To think many are jealous of social media influencers

[pebimo6]

There's a couple I follow on Instagram and it's obvious some of the things they show are ads and that's fine. When I watch itv it's free because there are ads, that's the world. You either pay for a service or it finds another way to make you pay.

But has anyone else notice how instamums attract so much negativity? It seems to be nothing more than jealously! They're not harming anyone and no one is forced to follow

Influencer is just another term for salesperson.
I feel sorry for the people who don’t realise it and spend the last of their cash on hundreds of bottles of zoflora or similar just because someone on Instagram showed them theirs ( that was probably gifted to them )

l couldnt name one "influencer", they are all irrelavant as its so fake, and doesn 't interest me.
They probably appeal more to the gullible.

Not jealous at all. I have a bit of a following on Insta (about 10k) for an account about a hobby I do. I occasionally get free things but also turn down stuff. I only ever promote things that I would genuinely use. And I never, ever, feature my kids in pics or name them in any narrative under posts, I’ll say ‘my 11 year old’ and that’s it.

I think if you want to tout yourself out on Insta that’s fine but leave your kids out of it. The one that springs to mind for me is father of daughters. Every moment of his twins lives has been documented for hundreds of thousands of strangers online. They’ve seen them sleeping, on the potty, sad, angry, ill. I don’t follow him but was prompted by a thread on here to look at his account and thought how sad. He and his wife are obviously doing well out of it but the price is their kids privacy. I hope the twins feel that was a price worth paying when they’re older.

Jealous? No.

Fully aware the life they are leading is fake as fuck and they are essentially lying to every single one of their follower and their lifestyle is unsustainable and a lie. Absolutely

Can I see the harm on younger people/teenagers who see that as an attainable lifestyle? Hell yes. It’s like keeping up with the joneses but much more extreme and much more damaging.

Fakery is the biggest thing that annoys me.

They photoshop/edit their photos and have learned to pose themselves to give off an illusion of being skinny/fit whatever refuelling unobtainable body and beauty standards.

Many of the items they promote are gifted OR they buy them and then return them after they’ve take a few pictures. Honestly. They buy and return some things because it’s easier. 🙄

They make no mention of how much a particular post makes them. I’d be much much more understanding of influencers if I knew for fancy face item they were given it for free, paid £Xs AND given many other products plus a boost in that brands own page too for more followers.

Some smaller influencers don’t even have the homes they photograph themselves in. They hire an air BnB and get a good couple of months worth of shots to share of themselves thatll be mushed between product photos.

I can’t remember the name of the influencer but it was obvious her hair changed length from longer to shorter to longer and it wasn’t hair extensions though some do claim that.

Some of them have one highly styled, insta worthy room in their house and the rest is an average Jane shitshow 🤣

@Mincepiepoptarts

Not jealous at all. I have a bit of a following on Insta (about 10k) for an account about a hobby I do. I occasionally get free things but also turn down stuff. I only ever promote things that I would genuinely use. And I never, ever, feature my kids in pics or name them in any narrative under posts, I’ll say ‘my 11 year old’ and that’s it.

I think if you want to tout yourself out on Insta that’s fine but leave your kids out of it. The one that springs to mind for me is father of daughters. Every moment of his twins lives has been documented for hundreds of thousands of strangers online. They’ve seen them sleeping, on the potty, sad, angry, ill. I don’t follow him but was prompted by a thread on here to look at his account and thought how sad. He and his wife are obviously doing well out of it but the price is their kids privacy. I hope the twins feel that was a price worth paying when they’re older.

There’s also the mum influencers who seem to have because once the kids hit 8-11ish they have no ‘content’ so they just have a new baby and their impact/engagement ramps up again.

Not jealousy at all. I think it's the lack of transparency & the false aspirations it gives people.

Ads on TV are clearly that. Ads.

SM marketing, whilst clearly the way forwards, isn't as black & white.

I also think this default to "they're just jealous" is infantile and ridiculous.

Is it just me who rarely feels jealousy? I know what it feels like, I get jealous sometimes if people's lovely relationships with their parents, but it's not something I feel very often. The idea that people only ever disapprove of things out of jealousy is quite alien to me. Some things are just shit ideas.

As long as they declare it's an ad I don't see the problem.

@pebimo6

There's a couple I follow on Instagram and it's obvious some of the things they show are ads and that's fine. When I watch itv it's free because there are ads, that's the world. You either pay for a service or it finds another way to make you pay.

But has anyone else notice how instamums attract so much negativity? It seems to be nothing more than jealously! They're not harming anyone and no one is forced to follow

I understand how it can be harmful to some but toile you say, you can always unfollow. Some people just like to tear others down

@Clymene

I find it very disturbing that people monetise their children

Yes. Family vloggers are awful. It shouldn't be legal to parade your child on camera for money.

It all so narcissistic and ego-driven.

Post & run journo?

No thanks, I wonder how their children will feel it the future about having been paraded on social media without having any choice in the matter to strangers.

I follow a lot of influencers - generally mum ones and a few fashion too. We also have a couple of mum influencers at the school so perhaps that has altered my opinion. Some are quite honest in how hard it can be at times and it's not all glam and freebies. They have worked hard to build themselves or their families as a brand and that in itself has its own pitfalls. I like following because a lot of them do influence what I buy with ideas for days out and things I wouldn't of otherwise known about. I guess the same as if I travelled through day out with the kids website or suchlike for ideas of holiday activities, I can just see pictures and real reviews of days out that they have done, it's more interactive that I can ask questions on pricing, they can give tips etc or things you haven't even thought about so I do like that side of it! I think though I firmly am a glass half full kind of person and don't compare myself to it or my parenting etc as I know it's just for show and that everyone is a real person. Everyone has off days and hard days etc.

I also forgot to add I couldn't do it myself, it actually sounds pretty hard work and awful tbh and I guess just see it as any other job.

@iklboodolphrednosedpaindear

Post & run journo?

Yeah, looks like another dump and run.

Anyway, most people aren't jealous, but they are wary of misinformation and outright bullshit being proffered as real life. People don't like the feeling of being used. For example the vegan influencers who have been caught eating meat etc. There's nothing authentic about lying to people to make money.

When it's themselves I have no problem, when their kids are being used it's wrong. They don't have any say and when they're older their entire lives are available for everyone to see. Just doesn't seem right.

They're just sales people though aren't they? It's the modern way of promoting products. Same with these YouTube videos that the kids watch.

I'm not really into social media but I started following a few home accounts for ideas. I didn't even know that you could watch stories at first. I soon twigged on that I was being advertised to.

It's not all bad. Watching Instagram has at times given me lots of motivation to exercise, clean my house. I've found some good fashion tips and house ideas and a couple of good online retailers. The accounts I follow are smaller ones just doing it as a hobby or sideline.

You have to be careful not to fall for it too deeply because some just promote a right load of tat and yes it is immoral and terrible for the environment.

But advertising and influencing is everywhere.

Disliking a particular line of work isn't jealousy though. They may not agree with or feel repulsed by the consumerism or narcissism involved for example.

Influencing is not a job and it's embarrassing when they try to say it is. It's up there with MLM's for me; preys on the vulnerable and bad for society. And impressionable teens are growing up to think twice yearly jaunts to the Maldives and a face full of filler in return for taking photos of yourself is a credible career choice.

My SIL is an Instagram influencer. I am not jealous. Her life is torn between the ultimate falseness of her posts and pictures and her actual real life and the two very much conflate sometimes. On her posts she goes on and on about her love for her family and mainly her mum. She's been running it for 7 years and never once mentioned she has 3 brothers who she gets on with well enough one being my dh. It's as if they don't exist, you'd think she was an only dc on Instagram. She also sees her mum once or twice a year max. But in those times she takes millions of pictures in different outfits and posts them throughout the year to declare their close relationship because that's more popular than declaring her brothers existence. Also means she only ages once or twice a year!!

In rl though she is a nice enough person but is definitely happy to exploit peoples unhappiness rather than get a day job. That's that I suppose. There will always be people willing to do that and always be people there to exploit unfortunately.

OP what you call jealously! I call people being sick off a new generation of self absorbed narcissists. Seriously if you have to base your aspirations and life on a so called influencer, I really do feel sorry for every one of you. Shallow self absorbed materialistic Influencers are what is wrong with the world now days.

Agree with @Hotchocolateandcake above. They’re just sales reps trying to earn a living like everyone else. I don’t really see how it’s different to watching a fashion show on Lorraine and them giving you details of where to buy them. I would draw the line at showing my kids though. I’ve sold my DD’s old competition gym leotards online and you realise VERY quickly there’s a lot, and I mean A LOT, of very very creepy guys out there.

I feel sorry for them as they privacy. Not jealous I'd never ever ever want my life like that. Stuff is just stuff.

If I believed the image I was being shown, then possibly I would be jealous. Many people would like the sort of lifestyle they purport to have. That's the whole point after all, isn't it, as you're not going to sell something no one wants. As it is, i just see people presenting something unreal, so its a bit like asking if I'm jealous of a character in a film.

Isn’t the whole point of them that we covet what they have and therefore buy the stuff they promote? I’m deeply uncomfortable with the way they weave their promotion into their family lives. What really irks me is when they suggest you shouldn’t compare yourself to people on nstagram when their whole business model relies on you doing exactly that! But I’m as addicted as the next person