When was the last time you said (or wrote) a word so much that it lost its meaning? You know, when the letters start to look awkward together and, for a minute, the word is completely disconnected from the idea it encompasses. In today’s social media strategy-heavy society, is it possible that maybe we’ve lost sight of what influence really means? That, after being bombarded by messages regarding online influence, we’ve gotten overwhelmed by the mere idea of it?

Don’t worry, it happens! Influence can be so natural that many times we don’t even realize it’s happening, like when someone yawns. And everyone is talking about it – both on the web and off. So getting back to the basics, I took a look at how Merriam-Webster’s defines influence: “the power or capacity of causing an effect in indirect or intangible ways.” That’s interesting because while intangible may be a possibility when it comes to influence, in the business world it isn’t at all helpful. We’re interested in results–we want people who not only have the power to cause an effect but who are also using their powers to create action. We want people who have the power to move their community to take action – whether it’s purchasing something, volunteering, donating, liking a Facebook page, etc. The action is ultimately based on your goals and how they align with the people you’re engaging with.

Despite the worldwide web’s unlimited access and instantaneous nature, we don’t mindlessly take in information: while we are spending more time online, studies have found we are actually actively seeking out people who we believe and trust to help manage the seemingly unmanageable amount of data available. By following those we trust and selecting them based on how relevant they are to our lives and whether they talk about what matters to us, we are more likely to take their words into consideration when they recommend, review, or comment since we’ve already gone through the process of finding them worthy.

Influence should not be overwhelming—it’s part of our nature as social beings. But remember that it relies on people, not scores or URLs. Let’s not lose sight of the newly expanded boundaries of influence. It’s still basic, just with a digital twist, like newspapers and shopping. So when the letters in “influence” align with the thought behind them, find us–we never got caught in the hype: we have always and will always focus on people and help you figure out who’s important to your conversation.

Last month, something rather curious happened: a publication dared to defy an influencer. The influencer challenged was none other than Ashton Kutcher.

While he may be a celebrity, more importantly he was one of the first big names to actively embrace social media and has moved his influence from the big screen to the computer screen. But in keeping with our core value of relevance, we can’t help but ask in what exact area is Kutcher relevant? Nikon cameras? Beautiful actors? Comedy? Probably. But for the most part, @aplusk is using his resounding online voice for his entrepreneurial and philanthropic efforts. Influencers for social good abound and are often praised for their work, so when America’s Tweetheart got slammed by The Village Voice, no one was more surprised than Kutcher.

The controversy began after The Village Voice investigated Kutcher’s philanthropic, “Real Men Don’t Buy Girls” campaign against human trafficking. The newspaper criticized everything from its slogan to statistics claiming that 100,000-300,000 American children are sold into sexual slavery each year (Kutcher did later admit to using these numbers out of context). Outraged, Kutcher began a social media war with The Village Voice in which he revealed their personal stake in child prostitution and why they had directly and aggressively attacked him. According to him, the Village Voice gains revenue from the Craigslist-like site Backpage where adult classified ads, which often aid in selling child prostitutes, can be found. Over seven million followers found themselves in the midst of a digital battle in which the ammunition came in the form of tweets and Facebook status updates. The following tweet was read by millions and re-tweeted by hundreds:

Kutcher continued by tweeting companies urging them to stop advertising on The Village Voice:

Soon American Airlines, Disney, and Domino’s Pizza withdrew their ads from the newspaper.

Now, why would The Village Voice pick a fight with one of the most influential and rambunctious personalities on the Internet? Some claim that the article was an attempt to quiet the attention Kutcher and his wife Demi Moore are bringing to the child prostitution cause since the publication is obviously making a profit from postings on Backpage. But is it possible that The Village Voice picked a fight with an influencer because they knew it would bring them viewers and publicity? Maybe, but this strategy backfired once advertisers began removing their ads, most likely causing a huge loss in their main source of revenue.

Though the battle may now be over (note, it was only over when Kutcher said it was over), at Traackr we see situations like these as reminders of the power of influencers and opportunities for influencer outreach. Kutcher is influential in the anti-human trafficking community. Does it help that he’s a celebrity? Of course. But the point of this isn’t to show the power a celebrity has on a topic, but rather the power an influencer has on a topic. Kutcher is both knowledgeable and passionate about human trafficking and his dedication to sharing knowledge among his social media channels presents huge opportunities and benefits for agencies helping children and seeking to end child trafficking who can engage Kutcher in their efforts. If this one man can influence whether or not advertisements are placed in a certain publication, he can certainly use his influence to allocate those funds to worthy organizations.

Kutcher may be among the top (or the top) influencer on this topic, but he’s not the only one. We’ve compiled an A-List of the top ten influencers in human trafficking who also share his ability to create positive change. Anti-human trafficking agencies, we’ve given you the information you need, the ball’s on your court.