To be fed up of pointless influencers peddling shit everywhere?

[Sprockergirl]

It's just so annoying. I never wanted to get TikTok because I'd heard it was a massive time waster, but people kept sending me tiktoks so I caved and downloaded the app so I can watch them. Now I'm on it I do see some funny and relatable things which I enjoy but honestly I'm so bored of the #ads and seeing all these normal people plugging all this pointless shit, ads for this and that, hauls, affiliate links etc.

Instagram has become the same even though I only want to use it to see my friends and families photos, not be constantly bombarded with adverts for things. I've never even bought of tiktok shop or Instagram! But it obviously works because these people seem to have so much money.

I've just deleted TikTok again because I cba but honestly at a societal level AIBU to think there is just an unbearable level of advertising everywhere, like we are all being encouraged to buy stuff we don't need endlessly even though so are supposedly balls deep in climate change and be reducing/reusing/recycling instead. Feels criminal that SO MANY people can make a living out of doing the exact opposite tbh.

Can't we just ban the lot of them please!!

I don't think there's any need to ban them if others enjoy that sort of thing.

I genuinely wouldn't know an influencer if they bit me on the arse, but then again I don't do TT or Insta and never have.

This has become such a massive problem since using social media was made compulsory. If only we were allowed to just delete the bloody apps & do something more useful & productive with our time. How good would that be?

I don’t use Tik Tok, but do feel this about Instagram. There are quite a few accounts I’ve followed for years that used to more about art, sewing, house things, general women in their 40s topics that are now primarily ads ( not always declared as such). Recently it’s just tipped over to the point where I’m close to unfollowing even though I used to really enjoy those accounts. It’s just clothing they were sent for free, skincare, services of every sort, free holidays, free use of a fancy car, just thing after thing.

One lady received a complaint from a follower saying as much as she came back saying that this is how she makes her living and supports her family and don’t we women support each other? I just thought yeah, but what’s in it for me anymore? She gets paid, the brands get my money, how am I better off?

Influencers are obviously the new advertising for the SM generation, those who don't watch TV or listen to radio, or read the papers. That's the new way. Funny thing is, I was following Milani of the "We do not care Club" and found it so refreshing and funny. Next thing there she was promoting something or other. Inevitable I suppose, but it put me off.

Anyway I'm old school. I use FB for a couple of forums that have been so helpful to me over the years. I watch the US cop cam videos (secret pleasure), and find that the ads are far less intrusive than IG or TT. I can't do the reels, they are too short and I can't get into them. IG and TT are now gone from my phone. I'll stick with the old fashioned FB for now. It might become fashionable again some day lol!

I used to work in finance at a marketing company, so saw a lot behind the scenes. Brands are now spending more on social media and influencer marketing than any other marketing outlet, but the big-name influencers (the ones with millions of followers) aren’t delivering like they used to. Instead brands are making a move towards micro-influencers. Basically normal people with smaller but more engaged followings (usually under 100K). They’re cheaper to work with and their followers actually listen about what they post. So brands can spread their budget across a bunch of these smaller accounts and reach more specific, interested audiences.

The problem isn’t them doing the advertising as that’s how it it’s now, it’s the hiding the fact it’s an advert. Too many of them don’t clearly state it’s an advert at the start so you can choose to disengage. Plus most of them a full of shit and will say they already use something they are advertising but then two weeks later it’s a new brand they claim to use. If there was more honesty about it then I wouldn’t have such an issue.