Influencers

[AurielleBaies]

AIBU in thinking that influencers are the absolute worst kind of people? I think we knew this when Lydia Millen was posting about going to stay in a posh hotel (the Ritz?) when her heating went out during Covid. But it seems 1000% times worse now. Maybe it’s my algorithm, maybe I’m getting old…but these out of touch people are starting to really wind me up.

I used to work for an influencer, who was AWFUL in real life but everyone loved her online. She is an inspiration to so many but truly one of the worst people I have ever met and has fucked over so many nice, normal people to get to where she is. Her influencer friends who she often collaborated with were just as awful, one was a huge advocate for mental health and truly was an awful person who belittled everyone around her.

I know they aren’t all like this. I’m just struggling with the absolute saturation of the influencer industry knowing that probably most of them are out of touch, horrible people just playing us all so they make more money and become even more awful.

Add on to this he uber rich people (multi multi millionaires and billionaires) shoving their wealth into everyone’s faces. It’s so
distasteful. No one needs that amount of money and stuff. The wealth extremes have become so much worse in the last 5 years. I just can’t stand it!

I mean, they’ll be good and bad people just like in any other line of work 🤷🏼‍♀️

Just stop following them?

Goodness you’re really very agitated about this tonight. What has precipitated it?

I don’t, they come up on my algorithm when I’m scrolling!

Could you stop scrolling ?

Very much depends on who you follow. I like people like Genevieve Turkey - she's a make up artist in her day job so she posts about make up including tips on how to do certain looks and reviews of products. She's also really funny. Is she making money off social media and getting free stuff? Sure. But she's good so fair play to her. No one is holding a gun to my head and making me watch her content.

You urgently need a break from SM

Mumsnet and the occasional reddit search are the only social media I use now.

It is really changed how I feel and see the world.

Could.you have a week/month off social media and see if there is anything you miss? Then focus on just engaging with that.

I follow loads of “influencers” however I follow people I enjoy watching, people that are positive influencers, motivate me or just show lovely things. Cecilia from Svalbard is one of my favourites! And Joanna Jinton too.

Your scrolling page is so so curated to what you consume, you can either stop engaging with the content or select the “don’t recommend” option - for it to be constantly recommending that content you must be engaging with it in some capacity. If you stop that it’ll help you curate a better suited social media scrolling zone 😃

These threads are weird.

Like when Daily Mail readers used to start threads slagging off the Daily Mail.

I can genuinely say that in all my 56 years on earth, I've have never followed or even listened to an influencer in my life.

I've seen a couple pop up on TV but I've never felt the desire to be 'influenced' by any of these people.

Horses for courses but if your algorithms are offering you these people, it's because you clearly view or follow them.

If you’re not scrolling straight past or blocking them, the algorithm will keep suggesting you the type of content you’re choosing to consume, I rarely get any of these people on any of my feeds and the odd time I do, instead of letting it wind me up I just block.

Your algorithm suggests things for you that you engage with. Yes, even watching something for five seconds counts as engagement. Mine consists of "influencers" who make art, women who decorate their houses and a couple of lively blokes who expose toxic masculinity. Maybe an odd gym bro with long hair riding a horse. Maybe...

I know 2 “influencers” as in they sell shit on TikTok to influence folk to buy it.
One has about 3/4 of a million followers and is one of the nastiest people I know.
The other is lovely so on the very very small sample that I know I’d say you were 50% right

They’re popping up when you’re scrolling because you’re consuming that kind of content. The ‘not interested’ function is your friend. Search for things you’re interested in - funny animal videos, astrology, narrow boat homes, whatever - and start liking. Your algorithm will follow suit. Better yet, have a social media break and stop giving it so much power over you.

Even by starting this thread you’re continuing to give them the oxygen of publicity and keeping the influencer bubble afloat.

They should just be rebranded as advertisers. That is exactly what they are once they start pushing products.

Who was the influencer you worked for?

I’m sure most of them are perfectly nice people. There’s a (fat) woman on TikTok, for example. She waxes her face mostly and eats mountains of food. She’s adorable and very funny. (I don’t follow anyone so don’t know their names, I just see their TikToks)

My lovely 23 year old niece is an influencer. She calls it digital content creator 😂 She hasn’t worked since she left uni. She makes enough money to travel the world and live in a boujee flat in Hampstead when she’s in the uk (rarely). Her content is sporadic and largely fake. She gets paid for promoting things or companies and she makes good promo for them, but it’s not real. She’ll pretend to be in London, for example, to promote a service.

Anyway, she’s laughing all the way to the bank. Her (dolt) followers lap it up. Good luck to them all, I say. The amount of money to be made for little effort is incredible.

I follow some because I like the outfits they put together, some because I like their food some because I enjoy their travel Videos. Beyond the couple minutes I'm watching I really don't give them any thoughts. I'd never judge anyone for checking into a fancy hotel because their powers out. Sounds like a fabulous idea.

Just start looking at cat videos then you get lots more cat videos and they are adorable.

Yeah it is a fabulous idea but don’t you think it’s a little out of touch posting about it when people
were losing their jobs/massively struggling for money during a global pandemic? A lot of people were upset about it. It’s not what she’s doing, it’s how out of touch her and other influencers are.

yes my favourite type of content

Lots of people are struggling
lots of people are not struggling

Yep. And most of it is absolute tat in my opinion. They get paid more than some people’s yearly salary to push products that don’t even work half the time too. It’s bananas.

You are voluntarily subjecting yourself to something that clearly causes you genuine anger.

Just stop

You might like the outfits they put together but they're only putting those items together because they've been gifted them from the company. Or loaned them to advertise to you. Those videos are a walking advertorial.

There are ones who always talk about pieces of jewellery to go with an outfit, which are from some very specific companies, that only seemed to become well known through social media.

The whole damned idea of it all is nasty. Fake as fuck.