The trend has gathered momentum in the last few years, with many social media accounts generating hundreds of thousands, if not millions of followers.
Here are 12 influencers from Edinburgh we thought you might like to hear about. Some will certainly be familiar, others less so, but they have all used their passion for the city, personal interests or life skills to make a serious social media following for themselves.
9. Irvine Welsh - 356.2K followers on Twitter
Writer Irvine Welsh, born in Leith, is a Scottish novelist, playwright and short story writer. His novel Trainspotting was made into a film directed by Danny Boyle. Welsh's work is often characterised by a raw Scots dialect and brutal depiction of Edinburgh life. The Edinburgh author often tweets about literature, film and politics. He has also written plays and screenplays, and directed several short films. Photo: Alistair Linford
10. Gail Buckie aka mumforce - 11.3k followers on Instagram
Edinburgh-based mum-of-two Gail Buckie regularly shares posts on social media about her mental health. She hopes that by writing honestly about her experiences, others will feel encouraged to open up and share their life stories too. As well as talking and writing about her struggles with mental health, Gail blogs about daily life, women’s rights and issues that she believes some are afraid to address. Photo: Gail Buckie
11. Jason, or JJ, whisky review for Malt-review - 13.8k followers on Instagram
Edinburgh-based whisky reviewer Jason treats his followers with endless witty and brutally honest reviews of drams his experienced tasting. He reviews for whisky website Malt-review website, which saw 'over 2million visitors in 2019.' He's often spotted in Edinburgh's Cadenhead shop and is the online editor for Distilled. Photo: @whisky_rover
12. Jane Park - 222k followers in Instagram
Jane Park is Britain’s youngest lottery winner, having bagged herself one million pounds back in 2013. At the time of her win, Jane was living in a small, two bedroom council house in Edinburgh, sharing a room with her older sister. She had a job working in an office as an assistant. After her win, a BBC Scotland crew followed her for the first year of her newfound millionaire status. She has hinted at starring in some reality TV shows. Photo: ITV