Back in the early 2000s, the idea of social media influencers was a new concept, somewhat untried and untrusted by brands. Bloggers were the first real internet stars, with corporations sending young online authors free products in hopes of getting some fresh hype. The now-defunct BlogStar Network was originally founded in 2004 to facilitate relationships between corporations and bloggers and was met with some controversy due to the visible manipulation of audiences with content being distributed as “organic,” when it was really a covert advertising campaign.
