As inflation rises and securing a stable livelihood becomes increasingly difficult, authenticity is resonating more than extravagance.
Although the spectacle of influencers flaunting their affluence has long been a staple of social media, there are signs that audiences are growing tired of it. Experts say “influencer fatigue” is wearing on young people who crave authenticity as inflation rises and achieving a stable livelihood becomes increasingly difficult.
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According to data from a YPulse study shared with Yahoo News, 45% of people between the ages of 13 and 22 say influencers just don’t have the same power that they used to. About 53% said they were more likely to trust recommendations from regular people online whom they don’t know rather than creators with large followings.
Influencer marketing once offered an alternative to typical celebrity marketing. Celebrities appeal to us as salespeople because of the psychological phenomenon known as the halo effect. If someone is talented or beautiful, we assume they are highly qualified in other ways as well, which boosts sales. Influencers, who are powerful but not conventionally famous, offered a more relatable and accessible alternative. They’re far enough removed from celebrities that we can relate to them — until we can’t.
What do y'all call people that make video essays or make funny skits but make money if ads? I thought most of us understood the game and weren't hating the players as much
Entertainers. An influencer is an evolution of the model, someone who exists to hang a branded product on and make rubes want to imitate them, not someone that provides entertainment.
Entertainers. That is a job. I had a dance teacher who taught dance, danced professionally, did singing telegram deliveries, dressed in costume for historical tours at old places, she was just an all around entertainer, that was her job.
Influencer is different, as I understand it, that is more like the content itself is advertising. Like a social media department at a company might hire them. I guess that is also a job, but most people don't want to watch a ten or twenty minute ad.
Video essayists. I watch them exclusively on YT and it is very important to me that they stick to their area of expertise and don't include shady sponsorships. I think the video essayist is a very small portion of youtuber that make enough money to get by. Low quality stuff is far more effective at gaming the algorithm.
Or go full Running Man with it, win a million dollars if you can tape and paint a living room with a homicidal American gladiator chasing you around with a chainsaw
I distinctly remember a show called Lifestyles of The Rich and Famous, though I couldn't tell you what celebs were featured. Then MTV had Cribs in the '90s. Influencers are basically just the modern version of those shows, aren't they?
The difference is now, they legally have to tell you they're being paid to promote a product. And people just don't care or understand the dynamic of why it might not actually be in their best interest to listen to a shill.
Don't trust anyone trying to make a living off of selling you anything, even something less tangible like a lifestyle.
If you have extra income after living expenses, set a little aside for personal enjoyment and save/invest the rest. The future is uncertain.
If you want to travel to far flung destinations and have the means to do so, consider skipping the resort experience. You'll spend much less especially in developing countries and have a more authentic (relatively speaking), and rewarding experience.
In the 70s and 80s, if a fast talking guy with sunglasses and slicked back hair and in a checkered suit wanted to talk to you about the latest greatest thing .... you knew they were selling something shitty.
Today we call those people influencers.
They were a trend back then, they're a trend now and will die out when the next trend starts ..... probably brain implanted advertising inside your dreams or something like that.
It's something that every generations grown up with ....
Some babe's talking real loud
Talking all about the new crowd
Try and tell me of an old dream
A new version of the old scene
The last point has to come with a huge caveat. Some of those developing countries are pretty unsafe outside of resorts without a guide or a local that knows where you should and shouldn't go.
There's certainly more dangers and risk and that's important to be mindful of, but I don't agree that it should be limited to having to have a local or a guide.
Some more unsolicited advice to that end.
There are some places it's not advisable to go. Perhaps due to conflict or civil unrest.
There's more risk if there's a common cultural bias against you (nationality, ethnicity, religion, gender identity, sexual preferences, etc).
Research if and what tourist targeted crimes are common ar your destination, as well as scams.
Affluent areas tend to be safer. And still very affordable, comparatively.
Don't carry a lot of valuables. Enough cash for whatever your outing is. I also recommend keeping a travel specific debit card with no international fees and keeping a small balance on it and carry that around. A low limit credit card could also work.
Let people back home know where you are and check in. If your country has a consulate there, keep that info handy.
Risks for being a target are higher for women because the world is awful like that.
I know that's seems like a lot, but it really boils down to being mindful, aware, and prepared.
Edit: split out conflicts and biases and removed a mansplainy bit.
That's because the algorithm has grown recursive and shoves the same mainstream shit down everybody's throat on repeat. Cake is cool but imagine never being allowed to eat anything other than cake.
I'm definitely an old man. And i remember when YouTube influencers started being a thing.
To this day, I have no idea what the hell a Mr Beast is or any of these famous YouTubers are. And most of them either fade away or get propped up by some bad news.
I am not an old man, and I felt the same. I left Facebook in 2008, don’t have insta, TikTok, or tweet. I also left Reddit in 2014ish.
I only use HN (on and off to comment on articles), and recently started Lemmy. Will I stay? Idk. Some international acquaintances and friends use WhatsApp, but I’ve mainly quit it.
Influencer is a bad name, but I see them as bottom-up content creator, instead of the top-down conventional media. In this sense it's more democratic approach and there is a wider choice and plurality of voices.
But mainstream media is now enrolling them, for instance Reach Plc (who owns the Mirror and the Daily Express) fired a bunch of journalists and hired influencers. So you know, now you're going to get the worst of two worlds.
If someone is talented or beautiful, we assume they are highly qualified in other ways as well
With apologies for sounding like a cranky old man 30 years too early: in my day, we didn't call thinking that "the halo effect". We called it being a gullible dumbass.
The "Halo Effect" has been a known psychological phenomenon since 1907 researched by uh...Wells and someone else who I can't remember.
I don't want to rain on your cranky old man parade, but unless you're 100+ years old I don't think it was ever just "being a gullible dumbass", it's very much a known societal bias that has been leveraged by the advertising industry. Don't think you're immune to it just because you think you're "above it".
I was trying to be humorous lol. I know that it's a common bias, but just being aware of it and how it's not based in reality is enough to not act on it.
I'm not 100+ years old (though it can feel like it some mornings), but people have been aware of the phenomenon and the insidious exploitation of it for a long while and
The reality is that you're almost certainly guilty of it. It's human nature and to be so confident that everyone else is dumb and falls for it, and that it doesn't bias your thoughts, is nothing but straight up arrogance.
I can almost guarantee that every person who upvoted your post, and you included, are probably more prone to it than average precisely because you think you are immune, so you don't bother to consider checking your own bias.
Sure, we're all guilty of it, but telling someone that their decision making process is adversely affected by the Halo Effect might not be quite so convincing as warning them that they're being a gullible dumbass.
Being aware of psychological phenomena used in marketing doesn't immunize you, I agree. But it definitely helps.You end up sounding paranoid to your friends, but you know those are real mechanisms that are used against you.
I remember when these kind of people use to be called attention whores on the internet but I guess you can't use that term when you're shilling products
#BringBackAttentionWhores so we can go back to attention whores fatique
This just means the next wave of influencers are going to appear to be "regular people." There's no such thing as neutrality or authenticity on communications platforms that exist to sell advertising space.
im expecting ai generated mass customized ads made exactly for what triggers you, with the kinds of people you want to see/be in the places you want to be in/with the background audio as you like/using the lingo that works on you.. it will be horribly wonderful and nobody can share the experiences. and when that fails to work anymore?
Right, but are we supposed to muster up sympathy for people who follow influencers getting fatigued from following influencers? Really not trying to be snarky just curious
Right, I thought it was a comment about how young people brought it onto themselves... This whole concept where they enabled influencers and now it's on them.
Are you implying advertising doesn’t work? Because, regardless of whether you like it or not, advertising does work.
A person on a TV is doing the same thing as a person on YouTube or TikTok, and I bet you’ve bought something because it was advertised to you on TV. Does that make mean you’re just as susceptible to it as younger people? Yes.
Older people love to look down on younger people, but you were the model that showed this works and got us to this point.
I mean... when they show a product I find cool or interesting why wouldnt I buy it?
I always like to mention Displate in this case.
Its nothing special. Its not even useful. But the metal posters are goddamn cool. I didnt know something like this existed before and now I know and I occasionally buy one if i like one.
So what was the issue with an influencer showing me this? I would have bought them even if i found it myself.
I think they mean more like "hey guys let me tell you about my new favorite shirt. Super great quality from China. Absolutely love it. They paid me to say that though". Maybe don't buy that shirt online based on that review alone.
As for why/how there's a ton of biases/fallacies that cause that to happen. Pick any and it's not difficult to create a scenario where a malleable person applies it.
That's the right question to ask! It may have to do with the Halo effect as well. Even though the influencer not necessarily is a celebrity, they have build a certain level of trust with their followers I guess... In any case, I dont get it either, but I may fall out of the audience for any influencer I guess...
It doesn't matter if they're already paying for millions of fake subscribers and fake comments. There's no secret sauce to this stuff. Just pay the shady account harvesting company in se Asia a few $k and you'll get a lot of views and clicks.
maybe it's because I have always thought for myself, but when I hear influencer I think in my head "online attention w. hor. e. whose 15 minutes ended 15 hours ago".
if kids are not paying attention to narcissistic craving it and thinking for themselves as a side benefit it can only be a good thing.
Stop censoring yourself so other people can more easily appeal to advertisers. I fucking hate that so many people censor themselves so someone else can make more money.
Theyre on lemmy.ml and they likely can't say it on their instance without it being autocensored. I also don't agree with a lot of .ml stances but I don't think they're selling advertising space over there, has that changed recently?
Yes, strangely there's even a gaming scene on fb too. It's a big fucking world, not being first or second still means you could be pulling millions of people.