“There is one major difference between Instagram today and American society more than a century ago: In the past, people were after an unattainable lifestyle they saw in the class above them, which was created mostly by inherited wealth; Today, on Instagram, they are after the lifestyle of the “class” above them that is largely an illusion crafted by technology and marketing. It’s hard to say which is worse.” I would push back a little against the idea that the influence of inherited on wealth has somehow been replaced by a more mercurial economy of influence . Influencer economy has maybe successfully advanced the illusion of an economy that has ruptured itself from the passage of inherited wealth ; rich kids of ig is a perfect example of how inherited wealth interacts symbiotically with the economy of influence .