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!

Algorithms tend to show you more of the type of stuff you engage with, whether positively or negatively - it doesn't care which.
Seeing as you do seem overly invested in influencers and also what they were or weren't doing, not much of a surprise really.
Stop following them if you haven't already.
Hide/ block profiles or pages that come up suggested you if you're not interested in them.
That way you'll see less of them.

I know one person who is an influencer in quite a niche area. She is a lovely person but instagram has taken over her life - it often feels like it’s all she does. It makes me feel a bit sorry for influencers in general - the pressure to keep creating content is huge.

Must be tedious to have a mate who is trying to make content when you are just going out for a meal. You would have to be comfortable in being filmed, or state clearly you wanted no part of it. I wonder how many friendships have been lost because one of them has an addiction to filming content. They become boring too. They are not bringing anything to the table, it’s all about them.

I was trapped in a product demo at a trade show recently with some influencers and it made me fear for the future of the human race. Companies are showering these people with money and free stuff but they seemed to be completely ignorant of how the products actually worked or what they were for. I can't imagine it's very effective as a form of advertising.

I call them Product Prostitutes.

The social side of the internet isn't about people suffering etc,people watch these videos for entertainment, altough i agree some of them are ott annoying and out of touch,
i have unfollowed someone who i really enjoyed watching, they have a "real job" and their content was get ready with me for work/event, so was just chat, she is now on maternity leave and all she does is unboxing of baby stuff and new mum "treats" it just seems umauthentic once they all start doing # Ads/gift/collab .

Not unreasonable. I can't believe this is actually a job these days.

The tapping! Argh!!!!

@CrikeyNumpty "modern day Tupperware salesperson" - loved that!

Thanks for this thread @AurielleBaies I spend most of my time on MN on the Elderly parents thread. I am however curious about influencers with a few things that strike me.

Tapping - yes it is awful.
Same products being peddled - collagen and creatine seem to the new kids on the block.

On a more serious note the rollercoaster of emotions from some seems so unhealthy. There is one that kept popping up on my feed. I won’t name her but she is one of many young girls who seem quite fame hungry so when she is attending events and is getting attention she is bubbly and also foul mouthed and derogatory about anyone who isn’t as ‘fit’ - her words meaning good looking. She posts quite uncouth short interviews with a little microphone with people in her social circle who also seem to think they are edgy. These are 30+ age groups. It feels like this particular girl has been chasing fame for a long time now and it still hasn’t happened. She has regularly posted about her mental health and has been on medication.

I am going to sound so old here but if she was my daughter the first thing I would suggest would be to get off social media. Get some routine of calm as opposed to manic partying and eat well, she admits she eats rubbish and parties hard.

Her most recent post is one where she has had a dip again in her mental health saying she is seeking/paying for a diagnosis and she thinks she has CPTSD.

I feel for her but feel labels are not always helpful. It seems such a precarious way to live needing the affirmation of strangers. What is the long term plan for some of these party girls who just seem to want to be famous for doing very little but all seem to have a great weekend partying but by Monday evening are ‘depressed’. Sorry if I have derailed BTW just genuinely interested.

Also can I please stop seeing these tiny skinny girls in overpriced oversized Adidas gear. 🙄🤣

I know Tara Palmer Tomlinson wasn’t an influencer but she was considered an It Girl. Famous for no discernible talent but made much of by the media. Influencers are in a similar vein, no talent (apart from flogging products and attention seeking) and social media has given them a platform, they don’t need mainstream media. TPT - that didn’t end well, so maybe the depressed party girl referenced in the previous post can be likened to TPT.

Good point @CrikeyNumpty

I suppose each generation has its own fame seekers for centuries. We are after all just human beings and with that comes a plethora of personality differences.

I do feel SM has enabled average people to catapult themselves to a place with thousands of followers giving them a false sense of success. I do find the whole manic isn’t everything amazing aren’t I cool and edgy one minute and the next day I’m depressed thing is fuelled by a desire to be rich/famous/non conforming. All fine as long as years down the line you can support yourself when the current influencer/DJ/model/fashion guru has lost its shine. Sometimes slow and steady wins the race is a good mantra. I have a family member who ‘can’t do boring’ - she is lovely when everything is going her way but when it isn’t and she doe want to do something (mundane) she is always ‘ill”.

Top be fair she is youngish and my 86 year old mother - although not a blood relation to this family member is exactly the same. She ( my mother) still laments that ‘everyone’ said she could have been a film star.

I can’t be arsed with the ones selling shite or the ones that use their children for views. There’s one that grew up near me and OMG the lies that woman tells online, it’s like she’s rewritten her past and truly believes she famous 🤣. The full SEN community near her turned against her as she was using them for views, she’s really not a nice individual.

There’s a couple I do like on Insta, mainly down to earth people who aren’t chasing views or selling anything but post about things I’m interested in.

@Eviangeica oh there are some really interesting and decent people I agree. I guess it’s the ones who are flogging stuff or generally believe they are famous. It’s a dangerous place to be unless you are really financially secure.

Exhausting as well. One minute on the ceiling because you are so fit/in demand/buzzing etc etc and next minute on the floor depressed.

TikTok especially is wild. Some of them think they’re famous which I find hilarious. I remember when I first joined it looking for floristry ideas it was full of get ready with me, spend a day with me, Costco hauls, M&S hauls etc. Thankfully the algorithm doesn’t bring those people up any more. One of the many things the influencer I’m talking has done was she caught out when she said she’d lost weight naturally and someone saw a mourjano pen in her fridge, she tried to back track then admitted it. So many young girls and women follow her and she tells lie after lie. I’m not sure where to find it amusing or quite sad.

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.

Snap, and I have another 20+ years on you! When I first heard about these 'influencers' I thought it was a joke, who would be 'influenced' by some total nonentity, what qualifies them to 'influence' anyone?

Ugh. There is a weightloss one who was really lovely in the beginning when she was posting 2-4 times a day. Shes now made it her career and posts 18+ times a day. She either deletes any posts she perceives as negative (even when shes asked for opinions and people are respectfully offering constructive advice) and/or encourages her followers to turn on and attack said posters. Basically only gushing and fawning replies are allowed and there are many willing volunteers 😨

in a sense influencers are no different than marketer's eg edward berneys etc

I went to a thwme
park this weekend. And it was some influencer day. They were so rude. And I didn’t kike
them
filming near my kids.

I wonder if this is the same one I’m thinking of. Name starts with C?

I can't be sure but yes. Has 4 children also that regularly feature.

I fully agree with you 100%.

I can never understand what ''influencers'' actually do! I don't want to see pictures/videos of them doing the washing and lounging around on beaches!

I’m not sure that wealth extremes have necessarily increased, just that it’s all on social media now ?
Having said that I’ve never look at an influencer-yuk- or anything similar on social media, and can think of no one in real life who flaunts their wealth in front of me !

I completely agree !!

I find it fascinating how anybody can change their FB setting to 'content creator' and then their posts reach far and wide. You can now be scrolling and come across some random person on the side of the country's child in full uniform, announcing their first day at St Bob's. Or screenshots of their latest family feud. Or their battle with social services after having their kids removed due to drug addiction. Why?!!