I'm not influenced by these new so-called "influencers"

[kenny]

UGH!

Influencer marketing - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Influencer marketing (a.k.a. influence marketing) is a form of social media marketing involving endorsements and product placements from influencers, an individual or organization who has a strong following and/or social influence in their respective fields.

Influencer content may be framed as testimonial advertising, where influencers play the role of a potential buyer themselves, or they may be involved as third parties, which can be spotted either within the supply chain (retailers, manufacturers, etc.) or among the so-called value-added influencers (such as journalists, academics, industry analysts, and professional advisers).[1]
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Are you?

 

[Gussie]

Nope, not even a little.

 

[luv2sparkle]

I can't even tell you how much I hate the whole "influencer" thing. I have a couple You Tuber's that I watch occasionally. Other's, that no one has ever heard of, seem to think that the world is waiting for their opinion. It makes me want to scream at a screen. It is a major downside of social media for me.

As and example, I am a part of a group on facebook for a particular designer that I love. She is a sweet person and I enjoy the style of the things she creates. Being a part of it, allows me to see new things she designs and I have a 'wool box' of fabric and patterns that she sends out every other month. After every box, there is one super annoying woman who has to post a video of her receiving her box. Every one in this group purchases the box. I want to scream at her but I cannot block her from showing up on the feed. Another wannabe. Seriously get over yourself. No one cares.

*rant over* I don't have too many pet peeves, but between Costco samples and this one, I could just really lose it.

 

[MissGotRocks]

No, not at all. Reading some testimonials that may or may not be genuine do nothing to persuade me.

 

[redwood66]

I look at my social media things about once or twice a month so no I guess they aren't influencing me.

 

[princessandthepear]

I do enjoy the Wolfe Guitar videos on youtube but did not purchase from them instead choosing a private seller for my own guitar. In general avoid most social influencer advertising and seek out items that best fulfill my expectations.

 

[Karl_K]

Nope
Don't even know of any.*


*Well one of the machining youtube channels I watch will occasionally shrills a tool or 5, most of the time its funny sometimes actually informative.
Does that count as one or not?

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

huh ?
an influencer ?
sounds like something a 12 year old might buy into

 

[dk168]

They do not do anything for me.

DK

 

[Dancing Fire]

The only person on earth who can influence me is Kenny.

 

[Karl_K]

The only person on earth who can influence me is Kenny.

That cracked me up!

 

[chemgirl]

I know a few popular influencers in real life and it is interesting. They don’t look anything like their photos. I wouldn’t trust them to know anything about any of the products they endorse.

On the other hand, I have an Instagram account that is all things beer. I get free beer from breweries a few times per month. It kind of just happened. I’m a chemical engineer and I started brewing my own beer. I chronicled the learning process on my personal page and started getting loads of followers. People are interested in a girl building a pilot brewery and setting up a keg/draught system in her house. One of the larger craft breweries approached me to be part of their ad campaign. They set up a photo shoot in their brewery and I made a stout on their big system (with their brewer). This last year, I attended college for a beer sommelier certificate (super fun!) and posted about it. You could call me an influencer. I will thank a brewery for free beer and take some photos. If it’s actually good I’ll say so. I don’t see the big deal.

 

[kenny]

The only person on earth who can influence me is Kenny.

Great. You're a smart man.

Vote for Pete Buttigieg in 2020.

 

[missy]

I'm not influenced by these new so-called "influencers"
Are you?

 

[lyra]

I only follow animals on instagram for the most part. Those cats, dogs, birds and alpaca are strongly influencing me to smile every day.

 

[Karl_K]

What kind of dark evil is this instagram thing?
Is it like that twitter hellish porthole but with pictures?

 

[distracts]

What kind of dark evil is this instagram thing?
Is it like that twitter hellish porthole but with pictures?

Yes. I find it much more annoying than twitter.

 

[Wewechew]

I follow a couple "influencers" for wardrobe ideas, but am turned off once they start trying to shove other products down my throat. I also have followed fitness influencers (fitspos) it the past for workout tips and ideas. But again, once they start to become less about helping and more about getting you to buy whatever it is that they are selling, I'm out.

 

[KristyDarling]

Same. I think it's a generational thing.

My teens follow all manner of influencers on social media and apparently so do all their peers. OTOH, I have no interest in influencers because what do I care about what THEY think is "cool"? I do my own thing. Teens, on the other hand, mostly just want to fit in and feel that being in the know about cool people and trends and products gives them social currency. I do wish my kids were less interested in these folks -- I've seen them fawn over influencer posts/videos that are truly cringeworthy. And I worry about the values that are being conveyed so I try to keep up a dialogue with my kids about it. But, kids will be kids and fitting in is of outsize importance right now. Hopefully they'll grow out of this phase soon!

 

[VRBeauty]

Few people our age are.

 

[cmd2014]

I started looking at YouTube because my teenage nieces are obsessed with a few of the so called "beauty gurus." It's disgusting. They are clearly shilling products given to them free in PR for the sole purpose of shilling them, and yet teens think "oh, this person is giving an honest review" because they will say 100 times in a 10 minute video that this is their honest review. It's complete narcissistic BS. And the makeup technique is bizarre and completely unnatural. It's an ad disguised as your best friend telling you that they like something, and I find it completely distasteful.

 

[chemgirl]

They do give a false impression of what a “normal” life looks like.

Last month I was staying at a high end hotel (we do single night stays a few times a year as a treat). There was this guy in the pool area wearing a Gucci track suit and expensive sneakers. He had a photographer with him. Never used the pool. Just did his photo thing and left.

It sparked my interest because it’s not the first time I’ve seen someone staging a photo. Apparently influencers do this a lot. They make it look like they’re staying in high end hotels and eating at expensive restaurants. They take pictures with things to make their lives look glamorous. It’s all fake and many of them are struggling in their day to day lives.

Had to LOL over the summer when two women were posing with a Ferrari convertible in a parking lot. It wasn’t their’s. It belonged to an older couple who were on a winery tour. I swear some “influencers” just go out looking for expensive things to be photographed with.

 

[kenny]

Same. I think it's a generational thing.

My teens follow all manner of influencers on social media and apparently so do all their peers. OTOH, I have no interest in influencers because what do I care about what THEY think is "cool"? I do my own thing. Teens, on the other hand, mostly just want to fit in and feel that being in the know about cool people and trends and products gives them social currency. I do wish my kids were less interested in these folks -- I've seen them fawn over influencer posts/videos that are truly cringeworthy. And I worry about the values that are being conveyed so I try to keep up a dialogue with my kids about it. But, kids will be kids and fitting in is of outsize importance right now. Hopefully they'll grow out of this phase soon!

You hit the nail on the head, with wanting to fit in.
While, yes, it is generational I also see plenty of adults who never really outgrow twisting themselves into pretzels to fit in.

I was thinking about the reasons this influencer thing pushes my buttons so much ...

I grew up gay in the midwest in the 1950s and 60s, rejected for being a sinful, disgusting embarrassment to all.
No only did/could I not 'fit in', since my earliest memories I was teased at my church, school, neighborhood and even by my dad and two older brothers.

I didn't understand why I was different, but I did understand universal rejection.
Psychologically convinced that I was bad, I drew inward, even more so than most introverts.
The part of the brain/mind/ego that seeks and needs acceptance was stunted, though after coming out in my 20s that woke up.
By the time I was a teen I had made myself as invisible as I could be.
I focused on doing well in school and teaching myself guitar at home.
Honestly, besides not going to the high school prom I wasn't even aware it was even happening, let alone "a thing".

I don't like being a curmudgeon, but when I see something as bad and harmful I speak up.

 

[Laila619]

I don't have Instagram and don't really follow anyone. Occasionally I get ideas for outfits, costume jewelry, or nail polish shades from some of these ladies, but that's about it. I take most of their "honest" reviews with a grain of salt.

 

[doberman]

I'm just not up on this stuff. My daughter is, and she also tutors one of these "influencers" in French. Apparently she's made a nice pile of $$. I just can't get interested in social media. I tried and failed.

 

[KaeKae]

I had no idea what they were until the college admissions story blew up in the news, and included Lori Laughlin's daughter, who says that what she is (or was?)

 

[HollyS]

While most of the Instagram 'influencers' are under forty, occasionally there is someone far too old (and therefore should be too wise) to be posting their every thought, every moment, every vacation, every purchase, every mundane detail of their Special Lives for public consumption. It's simply ridiculous; it assumes that there are people out there who yearn to know all about them. As if they were somehow that much more fascinating than 'followers'. None of us are that darn fascinating. And I worry about a generation (or two) which feels the need to document and curate their life for public view, as if they were starring in their own movie. It's very narcissistic.

 

[distracts]

I think this whole thread is hilarious given that PS is literally a forum of jewelry influencers - whether we are on insta or youtube or not, I've seen our jewelry posted everywhere, and the whole purpose of this forum is to share our opinions and experiences with jewelry which is the sort of thing influencers do. We see trends come and go on PS just like in the influencer world. We aren't getting paid for it, but aside from that we're basically the same.

 

[Wewechew]

I think this whole thread is hilarious given that PS is literally a forum of jewelry influencers - whether we are on insta or youtube or not, I've seen our jewelry posted everywhere, and the whole purpose of this forum is to share our opinions and experiences with jewelry which is the sort of thing influencers do. We see trends come and go on PS just like in the influencer world. We aren't getting paid for it, but aside from that we're basically the same.

And I will reiterate: as soon as someone trying to sell me something, I’m gone.