If you've spent time on the internet in the last five years, you likely know what a social media influencer is. Usually, someone impossibly stylish posts photos of their too-good-to-be-true lifestyle. And wouldn't you know it—they've almost always got something to sell you (or at least conspicuously feature in their content).
While using social media influencers to promote sponsored content and products isn't necessarily bad, some individuals are speaking up about their impact on consumer culture. Namely, many influencers just want you to buy, buy, buy!
For anyone environmentally conscious, this probably strikes a chord. Shouldn't we focus on reducing our impact, not stocking up on "hauls" of cheaply made, semi-disposable trendy products because someone on Instagram looked cute wearing them?
Influencer Marketing in Reverse
That's where TikTok's deinfluencing trend comes in. Coined by beauty influencer Maddie Wells in 2020, deinfluencing refers to content creators using their platform to post reviews on the latest trends—everything from beauty products to clothing—to convince consumers not to buy them.
Wells held sales jobs in the beauty industry and used her knowledge of products most often returned by customers to inform her audience of which items to avoid.
While she certainly isn't the first to post a negative review on social media, she's part of a TikTok trend of creators turning the influencer market on its head. Rather than impulse buying, audiences are encouraged to shop consciously with an eye for quality.
Are Social Media Influencers the Sustainability Content Creators?
Not everyone is convinced that the deinfluencing trend is serious about curbing excess waste and focusing on sustainability. According to sustainability content creator Isaias Hernandez, it's simply a case of the influencer marketing industry selling people on the same old thing but with different tactics.
Sure, a social media personality purporting to be a deinfluencer might post some reviews encouraging audiences not to buy something—only to promote their brand deals with other, potentially no more sustainably made products.
Sustainability and the (De)Influencer Marketing Industry
Ultimately, how the deinfluencing trend plays out is up to what the average person takes from it. While environmentalism being part of any latest trend is usually a good sign, looking out for greenwashing is essential.
Influencer culture presumably won't be leaving your social media feeds anytime soon, so at the very least, one can be happy that deinfluencing appears to generate an honest debate around consumerism and sustainability.