Wait, Am I Gig Eva?
Carl Trueman wrote an article in First Things noting the transition from Big Eva (Evangelical celebrity pastors/leaders) to Gig Eva (Evangelical influencers on social media).
Trueman concludes his article:
No individual group or writer in Gig Eva will likely enjoy the breadth of influence experienced by their Big Eva forefathers. The diffuse nature of online discourse means that there will never be a focal point of the kind provided by the conference stage in the ten-thousand-seat convention hall. But Gig Eva may well reshape significant parts of the Christian culture because it is so attuned to the pieties of the dominant expressive individualism of our day. Its advocates validate their personal authenticity by their constant iconoclasm, their decrying of anything that stands in their way, and their priority of disembodied, cost-free online engagement over the more expensive demands of service—and accountability—to real people in real time, in church and in homes. Big Eva had its problems. Gig Eva is set only to intensify them.
I found myself nodding about this, but then had an epiphany. I’ve got a Substack, a YouTube channel, and an X account, which are modestly succesful some might say.
So am I part of “Gig Eva”?
Then I was instantly overcome by a mixture of pride and intense self-loathing!
Who is a Gig Influencer?
In the UK, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has treated accounts with more than 30,000 followers as “online celebrities.” Other taxonomies are a bit more layered and nuanced:
Nano influencer: about 1,000–10,000 followers.
Micro influencer: about 10,000–50,000 followers.
Mid‑tier influencer: roughly 50,000–500,000 followers.
Macro influencer: around 100,000–1,000,000 followers.
Mega/celebrity influencer: over about 1,000,000 followers.
Christian influencers occupy a unique position in contemporary culture, wielding significant communicative power that demands careful ethical consideration. Whether it is a column in the WaPo or a popular YouTube account: “From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded” (Lk 12:48). Digital platforms represent a form of cultural capital that, like all gifts, carries corresponding responsibility.
