With influencing and influencers being the main form of marketing we encounter on a daily basis, it’s no wonder that, inevitably, we end up with things that we thought were life-changing. Think about it: we’re faced with a real person (or several) showing us a product and raving about how amazing it is. Can you blame yourself for wanting to buy it?
And that’s the whole basis of de-influencing. Taking place mostly on TikTok, users are taking it in turns to show products that they were influenced into buying. As expected, Dyson air wraps, unique shaped beauty blenders and expensive items of clothing all made the list. They’d taken in the rave reviews, impulse bought the item, and regretted it. At a time where cost of living is at it’s highest, it’s unsurprising that we’re looking into our spending habits with a more critical eye.
it’s unsurprising that we’re looking into our spending habits with a more critical eye
The trend itself it’s probably something that we all needed: a wake-up call into influencer culture and what we accept as truth. As well as this, platforms like TikTok shop advertise such “amazing” deals that it seems you shouldn’t miss, and this partially feeds into it. As attention spans become shorter and the need for instant gratification gets stronger, it seems like a solid way to make money - fast. However, it’s out of control. Social media is so permeated with adverts like these that it’s time to take a step back and accept that we, as a culture, rely so heavily on aesthetics and impulse buying that often times, isn’t worth it at all.
Now, I’m not saying that all of the products are trash and shouldn’t be bought. Most of the time, products just aren’t suited to certain people and their lifestyle habits, which is part of the reason that de-influencing is such a successful trend. Influencer marketing relies heavily on appealing to a mass market, and many products are marketed to a general population. So, although a product may be amazing and ground-breaking to one person, to another, it’s a waste of money. As previously stated, it’s time to start looking more critically at what we buy.
it’s time to start looking more critically at what we buy
It’s time to break free from cycles of consumption and evaluate our wants, and more importantly, needs, in a better way. If it’s a necessity, then by all means, purchase to your heart’s content. If it’s something you’ve seen from a handful of influencers that you want for the lifestyle they sold you? Maybe have a think about how useful it’ll be in the long-term…