What do people think of influencers?

[cavewoman2026]

I feel like my feelings have changed towards them over the years. Yes I like to check out what women are wearing but everyone now seems to dress the same or have extremely curated expensive pieces that were given to them for free. So then it’s not organic and nothing exceptional is being created. It feels like everyone is just showing the most expensive pieces they own to tag the brands to gain popularity (yes I know this is how social media works). For micro influencers I always wonder how they can afford it all? Daily outfits of super expensive clothes, bags and shoes? Is it all on credit cards and loans?

Depressingly I have one or two friends around me that have expressed wanting to be influencers as people are interested in the lifestyle. Who wouldn’t want to go to beauty events, get free clothes and makeup?

I’ve started to explore style from socialites from the past, actresses, rummaging in vintage shops (even on Vinted), fashion magazines. It’s truly what I get my inspiration from these days.

So, do you all still follow influencers or are we moving past them now?

Omg the travel ones are the ones who annoy me. I don't really watch any Instagram or anything else so I don't encounter influencers online but when I go into town (I live in a place that gets a lot of tourists) or I'm on my holidays I see them in real life and they make queues everywhere so you can't walk where you want to. I don't give a crap what people look at on their phones but making queues in the real world, so you can have phone pictures, is obnoxious anti-human behaviour, I really do think this most strongly.

So she’s trying to be an influencer. Some people are influenced by their friends too.

Oh yes I enjoyed a blog, I always liked the diary style extracts in a magazine so a blog was similar for me.

I didn’t argue otherwise but was just making the point that some people dislike advertising in general so the facts influencers are just another form of advertising is irrelevant to them.

I suppose it’s really hard to be authentic because once a blog or page takes off you get so many offers so it’s hard to be discerning & maybe you give up the day job so you have to take the money but some of the audience then switch off.

Yeah I’m sure it’s a hard line to tread if you’re committed to making it pay; that’s where you start to lose your audience because you’ve lost your authenticity.

Oh yeah. We were agreeing really!

I’m a lecturer in digital marketing and should be un-influence-able but still get suckered in. Provided everything’s properly disclosed I don’t have much beef with them, and just scroll/unfollow if I’m getting fed up. Research shows micro-influencers are deemed more credible now than people with huge follower counts, so it feels like it’s coming full circle a bit now.

What I do hate is creators who post tons of affiliate links (“here’s my jumper from Cos, but I’ve linked four alternatives at other price points”) because I think a lot of people don’t fully understand how those work.

What made the old bloggers fun and interesting was that some of them could be quite opinionated and if, for example, they were reviewing some fashion products, they didn't hold back. But once they were being paid to give their opinions they had to start modifying what they said. They got boring so I gave up reading them.

I've not thought about any of this for years!

I feel like everyone is an influencer these days....there are just so many of them! When I was in my early 20s I followed a couple of fashion bloggers. These days I find myself watching mum influencers cleaning and tidying up....I dont even know why I watch them! I guess its just knowing its not just me living the totally mundane! I sometimes think maybe I should do it for some extra cash then realised they must be permanently glued to their phones so not so great in reality. I dont follow any style influences these days though as too skint to follow the trends!

I decided to have a go at it. I had not long had a baby (it was years ago now) and I thought it might be an easy way to earn a bit of extra money. I love fashion, plus size fashion was having a bit of a moment, so I just started photographing my outfits. It started off ok, I got had a few “exciting” things happen- I got chosen to model for a new plus size label (that didn’t end up happening!) I worked with a few very small businesses, got shared on a few bigger fashion pages. I really loved doing it. But it didn’t last… social media moved on and became all about reels and videos instead of pictures and I wasn’t good at it. I knew it wasn’t going to lead anywhere and I also wouldn’t want the trolls and people slagging you off, I’m not at all thick skinned. Then I got diagnosed with an illness and my medication made me lose my hair and put on lots of weight. I didn’t feel like photographing myself anymore.

I still enjoy watching some fashion influencers though. I don’t like people who show their kids really , it’s not safe. I got some VERY dodgy DMs even doing what I did. It was certainly eye opening and not in a good way!

Agree with all that. They’ve ruined tourism. Recently tried researching for a holiday and honestly, gave up on the internet entirely and went to a bookstore and bought a travel book.

yes, currently I've seen the new max factor blurring foundation popping up everywhere and those new style electric toothbrushes.

I'm surprised it works, it puts me off paying full price for something when I see so many people clearly getting it for free.

I find people like Stacey Solomon odd. She has a proper career on tv and yet a lot of her time is her promoting Amazon stuff (often in a disingenuous way). So she has a proper career but has a lucrative side hustle as an influencer. It feels grubby. She is personable and well liked but the constant flog to her fans l in a shifty way is a bit off. Lucrative but off. The stuff she flogs is mostly landfill and she can’t quite pull off the I’m obsessed with this plastic piece of shite. She has just bought a big house so maybe her side hustle helped with that. But it is somewhat disappointing that she is using her normal gal Stacey image to flog hard to her fans.

The use of influencers really puts me off a product.
I was watching Tiktok recently, (bad habit, I know) and saw all the influencers at some horse event wearing head to toe Fairfax and Favor. Never have I wanted something less. I could absolutely predict who would be the next person in shot - same old crowd (and none really interested in horses...).
I saw an influencer's baby-shower (second baby) and again I could predict which of the other "mummy influencers" would be there. Where are this person's real friends?
If I notice a sudden interest in a particular product myself (for example, Polene bags about five years ago), I KNOW it is advertising working on me (why did everyone I saw online suddenly have a Polene bag?) and it is a clear sign not to buy it. Have you seen Crystal Chen ("the slow buy club")? She is an ex-marketer and ex-shopperholic and explains all this SO WELL. Since watching her videos I rarely want to buy anything.

That Elevate collagen powder was being flogged by everyone. Even Janet Street Porter got in on the flog.

I think they all need to get a proper job, it just seems like a way to get out of working whilst earning money for not doing very much.

Nope, don't follow anyone. I don't really use Instagram. I feel it's such a waste of time to "follow" someone else's life. I barely have time for my own to look at someone's insta page and their fashion/makeup advice. Which often is a paid for promotion. Doesn't interest me at all. I've got a friend so desperate in gaining followers so that she will be recognised by big brands to offer her ad deals. Fair play, but I am not wanting to be influenced to buy stuff I don't need.

Selling their souls

Why not just ignore them?

Haven't RTFT so I don't know if it's been shared already, but this sketch from the BBC's Ellie & Natasha captures certain influencers perfectly!
https://youtube.com/shorts/6TCpikS0HNY?si=RPOuSRpqUnbre4XE

I rather like Mikey from the crochet crowd on Facebook, and remember how shocked he was when he found out he was an influencer many years ago. I have a bit of a soft spot for influencers I guess.

i have always said, when the term influencer comes up, my response is - unemployed.

are they paying tax? NI credits? What are they doing 10-20 years with no real life work experience, where will they work?

I use Insta. but to follow museums, art galleries, authors and histiorians. Who aren't usually flogging anything.
Yes, I am a nerd.

You don’t think it’s a good thing that women are making money for themselves? Being able to work around their children whereas without it they maybe couldn’t work at all due to childcare costs?

Making money is not a bad thing. They aren’t killing people or harming anyone they are trying on a few clothes.

What work is deemed proper work? Making money is work. I work from home in a business I have set up myself. I choose my hours and if I want to go out for lunch with my friends I organise my day to be able to do that.
I make money therefore I work I don’t need to be standing in tesco all day to show people that I am sufficiently struggling to justify my money to them.