[Disclaimer: This story is created with the help of HeartByte, a free AI assisted writing tool . All the plots are my original, but the tool helped with words, dialogs, etc to be able to publish faster. Nevertheless, I think it's a fun story that combined a lot of my personal life experience. I hope you enjoy it!]

On the second morning at Napa, Instagram had organized various activities for the influencers, including biking, wine tasting and drawing , meditation, scenic hiking and several others. Shira went for the wine tasting and drawing session. In a tall empty hall at the corner of the resort, each participant was assigned a blank canvas, a set of paints, and a comfortable seat. An experienced art instructor arrived to guide them through the process of creating a beautiful painting while enjoying the local wines.

Shira was quite excited to see Chiara and Ryleigh was also at the session. Chiara was wearing a flowy maxi dress in a warm terra cotta hue, complemented by a simple linen white tank top. Her outfit was completed with a pair of woven leather sandals and a wide-brimmed sun hat. Her little necklace changed today, saying 'Mi Amore'.

Ryleigh wore a loose-fitting, sleeveless button-up shirt with a plunging neckline, revealing her skin. The shirt was left untucked over a pair of high-waisted, ripped denim shorts that accentuated her long, toned legs. She wore a pair of rugged ankle Italian made boots.

Shira waved hello to both of them, "Morning!" They smiled back.

The session began with the instructor demonstrating basic techniques and color mixing. Shira listened attentively, sipping her glass of crisp Chardonnay. They are drawing the vineyard of Napa today.

Sitting next to her was a guy. He was medium height, with brown curly hair and brown eyes, wearing a plain grey t-shirt that hugged his frame just tight enough to hint at a well-maintained physique beneath. His jeans were a classic dark wash, free of any tears or embellishments, and ended neatly above a pair of white All Bird wool runner sneakers. His only accessory was a simple black Apple watch.

Shira was wondering what kind of influncer he is. Perhaps tech gadgets? She thought to herself. While she was brainstorming, he smiled and reached out his hand. "Hi, how are you, I'm Brian."

Shira quickly put down her wine - and reached out her hand. "Hi, nice to meet you, I'm Shira."

Shira asked what Brian does as an influencer. Brian laughed and said, "I'm not actually an influencer. I work as an algorithm engineer at Instagram."

Shira's eyes widened. Brian saw her surprise, and said: "The company want us to mingle with influencers to learn about their experience. There is several of us here. That's my coworker Jim. And Tony my manager is there."

"Oh that's so nice." Shira said. "Algorithm..." She suddenly remembered this word mentioned when Chiara was with her on the van.

"What do you mean by algorithms?" Shira asked, her eyelashes trembling. "I'm not really sure what that means."

Brian chuckled. "It's a bit technical, but essentially, algorithms are the rules and calculations that determine what content gets shown to each user on their feed. It's based on things like the accounts you follow, the types of posts you engage with, and even your location and browsing habits."

"That's really cool." Shira gave an innocent, sweet smile.

"Thanks." Brian affirmed while he added two green strokes to the grape vine.

"OOOO!K! I'm seeing great work. Very nice future artists. Let's take a fifteen minute break." The instructor announced.

Shira soon learned that influencers are all extroverted people. As soon as they hear the word break, they couldn't wait to get off of the seat and start mingling with each other.
From the other end of the hall, Chiara and Ryleigh strutted over, their eyes locked on Brian. Shira was about to greet them, but they seemed oblivious to her presence.

"Oh my god, you're from Instagram?" Chiara gushed, flashing Brian a dazzling smile.

Ryleigh chimed in, "That's so cool! We love your platform. Duh!"

Brian appeared slightly taken aback by their enthusiasm, but he maintained a friendly demeanor. "Ah yes, I'm an algorithm engineer there."

Before Brian could respond, Ryleigh jumped in, "You must be, like, a genius or something. I heard the algorithm is changing? Do you have any insider tips for us influencers?"
"I can't share too much yet." Brian remained a professional smile. "But I would love to learn your experience with the algorithm, see how we can improve the influencer experience. Let's not get carried away. I'm just a regular guy doing my job."

"A regular guy? Psh, you're practically a celebrity in our world," Ryleigh scoffed playfully.

Chiara nodded emphatically, her sun hat bobbing with the movement. "Seriously, we'd love to pick your brain over drinks later."

Brian's eyes flickered to his badge, and a hint of amusement played across his features. "Well, I suppose I could share a few insights. Instagram is nothing without content creators like you."

Chiara and Ryleigh let out high-pitched squeals of delight, their faces beaming with excitement. Ryleigh clutched Chiara's arm, bouncing up and down like a child on Christmas morning.