fake engagement and the reality of your feed
- 26:34 Young people and the real-world impact
- 29:36 How to become a key person of influence in your industry
- 36:53 Employees as brand influencers
- 40:10 Conclusion: positive or negative? It depends on you
- 42:34 Your challenge and where to find us
Connect with Sooz Young:
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