When he published Convergence Culture (2006), the book that marked the beginning of the much-heralded digital revolution, Henry Jenkins stated that everything was changing simultaneously and in chaos, and that there seemed to be no vantage point, outside of this confusion, that would allow us to see and understand things.
The reference made by Professor of the Department of Communication and Arts at ECA-USP (Faculty of Communication and Arts of the University of São Paulo) Issaf Karhawi, in the introduction to Carolina Terra’s book “From Employees to Influencers: Why Employee Influencer Programs are Worth Having” (Summus, 2025), highlights how fleeting any analysis of the impact of social media on the daily lives of individuals is.
In this work, Carolina Terra, MA, PhD in Communication Sciences from the University of the South Pacific, owner of a social media and digital PR consulting firm, seeks to convince the reader that “employees and leaders can be used as a tool to build the image and reputation of the brands they represent, but also how such initiatives can be beneficial to them and their careers.”
In fact, the author highlights that today’s presence on social networks contributes to the formation of an individual’s “social capital,” one of the three capitals spoken of by the French sociologist Pierre Bourdieu, for whom society is a field of struggle for economic, cultural and social capital. The latter is proportional to the size of the communication networks that an individual can mobilize. If society is online, that’s where company leaders and employees should go, according to Karolina.
But this work only reinforces how important it is for CEOs to strategically expose themselves in virtual communities. In these spaces, executives have the opportunity to draw attention not only for their personal talents that top the company’s results, but also to showcase team engagement, which scores points for their resume.
However, for employees in general, Carolina points out that the public welcomes when workers show commitment, that this enhances the company’s image (even to attract new talent) and that employees should not only be encouraged, but rewarded in some way for their work as influencers.
And this whole analysis is true, but outdated: at least in Brazil, it proved plausible until mid-2023. As one of the countries that consume the most social media content in the world, Brazil has seen an influx of influencers, of all sizes, from music and TV stars to neighbors and co-workers, taking over social media.
The surplus has led to increased scrutiny: the public is unmoved by any appeal or speech, especially those linked to commercial purposes. Yes, Brazilians are consuming more and more content from influencers, but the influence on the purchase decision is limited, as shown by a survey conducted in September by the consulting company Ponto Map in partnership with V-Tracker, which was published by Bound.
According to the survey, only 19% said they had purchased products from influencer posts in the past three months. A smaller percentage (13%) changed their mind about a topic. Nearly half of the population (49%) say they don’t make decisions based on influential people.
What we have seen in recent years is that employees have not become really influential to employers, because there is a certain amount of general distrust in seeing friends and acquaintances speak well on social media about companies with which they have a working relationship. Research like Ponto Map has already shown that users search for authenticity on networks. They realize that advertising is part of influencers’ work, but they want the sponsorship to be clear in the post.
Companies, in turn, have begun to invest more in nano- and micro-influencers, those with greater connections to certain segments of society, to include their brands in the content they produce.
Carolina Terra cites Itao as an example of a company that has created an employee influencer persona, through its “iTubers” program. But in September, criticism piled up on social media after a mass dismissal of 1,000 employees over alleged low productivity in home offices and “standards inconsistent with the principles of trust.” Workers who reached targets were even laid off and promoted.
From the examples pointed out by the author, it is clear that exposure on networks occurs more naturally when it comes to founders and members of the controlling family of the company. The cases of Caito Maya (Chilpin), Cristina Junqueira (Nubanc), Carla Villmanas (Semed), Luisa Trajano (Magallo) and Stelio Tolda (Mercado Livre) have been cited. João Branco is the only example of someone who is not a CEO, and who is no longer in his position: he was the chief marketing officer at McDonald’s, responsible for creating the “Méqui” brand, who decided to embark on a solo career as a consultant, mentor and speaker.
Among CEOs, the author also points as an example to entrepreneur Ally Costa, who founded Cacau Show in 1988, when he was 17 years old. “It’s on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok and X,” says Carolina Terra. “He is seen as a friendly, charismatic leader who cares about his employees and customers.”
Report from Bound The May 31 post exposed a climate of fear among Cacau Show franchisees, who have run up debt over fees they consider offensive to the company. Reports speak of veiled or direct threats received from the company’s consultants, in addition to the cult of personality of the network’s founder.
As American media researcher Henry Jenkins predicted, everything is changing “simultaneously and unorganized” with social networks. The greater the exposure, the greater the overall burden.
From employees to influencers: Why employee influencer programs are worth it
- price R$ 42.27 (e-book R$ 29.70)
- Composition Carolina Terra
- publisher sesame