Social media influence is one of the most powerful tools available to a business owner in 2026. It is also one of the most misused. In this episode, Sooz Young takes an honest look at what influence actually means on social media today, how business leaders are using it for good and for harm, and what it takes to build the kind of influence that lasts.

You will learn how influence works differently across Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok and LinkedIn and what that means for your strategy, the dark side of online influence including bots, cancel culture and performative outrage and why business owners need to be aware of it, and the six practical steps to building lasting, trustworthy influence in your industry starting from wherever you are right now.

🎉 Join the Digital Dominators community and build your influence with integrity at technologycoachingonline.com/digital-dominators

🔑 IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN:

– What social media influence actually is, and why it's not about follower count

– How influence behaves differently across Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok and LinkedIn

– Why business leaders are influencers whether they choose to be or not, and what responsibility comes with that

– The dark side: how platforms are being used to pull people down, manufacture outrage and weaponise audiences

– Bots, fake engagement and why engagement numbers on social media are not what they appear to be

– The real-world impact of toxic online culture, particularly on young people

– Daniel Priestley's Key Person of Influence framework, plus a sixth element Sooz adds: your values

– Six practical steps to building lasting, trustworthy influence in your industry

– Why employees are brand influencers and how to use that well

– The challenge: how to audit your last 10 posts and get intentional about what you're building

⏱ CHAPTERS:

00:00 Introduction

02:19 What social media influence actually is

07:31 Platform by platform: Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, LinkedIn

13:19 Business leaders as influencers

17:10 The dark side: cancelling, pylons and performative outrage

23:18 Bots, fake engagement and the reality of your feed

26:34 Young people and the real-world impact

29:36 How to become a key person of influence in your industry

36:53 Employees as brand influencers

40:10 Conclusion: positive or negative? It depends on you

42:34 Your challenge and where to find us

🎓 RESOURCES MENTIONED:

Key Person of Influence by Daniel Priestley: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N6V4V4Q

• Digital Mindset Quiz: https://technologycoachingonline.com/quiz/

• Digital Setup and Systems Health Check: https://technologycoachingonline.com/digital-health-check

• Digital Dominators Community: https://technologycoachingonline.com/digital-dominators/

• AI Prompting Fundamentals Course: https://allmylink.me/aipromptingfundamentals

🎧 POWERED BY ELEVENLABS

Bring your words to life with AI-powered voice.👉 https://allmylink.me/tcelevenlabs