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.
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.
If you tell someone only gullible people fall for it…well, I’m not gullible so obviously I don’t fall for it. However if you tell someone we are all flawed humans that fall for it, they are more likely to be like “hmm, when does it affect my decision making process?”
Although I’m under no false assumption that either is very effective. People mostly don’t want to admit that they are ever less than completely rational and objective.