'Influencers': Will the tide ever turn?

[InAMess2023]

Just that really. Apologies in advance for the rant...

Latest all over my news feed (I don't actively seek these things out). Is Molly-Mae sunning herself in the Maldives in a ridiculously expensive over water villa after flying business class. All the comments are 'omg boss babe' or 'she works so hard', etc. etc. etc. Even saw that apparently she was at one point running PrettyLittleThing! (Rather than being given the token role of 'Creative Director' and showing herself sat in meetings with her LV notebook). The girl would not know a day of hard work if it hit her on the photoshopped behind - a typical day is getting up late, filming herself in Starbucks, having a few photos with her baby before she hands her back to the nanny, watching Shrek or Harry Potter and doing a quick video talking about her boring day.

I know that I will get comments to say that I'm jealous, and you know what, yes I am? Imagine becoming that rich and that famous (not that I have any desire to be famous whatsoever) just from applying to a reality TV show and having sex on said show. To me it's everything that's wrong with today's society - will it ever change?

I slogged my guts out for six years at uni (with a further six now ahead of me) and yes I have a pretty nice life, I go nice places and I buy nice things, and I have a lot of earning potential in my future but difference is I will always have to work hard. I don't have children and I've made the decision not to but if I had a daughter I'd be gutted if this was her role and career model rather than a doctor, lawyer, or hell even a politician (though they've let the side down a fair bit lately - Liz I'm looking at you).

This isn't a rant about Molly-Mae specifically by the way just using a good example from today. It's the whole culture that seems to be everywhere and I genuinely cannot wait for the bubble to burst - I'm just not sure when/if it will...

Thank you for coming to my TED talk 😂wow felt good to get that off my chest!

It's news articles, from newspaper pages.

I don't think most people do believe it all, it's just a bit of escapism. I'm also sure it's extremely hard work getting to where they are. They aren't all over everyone's feeds, I use FB and Insta all the time and none of these endless holidaying types pop up, mine are pretty well all house renovation, cooking and fitness, it is possible to avoid them.

Well if its newspaper feeds, that pre-dates the likes of Insta. I remember in the pre internet days the tabloids were full of It Girls, glamour models and those only famous for being linked to footballers or whatever. It's not a new thing. Everyone knew their names, some aspired to be them some didn't.

It's still the algorithm. I get articles related to things I've interacted with.
For example I've just scanned my feed. I have 3 news articles about parking/potholes in towns. I'm not actually sure where that has come from but clearly it thinks I'm interested in that from somewhere. And a newspaper article about Rosie Jones on call the midwife. I googled her last week.
I promise you absolutely anything you see on social media is targeted at you and what it thinks you want to see. There are so many other people who will never see anything about her on their social media.

Influencer = vacuous, workshy, freeloading arsehole.

What annoys me is that being g an "influencer" is a vehicle for conspicuous consumption, that things = happiness.

Wouldn't we all like to not have to work, fly business class and sub ourselves in January? But what most stand for is buying more stuff we do not need, something I fundamentally disagree with.

I'm not concerned. When I was a child 30 years ago, all the boys wanted to be footballers and girls singers. Most were mediocre at their chosen career to say the least!

They'll soon learn that most people need to work hard to get somewhere.

I know what you mean though. My colleague was telling me about her inheritance the other day and showing me the pictures of the house it's afforded. To say I wasn't jealous would be lying.

Life isn't fair. Just try to be grateful for what you have is my mantra.

💯 agree with everything you say OP.
I hope the tide turns and their lips all explode!

Most 'influencers' I follow like charity shops and thrifting, so not really influencers like those receiving freebie hand outs left, right and centre. I used to follow someone who I quite liked for her fashion sense (for my age group) until she recently had a toddler meltdown simply because a handful of people didn't like something she wore. There were no nasty comments about her or her appearance, simply stated they didn't think the outfit was flattering. (It wasn't). I've since unfollowed. Not interested in someone who only wants to be followed by 'yes' people.

I don't follow influencers and have no time for them, however I do know the parent of quite a famous one.

And the kid is not a happy person nor are her influencer friends, including one who has been mentioned in this thread.

They are definitely not as rich as they make out. Even when my friend meets for a cup of coffee with her adult child, she has to be all glammed up to ensure the Insta pic is perfect. The coffee meeting is all about getting the perfect picture.

It sounds exhausting and so false. I genuinely feel sorry for them and their followers who believe the shit they post.

I'd be so disappointed if any of my kids went down this route. It's not a life at all.

They hold zero appeal to me. I don’t believe a word that comes out of their mouths. Just like I do not believe the size 4 model sat languishing on a sofa sits stuffing bars of Galaxy down her throat. It’s all bollocks to be blunt.
I have come across a few influences filming at tourist spots recently. I won’t move out of the shot. They are in a public space, used all the time by the public. From what I saw ever other member of the public felt the same. They can take a quick photo like the rest of us, then tough luck. Go film in your private garden if you don’t want other people in the shot.
They only people I trust to give me an opinion are family and friends.
The rest are just paid.

Tide is turning in Italy - the Italian mega influencer Chiara Ferragni is under investigation.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/jan/09/italian-influencer-chiara-ferragni-investigated-over-christmas-cake-charity-scheme

https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2024-01-10/instagram-influencer-chiara-ferragni-flew-too-close-to-the-digital-sun

Tbf the videos are not 'quick'- they take a good few hours to edit. But I agree, she got lucky. As have many others who were born into money. That's life

I know a 'lifestyle influencer'. There is nothing aspirational about her real life and very little style. She's always swearing at her kids, chain smoking and looking miserable.
Find your own style and aspirations and unfollow these fakers!

I think I know who that was and I unfollowed her too.

Hideous green dress?

@FizzyStream most kids want to be a mermaid or superman when they grow up, soooo it's not really a marker for their future exploits

Come off insta etc., don't read DM, it's bliss!

@CharmedCult yes that's the one. If you're going to be public on social media you have to accept not everyone will like everything you wear, and that's fine. Tbh the constant whinging about losing followers and not getting enough interaction annoyed me too.
There's a couple who have a good sense of humour who I like, but the rest? Nah.

You don't need to follow anybody ...

I have no awareness whatsoever of who influencers are, what they do or whom they influence. It really isn't hard to organise your life so that you never see any of this rubbish.

Wasn't it always this way? Celebrities came before influencers, royalty before then, religious leaders before them? Athletes always in there somewhere

If people do really want it to end this is the way

I’ve never heard of her, and she doesn’t appear on, let alone flood my feed, so there’s obviously easy ways to avoid her and her ilk.

Look. It is what it is. It’s not going away any time soon.

Most of my Instagram feed is filled with humorous dogs, baking and cooking, some fashion and beauty, a lot of comedians, and some feminism pages.

It’s not really the despairing place to be that you painted in your OP.

What I HATE the most about the influencer generation is how many young children are being exploited in the quest for their parents to be famous on YouTube. Everything about their lives splashed all over the internet with zero consent from them. It's horrific.