To wonder why so many influencers…

[Strangermanger]

Feel entitled to give long and regular missives on financial ‘wellness’ when they admit they’re often thousands of pounds in debt, can’t stop spending on clothes and holidays and live month to month?

It’s Jan so there’s obviously an increase in this stuff but I don’t understand how someone that’s got themselves in £40k debt in a YEAR feels entitled to dole out advice to try to recruit followers. These are the type of people you want to stay away from if you’re trying to manage better financially, surely?!

Are we talking about Yasmine because she's just an actual idiot.

I have a friend who is a 'life coach'. She often goes on about 'manifesting' and how she 'manifested a financially successful life'. I mean, she was a sofa surfing hippie who met another sofa surfing hippie who just happened to be an heir, so yes, now she lives in a 20 bed country pile that's been in her husband's family for 800 years and neither of them really have to work for a living other that giving some guided tours and running some events and things on the family estate, but I'm not sure how much that can be chalked up to 'creating financial success through visualisation.' I mean, she just got married and hit the sofa surfing hippie jackpot by pulling the one with a title rather than some other unemployed guy without a trust fund. I'm not sure she's had much success in the life coaching business as a result.

The more people watch them, the more they spawn.

It's the scrolling generation. 🙄

More importantly, why are you watching these people?

Because they are vacuous, self absorbed cunts who only thrive off the validation of others.

Just unfollow.

So much this. They are all narcissistic vapid creatures.

There's a fabulous episode of the Conspirituality podcast about this called "Coaches who Coach Coaches".

I don’t follow them - they come up as suggested or on TikTok @araiwa

In my wider social circle (school parents, colleagues' partners, etc), there are a few self-employed Coaches who all seem to "coach" each other. On social media they're always tagging each other, making inspirational speeches at conferences, appearing on each others' podcasts and "Power Hours". The same names crop up all the time and they all talk about "manifesting", taking financial control, harnessing "feminine energy", etc. I just don't get it. How are any of them making money? One of them was on about manifesting £20k per month! If I were doing that I'd probably just quietly get on with it, not desperately try to train others to copy me!

The algorithm will suggest more of the kind of people you are already following, no? I follow artists, historians, and writers, so I get suggestions to follow more of the same.

Thank you! I am fascinated by this weird phenomenon so will look this up.

I don’t even know how one accumulates £40k of debt in about 6 months…..

I could give it a good go 🤣

What the actual hell IS an influencer?

A good friend is an online coach and desperate to be seen as an influencer, he now has a podcast (not a very successful one), he preaches the importance of treating partners well etc while making sure they treat you well. Funnily enough he fails to mention the fact tjay he constantly cheats on his partner, treats him like a free maid and is a regular at sex parties. Hes also in a lot of debt, he only still has his home as he is dragging his feet as much as possible with his ex partner who is still on the mortgage.

Influencers are just walking and talking advertising boards. They don’t have the answers, or the experience (99% of the time) to be anything but, only they work on likes and commissions, so they spout whatever gets them that.

Social media is full of narcissists

Easy! 🤣

The funny thing about them is that they admit in their job title literally that their purpose is to influence you. And yet people are stupid enough to think oh yeah OK I'll let you do that because I'm not capable of independent thought. The joke is on them.

Sounds like it's just MLM without any actual product! Also, I'm certain that the whole thing will rely on 'fake it till you make it'. But virtually none will, so unless they have a lot of money behind them, they will probably just end up in a load of debt.

Often they have come from a MLM. Branching out to share their "secrets of success".

Worse is posing as parenting experts while exploiting their children for content. Or just exploiting children in general.

There is a dire German influencer who dresses up like some sort of Disney princess while dragging their young child around. The lack of informed consent is sickening. The poor kid doesn’t seem to speak and has been marketed as a baby blogger. Why do companies want to advertise products with these people?

I'm an adult so I don't take any notice of "influencers".

Yeah you’re talking about Yasmine and she’s a dickhead. She had masses of debt before and a company paid it all off for her. But because she lives in fairy land she has now run up another 40k of debt in 6 months. And is trying to lecture others, the irony, in financial management. The kicker is that she’s had good jobs, she owns a property in London, she just has champagne taste on a Prosecco budget and thinks she’s entitled to live the high life! Meanwhile her teenage son and her daughter are sharing a bedroom while she fannies about spending money on shit

Because seals will brainlessly clap them for whatever tripe that they spunk online.

It's how they make money.
Post tripe. Get views. Get comments.
Repeat.

See also: Jack Monroe