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.

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.

  • IninewCrow@lemmy.ca
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    8 months ago

    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

    • Ragdoll … by Aerosmith … in 1987