A Peek Into The Future: Digital Influencers Paving The Way

Those considered “tech influencers” are a different breed. They don’t trade in the same social metrics most of us do. Instagram likes? Nah. Follower count? Can’t be bothered. That’s not to say they don’t have beautiful feeds sometimes. It’s just that, well, they’re busy breaking down the ever-changing world to the rest of us. Their social media bios are filled with things like Vine loop counts, and Twitter Join dates, which are all well before 2008 (when even the “early adopters” among us were just waking up to the social media party). Why is Twitter so significant here? Because it demonstrated an appetite for bite-sized sharing, and one could argue that Instagram is an even tighter version of that: photos first, words second. Here, the tech experts doing both pretty damn well.

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<a href="http://instagram.com/om">@om</a>

@om

It’s hard to write a better summary of this award-winning venturist and writer than his own: “Partner @TrueVentures. Started GigaOm & Pi.co. I love beautiful/classical things & I believe in possibilities, people & imagineering.” It’s also hard to imagine a feed as beautiful and peaceful as his belonging to a techie, but it’s a complete departure from anything robotic and mechanical. Instead, he’s filled it with the faces of entrepreneurs, creatives, and brilliant minds he admires, along with beautiful tribute-like captions touting their successes. He’s also always on the go and has a super-sharp eye for capturing color, angles and cultures.

Instagram Followers: 23.2k

Twitter Handle: om

@joshuatopolsky

Engadget → The Verge → Bloomberg → The Tomorrow Podcast = the career path of Josh Topolsky, one of the most passionate tech reporters in the industry. After years of writing and building a network, he’s started recording conversations with those same bright minds about what’s happening right now in culture. His interests are boundless—proof positive is his Instagram feed—so we’re not surprised his work extends far beyond tech.

Instagram Followers: 20.4k

Twitter Handle: joshuatopolsky

@alexisohanian

Ever humble, and the opposite of a #techdick, his social bios read, “I cofounded @reddit and some other things to try and make the world suck less.” Few entrepreneurs have such a deep instinct for democratic community. Beyond his professional wins, he’s just a charming guy. Proof: the CEO of Zappos, Marc Andreesen and Nate Silver all wrote glowing blurbs for his book Without Their Permission that are as much about the author as the book, a treatise on the meritocracy that is the Internet. If you need a reminder that the guy’s an affable 30-something, his Instagram’s selfie-heavy feed is all you need.

Instagram Followers: 14.1k

Twitter Handle: alexisohanian

@fromedome

When your bio is written by the most popular tech reporter Kara Swisher, it’s saying something. In fact, she’s the one who hired Dan Frommer, newly-minted EIC of Re/Code, away from Quartz. He also hosts a podcast about the intersection of tech and fashion with his wife Lauren, a seriously regarded style writer. Dan’s known for being passionate about UX, including visuals, and his personal feed of food, travels, and his ridiculously cute dog, is proof.

Instagram Followers: 2,483

Twitter Handle: fromedome

@cadiet

When Business Insider wanted to launch a tech-only vertical, they poached Cadie Thompson, CNBC’s industry biz expert to lead their coverage of emerging technology. Drones, robots, self-driving cars wearable smart devices—her Twitter feed is a primer on the latest. Her occasional video posts are a perfect complement to her personal feed: art-focused off-duty shots in Brooklyn or super-geek conference snaps. She lives in all worlds.

Instagram Followers: 504

Twitter Handle: cadiethompson