I think the catalyst for this new phenomenon started with Mascaragate 2023. If you aren’t on TikTok Deinfluencing is a new trend taking over the internet where “normies” are telling their friends and communities products that they don’t need to buy. Typically these are products that are recently viral and shared by all the “influencers” there coining the term “deinfluencing.” But is that what it is? Are they really stopping the influencing or just perpetuating it?
I think some creators are doing this trend the correct way telling their followers that they don’t need an expensive primer and instead can use an inexpensive moisturizer with specific ingredients can work just as well as a base for their makeup. Or how gimmicky packaging can be wasteful and the product itself doesn’t seem worth the price point.
But there is another group of “deinfluencers” who are just doing a simple buy this not that style of content which may cut down on the price point their followers are spending, but it’s not cutting down on the sheer amount of products people are buying.
Rise of Experts
With that said I would love to see this trend continue and for people to start following more eco-conscience creators as well as experts in the field that can educate their community on products and how they work with your skin or body type and therefore can help you make educated decisions on what works best for you.
I personally have seen a shift in the kinds of content I enjoy consuming. Specifically for beauty and makeup, I find myself spending more time watching more content about the makeup and science behind certain products rather than getting ready with me videos where a girl is just putting on her makeup. I find myself more inclined to seek out reviews that talk about why a product looks and feels the way it does rather than ones that say “You need to buy this.”
I think the internet (Google included) as we as social media are leaning more toward finding authoritative and trustworthy voices rather than letting just anyone act as an expert on a topic. I think we will only see more of this and I’m here for it. My goal is to educate myself even more on the topics I speak about here and on social media. I won’t review a product without testing it first and I also want to become more knowledgeable about ingredients and what they do.
End of Hauls
Along with experts leading the right conversations, I’m hoping this trend of “deinfluencing” also is the beginning of the end of hauls. Don’t get me wrong I LOVE being nosy and seeing what influencers receive in PR, I love seeing the latest products from brands, but I think watching a 20-minute video of a girl trying on 40 items from Shien should be a thing of the past. I think the mindless consumerism and the speed at which the trend cycle moves are so detrimental to our planet. I want to see more videos of thrifting, sustainable clothing brands and the day outfit repeating on social media becomes less taboo. I love seeing items worn multiple ways and influencers who can be very open about the products they were frequently and why they are a good investment. I think it’s absolutely crazy we got to a place as a society where we felt like if an outfit was documented on social media it could never be worn again. I’m even guilty of previously having that mentality, and I’m so happy to notice it in myself.
Adding Disclaimers
In case you weren’t aware according to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) all influencers are supposed to disclose any payment or association with a brand when reviewing or endorsing a product. That includes any paid partnerships, giftings, or even family associations.
I follow a lot of Europe-based influencers and they all disclose when they were gifted a stay, whether it was a pr rental item or if they are doing a paid advertorial. I think it’s second nature, and honestly, I don’t find it at all disingenuous when I see these because I like to follow very authentic influencers who aren’t doing a million back-to-back advertisements just for the sake of doing advertisements.
When I think of disclaimers and US influencer controversy I think of the Caviar Queen Danielle Zaslavsky she had or still has such a choke hold on people and their fixation foods people living off a very fixed income were going out and buying jars of caviar. People were eating them on bread, on chips and weren’t batting an eye at the large prices tag because Danielle said it was “so bomb.” but what Danielle wasn’t telling her more than 500k followers was the reason she was showing off the Markey’s caviar selection was that her family owned the company. She so casually, and consistently shared these products with her followers, she is beautiful, and her aspirational lifestyle is what everyone is searching for after the pandemic. But no one knew that buying these products was going directly to her family. According to the FTC, she should have been disclosing that information in every video.
I’m hoping that now that deinfluencing is happening we can also have a bit more transparency from influencers and in turn buying from affiliate links, using codes, and just supporting influencers, in general, won’t have so many negative connotations to the masses.
Honestly, when it comes to custom links, and affiliate links like Liketoknow. Bloggers and influencers make very very little off of these things. If you shop with my link or find yourself interested in a product I share it means the world to me if you shop with my links but I’m also not one to gatekeep and am happy to share all the details on an item I enjoy rather than make people wait until I get them an affiliate link.
The Rise of Authenticity
During this whole Mascaragate with Michaela Nogueira, everyone was up in arms that she would allegedly wear false lashes while advertising mascara. But what people are forgetting is that when we would watch mascara commercials on television most of the time the models were also wearing false lashes. So what is the difference here? The difference is that we are expecting our favorite influencers to be authentic and give us real reviews. I think this moment has been a catalyst for a shift in the way we view our influencers. People want you to share more than the highlight reel, they want makeup videos without beauty filters, and they want transparency. I’m really looking forward to more influencers disclaiming whether it’s a paid advertorial, if they have added filters, or have had other procedures done to enhance their look.
What are your thoughts on deinfluncing and what the future holds for social media influencers?
