Why Influencer Marketing Makes For Shit Influence (Warning: Strong and possibly offensive opinions ahead)
The word influence has been utterly abused in recent years. All it means in today’s context is the size of your fan base — the value of content doesn’t matter all that much. Born out of marketing and entertainment purposes, influencer marketing further confirms Robert Cialdini’s formula for creating unthinking compliance, which is also what I’d like to call, the death of real influence.
How influencer marketing came about
Influencers were originally everyday people that give genuine reviews. That’s what makes them popular in the first place. People wanted a break from the endorsed celebrities and find out if the products and services were really as good as the advertisements proclaim. But their popularity grew and caught the attention of opportunistic marketers. Soon, young new influencers were sprouting up everywhere, armed with just an instagram account and good photography to monetize their popularity.
The kind of influence we get today
Whatever happened to influencing worldviews and empowering people to better their lives? You know, the kind of influence that actually matters. The power to influence now lies in a selfie with an inspirational quote and the occasional brand name.
As a result, people are influenced to: Spend money on brands, quit their jobs and travel, adopt a certain look, get obsessed with the lavish lifestyle.
Influencers have become another kind of celebrities. The difference is, they don’t act or sing, they take photos and market brands. They have less creative restrictions so they get free play in personal branding. Their self-made stardom makes it relatable for people that dream of easy fame.
The real reason for its success
People are beginning to pay attention to the inauthenticity of influencer marketing, what with the recent disastrous Fyre Festival saga and the hilariously bad video of an influencer management company. But despite the backlash and references to a ticking time bomb, the market for influencers is still expanding and going strong. Which leads us to realize that it’s really the demand for superficiality that’s feeding this booming industry. Forget anti-intellectualism, this is shallowness at its best — and this generation can’t get enough of it.
Entertainment or narcissism?
Influencers have integrated into our everyday lives, bringing along brands that ride on their names as they dance on the line between authentic and phony. While entertainment has its place, I just wish there’s some kind of talent or skill involved that earn them the command of influence, instead of just a showcase of a pretty face and posey shots. But no, this is all it takes to make them role models of teens and adults alike.
Seek influence that matters
Great influence encourages personal growth instead of consumerism. It inspires important values instead of indulging in the humble brag. And I hope for the day when people would read more than a tweet long or a caption’s worth. Because while these adoring fans are envying the frivolous life of an influencer, they’re also deteriorating in wisdom, growth, intellect and character required to be more than just skin-deep.
