“Their lack of fame is one of the qualities that make them approachable. When they recommend a shampoo or a lotion or a furniture brand on Instagram, their word seems as genuine as advice from a friend.” We’ve long known that brands reach consumers via commercial deals with celebrities who have massive social followings. But it turns out, even those with relatively tiny follower numbers are getting in on the game. Sapna Maheshwari in the NYT: Are You Ready for the Nanoinfluencers? (Me: “These marketing relationships are eating away at the meaning of human relationships.” My family: “Dude, please, get a revenue model already…”)

+ And it turns out that the social media influencer action extends to patients recommending treatments to followers. “It’s a lucrative new frontier for drug advertising — and for patients, too, who benefit from close contact with the drug maker and, often, a fee. But it is also an increasingly regulated frontier, and one with ethical quandaries that some experts say the drug industry hasn’t fully considered.”