Deep Dives
Weve seen this trend before.
In these videos, people tell you whatnotto buy.
Sometimes, theyll dismiss the hype around certain popular products only to recommend a better alternative.
EvenFortuneweighed in, saying that Gen Z and Millennials are rejecting consumer culture to protect their money.
I rolled my eyes at all this.
Here’s the thing: de-influencingisinfluencing.
I don’t care if someone only has 100 followers.
If those 100 people trust that person, they have been influenced.
In 2009, fashion brands were just beginning to acknowledge bloggers even though they existed years earlier.
Their honest, best-friend-like reviews gained traction with adoring audiences everywhere.
Fashion brands, however, were not so welcoming.
From a traditional editor’s perspective, this was shock and horror!
Bloggers seated next to, gasp, editors?
In the front row of a fashion show?!
The world as we knew it was coming to an end.
But just like anything else, with time, everyone got more comfortable.
Brands got smart and realized the power of “peer-to-peer” recommendations.
Bloggers became influencers, and brands were more than happy to tap into a new, modestly-priced talent pool.
Online communities became powerful.
Since then, influencers have become a mainstay of every brand’s strategy.
What’s more, many have tapped influencers in traditional ad campaigns and commercials.
When the pandemic hit, headlines declaring the end of influencers were widespread.
It made sense at the time.
With companies shutting down and closing brick-and-mortar stores, who was thinking about brand partnerships?
But as more business began moving online, content was again in demand.
Who saved the day?
They could shoot products in their living rooms.
Rooting against influencers is easy because the industry is often misrepresented and misunderstood.
The most successful creators I know take extreme care in choosing who and what they align with.
They also care deeply about the credibility and loyalty of their community.
If you trust the messenger, you trust the message.
What’s happening now is a confluence of economic downturn, widespread layoffs, and a backlash to opulence.
Is it a coincidence that the prominence of bloggers in 2009 was right after the recession of 2008?
De-influencing is simply a dressed-up version of an honest blogger review from back in the day.
you’re free to’t destroy the idea of influence.
It’s human nature, and it’s been around since the dawn of time.
The joke is that “de-influencers” probably know they are influencing.
But where we put our trust moves like the wind.
Then we move our attention to someone else.
Everyone is influenced by someone.
It’s up to you, dear follower, to decide who you want to trust.
This article was originally published onFeb.
