Are we over influencers?

Nowadays, it feels like everyone either is, or wants to be, an influencer. The allure is undeniable, being a seemingly simple job that reaps great rewards: fame, riches, free gifts, exclusive access to the newest trends. Thanks to social media, influencer has become a genuine career choice, with kids skipping college altogether to pursue it. It even has the funds to back it, with the influencer marketing business, as of 2021, being a $13.8 billion dollar industry. This number has made influencers indispensable to advertising companies, and a pivotal part of our experience online.

It’s no secret that the influencer market is crowded. As niches disappear, and almost anyone is deemed an influencer, it becomes difficult for influencers to “stand out and sway purchasing decisions” among consumers overwhelmed by the surplus of advertisements.

Then comes the question of authenticity when these same consumers begin to grow weary of the genuineness of sponsored content. Studies show that as the saturation of sponsored content increases, follower engagement decreases.

People are craving honesty and relatability, qualities that are often overshadowed by the constant stream of sponsored posts. Kate Lindsay, writer of the substack “Embedded,” said it best in her article: “The relationship between an influencer and their followers is based in part on a lie: Buy a certain product, and your life can look like mine.” But when most of an influencer’s content is paid, and promoting products their followers can’t even afford, the illusion of authenticity and reliability begins to fade. 

Since the pandemic, it feels like influencer popularity has been declining. As influencers gain popularity and brand deals, their lives become farther detached from our own and their ostentatious displays of wealth come off as offensive when so many people are struggling financially. The once-relatable figures are now seen as distant and unattainable as “out of touch” influencers dig themselves into a deeper hole. Like Mikayla Nogueira, who went on TikTok and complained about how difficult being an influencer was because she had to work until 5:19pm. Or Tara Lynn, who claimed “nobody wants to work anymore” and two months later purchased Harry Styles tickets for 10,000 dollars because balcony tickets “weren’t good enough.”

The truth is, no one wants to watch an influencer’s life of luxury while laboring at unglamorous work, much less when said influencers adopt a “holier than thou” attitude and blame people’s lifestyle and income on “laziness.”

As the social media landscape continues to shift, it’s likely we’ll see some changes, and it’s hard to know where the future of influencers lies. What’s your stance? Are you unfollowing?