For decades, kids’ career aspirations have been fairly stable: doctor, teacher, actor, musician, footballer.

But over the last few years, a new contender has joined the ranks, with an increasing number of young people desiring to be an influencer when they grow up.

This has been treated by disdain by many, who wonder why young people aspire for careers in perceived glamorous industries rather than the everyday – with the adults looking down on these teens perhaps forgetting that they once had dreams too, and that ‘influencer’ is merely the ‘movie star’ or ‘supermodel’ of today.

Moreover, according to new research published in the journal Telematics and Informatics, there are a selection of specific personality traits that lead young people to this particular aspiration – and many of them are quite relatable even to those for whom ‘influencer’ isn’t a ‘real’ job.

According to a new study from researchers at the University of Wroclaw in Poland and Oxford University in the UK has found not only that a huge number of teenagers want to be influencers, but that there are a selection of specific personality traits that lead young people to this conclusion too.

The study surveyed a total of 800 teenagers aged between 16 and 17, all of whom lived in Poland or the UK, to understand not only their career dreams and aspirations, but to get a thorough understanding of their personalities too.

So what makes a teenager want to become an influencer – besides their role models and the perceived lifestyle perks, of course?

Well, according to the researchers, heightened traits of extraversion, histrionicism, and narcissism are key to a person desiring to become an influencer.

Not that this doesn’t mean that all influencers are extroverted, over-dramatic narcissist of course – in fact, for many, the opposite is true. Some influencers merely want to share their passions and have inadvertently become an influencer as a result of this. These people are often more than a little uncomfortable with some of the more public parts of their role.

Rather, the study pertains to teenagers who actively want to become an influencer, instead of a performer of another kind, or a nurse or architect, for example.

Of course, there’s a lot of perceived glamor to being an influencer – being able to gather a following of adoring fans, getting free stuff and money from companies you love, getting to travel and dictate what you do and when… with little consideration of the business acumen and struggles inherent in the still fledgling and mostly unregulated industry.

And while many of the students will ultimately move on to a fulfilling career elsewhere, the study warns of the psychological risks inherent in pursuing a career as an influencer, particularly for students who are seeking validation through fans and success, rather than merely following a passion and desire, and becoming famous as an accidental result.

In this new and often fickle industry, a person’s mental health can truly be put at risk, especially if they’re pursuing it for the wrong reasons.

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