We are the cause of the insta mum/influencer phenomena

[tiggertogger]

Having read the unfolding of the 'mother of daughters' saga over the weekend i started to really question why these people are 'famous' and what gives them their platform. I also looked at who I follow on Instagram and why and realised that I get no value at all from watching people I don't know's lives (which are spewed out in minute detail) and children and houses...the posts I value are from people I know irl and brands I like. Yet I am contributing to the rise of these pointless influencers who are living their lives for likes and gifts by following them too.

Just now I have unfollowed all mummy bloggers, influencer types and my feed is so much better for it. Overall I think it will improve my well being and enjoyment of social media.

I was wondering who else wants to join me? If we don't follow them, they may as well not exist and, we don't know them, what's the point? If mumsnet users didn't give them their support they would exist in their own echo chamber free to troll each other/ suck up to each other in equal measure. Without us knowing or caring. Bliss!

A spectacular unfollowing may also help give their children back their privacy, their lives, their parents' attention. Just a thought mumsnetters- who's with me?

Not me. I enjoy following some of them.

I can't stand that being an influencer is seen as a valid career choice now, do these people not realise they only exist to save companies money on their advertising budget? Hopefully people are now waking up to the fact that these influencers will say anything for money.

I'm particularly cynical because an acquaintance of mine is a would-be influencer masquerading as a 'journalist/blogger'. I've watched their deeply unethical behaviour just to maintain a supposedly desirable lifestyle, including posting for sympathy when their marriage broke up because they were having an affair with a married man with children (not mentioning the affair of course), now she is with OM, she makes much of their hectic life with 5 kids - when half the time all those kids are with their other parents, bleating on about being vegan but being happy to promote cheese etc etc etc. I've been really shocked at how being a very small-time influencer has changed her. I think she's lost a lot of friends too.

What was this saga?

@nevernotstruggling one of the biggest mummy bloggers was found to be on a forum trolling her supposed friends and husband and being racist.

No 'we' are not

I can honestly say I've never got the whole blogger/vlogger/influencer thing. I don't follow any of them and never have.

I get that a lot of other people do, but you'd be surprised how many don't.

I unfollowed loads around the time when Part Time Working Mummy's shady financial shenanigans became public.

I googled it.....the whole genre is so dull anyway

What Worra said.

Eh, what? Lots of people who never went on MN follow influencers; I don't think MNers are as important as you make out.

Plus there are many actual MNers (like me) who never followed 'personalities'.
I'm glad you had a revelation that these people aren't adding value to your life, OP.

Speak for yourself, I have no interest in their vacuous, attention grabbing existence whatsoever.
My insta is full of family, friends, yoga and national geographic

I just don’t get the whole mummy blogger genre anyway. It’s pretty dull raising kids so I certainly don’t want to follow anyone else’s fake lives.

I've actually just done the same and unfollowed everyone who constantly promotes companies or who are always gifted items to review or fitness influencers flaunting their bodies and offering tailor made fitness plans. I get zero enjoyment out of seeing their posts and I'm not sure why I haven't done this sooner. My Instagram feed is actually quite boring now so hopefully I will spend less time on it

Well maybe lots of you don't follow them but they have millions of followers and mumsnet has a significant amount of users who got their follower demographic. I'd just let my follows roll even when they irritated me and it feels good to have people I actually want to see there!