The Rise of the Infert — the Influencer Expert
Infert
/In’fé∆t/
noun
- a social media influencer who claims expertise in a particular area, without relevant qualification.
“an Infert in nutrition and fitness”
Synonyms: unqualified expert, unqualified authority
Who wouldn’t want to be a Social Media Influencer — right? Getting paid for posting details of your enviable life… ‘It’sa sustainable, real and very enviable career, with around 17% of kids wanting to be one when they grow up (Lambert, 2019). Influencers are a reliable and credible channel that have real impact in swaying consumer behaviour, (Schall, 2016). Thesocial validation of these ‘microcelebrities’ has, however, led to the rise of the ‘Infert’ with influencers cashing in on their following by selling their ‘expertise’ as well as supporting products, with little or no qualifications. But are these Inferts just harmless narcissists, this generations’ snake oil salesmen? — and do social media platforms have a role to play in this new phenomenon?
I was just being social
I follow heaps of Influencers, as do my peers — and I reckon we all secretly wish that we had their beautiful lives (check out @emelinaah).The internet is overflowing with articles about simple social media account holders becoming ‘professionals’ bringing in millions of adoring fans and thousands of dollars just by taking pictures and clicking ‘post’ and providing tips to do likewise (https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/instagram-famous). Social media motivations tend to start as primarily social and potentially narcissistic, with personal validation as the goal. However, the actual impact of these influencers in the consumer marketplace is now extremely powerful. A recent research study found 57% claimed social media tools are becoming more valuable to their activities as more customers and Influencers use them, and 27% that social media is a core element of … strategy, (Gillan, 2008).Social narcissism is harmless right? Using social media Influencers as a marketing tactic is a popular and effective method to reach a large audience and increase brand awareness, (Fastenau, 2018). It is when the relationship between social popularity and expertise is unquestioned, that the Inferts rise.
Followers = Expertise?
The Rise of the Infert. There’s a point where there’s a shift from simply posting pictures of your ‘enviable’ life to believing that your hobby is now something with which you not only experience but have actual expertise in — this is the point where an Influencer becomes a ‘Infert’. A recent study affirmed 88% of consumers, “were highly likely to follow a recommendation made by a micro-influencer”, and when said Influencer gains a decent following, they automatically become a crucial tool for company product marketing, (Schall, 2016). We all get the brand deals, but it’s whenthese Inferts begin to market their own products, such as providing nutritional and physical training recommendations, that things start to become a little shady.
It’s Easy As 1, 2, 3. By building a following, Influencers gain trustworthiness and a sense of expertise, giving them source credibility. As ‘credible’ information is presented by a credible source (e.g. social media Influencers) it can easily sway consumers’ beliefs, opinions, attitudes and behaviours (Wang et al. 2017).
I’m personally intrigued by the epidemic of self-promoting social media presences, and have noticed that almost every Influencer who posts workout videos also has a 6-week fitness transformation program that you can purchase in a few easy clicks (and a couple of hundred dollars). Industries with visual appeal do particularly well on social media, and health and fitness is a prime example as people can share videos of circuits or exercises. They can share stories showing their workouts for the day, and it appears just a small stretch (pun intended) from beautiful photos of someone in a downward dog, to their providing personalised physical therapy recommendations.
But is this really an issue? Aren’t these Influencers just modern-day entrepreneurs cashing in on the benefits of social media marketing?
Beware the Infert
Millenials’ perceived congruency between Influencers and a product can highly impact their purchase intention, (Evans, in Lim et al, 2017), regardless of the any actualcongruency. Inferts claiming expertise without qualification presents subtle dangers on many levels.
It Can Hurt. Focussing on the nutrition and fitness industry, there are physical risks associated with purchasing workout plans and dietary plans from an Infert with absolutely no certification or medical knowledge, as well as products being sold under false presences or even never being sent. A recent 60 Minutesepisode highlighted the dangers of Influencers pushing proven ‘clean eating’ programs, fueling a dangerous physical condition dubbed ‘authorexia’.
A 2018 scam orchestrated by Brittany Dawn is another. The fitness Influencer (come Infert) promised her followers personalised fitness programs and personal access for little under
$400 USD. These consumers later discovered none of her programs were personalised, and she refused to respond to any enquiries, and has provided no refunds.
Why bother studying? The rise of the Infert begs the question of why bother paying professionals with recognised qualifications if the advice can be provided online by an Infert for much less (but no health fund rebate!). The response is obvious, but the rise of people turning to Inferts increasingly undermines the credibility of many professions, and opens a completely unregulated parallel market.
Not My Problem
So whose responsibility is it to regulate the parameters of what levels of advice and endorsement these Inferts can provide? There are three key players:
1. Platforms e.g. Instagram: it’s not the responsibility of the platforms to monitor claims of expertise, unless there are legal implications. They just provide the ‘soap box’; and policing false claims, much like offensive content, comes down to algorithms anyway.
2. Inferts: these unaccredited social media Influencers displaying themselves as ‘experts’ completely undermine legitimate professionals and potentially provide dangerous and unregulated advice — but no-one has said they can’t. They have a right to stand on the soap box.
3. Consumers — Beware! It is ultimately the consumers’ responsibility to make sensible decisions as to where they are going to get their expert advice and what they purchase. Information on how to make these decisions in an Infert environment isn’t, however, readily available, and the relationship central to the Infert’s influence makes this difficult.
Experts VS Inferts — The Challenge
So maybe there is a new role for industry professionals who are being undermined by social media Influencers — to tackle them at their own game. Legitimate and qualified professionals need to become a bit smarter about getting their professional voice heard via social media, and maybe using social media (and their own social media experts) to take on a role of educating potential consumers on the risks associated with unquestioningly following Inferts’ recommendations.
