When I was a teenager, and mind you, that wasn't too long ago, the equivalents of today's influencers tried to sign up for modelling agencies, or dreamt to be in movies or become sports stars.
In general, fame and money and what appears to be a sweet and easy lifestyle. Of course these sort of people have always advertised products, but at least they were.true models, real actors and skilled in sports.
This has been digitalized now, now every nobody can try to be an influencer, it's a bit of all the above, just digital.
Of course, it's oversaturated, most of them make nothing.