Good morning! It's 2023, and we are in the deinfluencing phase now on social media. As the name suggests, the latest trend that's taken over social media involves pushing back against over-consumption and critically evaluating future purchases. But make no mistake, at the end of it, deinfleuncers are influencers too. Today’s story from The Conversation dissects if deinfluencers can make a dent in business. Also, a list of the best reads for the weekend.

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A new social media trend has recently emerged in response to the materialistic nature of influencer culture: deinfluencing. This trend involves influencers discouraging their followers from buying overpriced or ineffective products.

Influencing is a highly profitable form of marketing, reaching a market value of US$16.4 billion in 2022. But by its nature, influencing can also be disingenuous. Influencers often end up promoting products they don’t believe in, or that don’t align with their follower base.

The deinfluencing trend is shaking up this model. The trend has quickly gained momentum, with nearly 730 million views on TikTok as of July 7. There are a few reasons for its growing popularity, including a desire for authenticity, social media burnout and a shift in values.

Desire for authenticity

The growing demand for authentic and unfiltered content online has given rise to both micro-influencers and the deinfluencing trend.

Micro-influencers typically have a follower base ranging between 10,000 to 100,000. They build a tight-knit community with their followers and can have significant impact on their purchase decisions.

In response to the desire for authenticity, deinfluencers prioritise genuine content and real engagement over the meticulously curated content and commercial partnerships that are common in traditional influencer culture.

Social media burnout

Social media burnout refers to the emotional exhaustion caused by the constant pressure to maintain an idealized image on digital platforms. This issue affects both influencers and their followers.

The journey from being an ordinary consumer to becoming a brand influencer involves a significant shift in mindset, since influencers must maintain brand consistency to ensure a positive image. This pressure often leads to burnout over time.

On the flip side, a large number of consumers are exposed to idealised lifestyles through influencers. This often compels individuals to attempt to imitate or adapt to these lifestyles, leading to burnout and potential mental health challenges in the long run.

Deinfluencing addresses these challenges for both consumers and influencers by encouraging influencers to step away from the constant pressure of maintaining a perfect image and supporting better mental health.

For consumers, deinfluencing offers a more balanced and realistic perspective on life, resulting in individuals feeling less pressured to live up to unrealistic standards.

Shift in values

The evolution of societal values towards transparency, honesty and genuine connection aligns with a greater consciousness about sustainability.

In a recent paper, my colleagues and I examined over 440,000 YouTube comments from 2011 to 2021 and found an increase in conversations about sustainable fashion.

The deinfluencing movement is positioned at this intersection, contrasting sharply with the traditional influencer culture that often fuels rampant consumerism and wasteful habits.

Deinfluencers are in a unique position to foster a more sustainable approach to consumption. Rather than promoting the latest products or trends, they highlight mindful consumption, sustainability and the importance of making thoughtful choices.

This approach is a key response to the overconsumption often seen in traditional influencer culture, which can lead to unnecessary waste and contribute to environmental degradation over time.

Is it only positive?

While the deinfluencing trend may be positive, there are some side-effects that need to be examined carefully.

One concern is the emergence of pseudo-authenticity, where the pursuit of authenticity is exploited for commercial gain. Influencers may end up projecting an image of authenticity while still actually being motivated by financial interests.

Another challenge is the risk of misinformation, particularly in relation to sustainability. While many deinfluencers may advocate for sustainable practices, they may lack the expertise to provide accurate information. This could lead to them misleading followers who rely on them for information and guidance.

Additionally, the emphasis on authenticity and openness could lead to oversharing. Deinfluencers might feel compelled to share intimate details of their private lives in the pursuit of being real with their audience. However, this can cross boundaries of privacy, potentially causing more harm than good.

For the sake of mental health, it’s important for deinfluencers to strike a balance between being relatable and maintaining their own personal boundaries.

What does this mean for businesses?

The deinfluencing trend introduces new dynamics for businesses in the digital landscape. While it may disrupt traditional marketing approaches that rely on polished images and celebrity endorsements, it also offers an opportunity to connect with customers on a more genuine level.

By embracing deinfluencing practices, businesses can tap into the authentic relationships influencers build with their followers, potentially boosting trust and engagement.

The emphasis on sustainability among deinfluencers also aligns with the growing consumer demand for responsible practices, providing businesses with an avenue to showcase their commitment to these values.

However, businesses must ensure their collaborations genuinely reflect their values to avoid the trap of pseudo-authenticity, which could harm their reputation and result in accusations of greenwashing.

Omar H. Fares is a lecturer at the Ted Rogers School of Retail Management, Toronto Metropolitan University.

This article is republished from https://theconversation.com under a Creative Commons licence. Read the original article at https://theconversation.com/the-deinfluencing-trend-reflects-a-growing-desire-for-authenticity-online-208828 

TECHTONIC SHIFT

What’s up, Doc?: Apple wants to turn the AirPods Pro into a hearing aid and body temperature-taker. AI rivals Google and Microsoft are building chatbots that will not only answer health-related queries, but also organise health data. Amazon is hedging its healthcare bets on the cloud and its vast logistics network. And that’s just scratching the surface. In episode five of TechTonic Shift, Rajneil and Roshni debate the ‘Big Four’ approach to health tech. New episodes drop every Saturday at 8 am. Available on Spotify, Apple, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, or wherever you get your podcasts.

ICYMI

Worming her way to success: For 15 years, Debbie Bestwick was one of a handful of women in the UK's gaming industry. Today, the handful has grown, but women are still absent from the boardrooms of the world’s biggest gaming companies. This profile in the Financial Times charts Bestwick’s rise from a teenaged video game store manager to CEO at Team17, maker of the 1995 video game Worms. A runaway success, Worms changed Bestwick’s life. For 15 years, she ran a company raking in millions (while just in her early twenties). And finally, in 2018, she got Team17 listed on the London Stock Exchange’s Alternative Investments Market (AIM). Today, her stake is worth more than £100 million (~$131 million). Yet, Bestwick insists that she isn’t driven by money but by the determination to help more women tread the path she once did.

Cough and shrug it off: Last year, toxic cough syrup killed 60 children in Gambia. The medicine was made in India. The deaths led to an international furore and a government investigation into Delhi-based Maiden Pharmaceuticals, which made and shipped the cough syrup to the African country. The World Health Organization publicly linked the Gambian children’s death to the Indian company. The reason for the deaths was toxic solvents substituted for propylene glycol in the drugs to reduce their cost. The much cheaper chemicals, ethylene glycol and diethylene glycol, look and taste like propylene glycol but are lethal to children, even in small doses. This Bloomberg story traces how fake packaging by Delhi traders and ruthless profiteering led to the toxic chemicals’ presence in the cough syrup. It says Indian investigators and the government have brushed the entire issue, including the investigation, under the carpet.

Volunteers like no other: Did you know tripsitters are a thing? We didn’t. These are people who look out for someone who is on mescaline, LSD, psilocybin, or other psychedelics. Because the effects, however mind-expanding, can also be terrifying. In extremely rare cases, chemical-induced experiences can cause mental or bodily harm. As countries like Australia (the first to legalise psychedelics for medical use) adopt more liberal approaches to hallucinogens, a growing number of companies and initiatives are providing tripsitting services to guide folks “through the thickets of their own heads”. You may not be surprised to learn that Woodstock set the template for psychedelic harm reduction.

Saudi Arabia’s football maelstrom: In the last month or so, some of the best footballers in the world have signed contracts with Saudi Arabian clubs. This includes Ballon d’Or winner Karim Benzema, N’Golo Kante, Ruben Neves, and Roberto Firmino. One of the greatest of all time, Cristiano Ronaldo, was the pioneer last year. Armed with billions of dollars in oil money, Saudi Arabia has an audacious plan to tilt the axis of the football world towards itself. This has unleashed a web of agents, brokers, and executives who are all trying to get their clients on the next flight to Riyadh in return for a bumper payday. One influential but low-profile Saudi is trying to bring order to the chaos and ensure everything’s done sustainably, lest the Saudi Pro League repeats the many mistakes that the Chinese Super League made a few years ago. This piece in the New York Times ventures inside the Saudi football gold rush.

Search eats itself: OpenAI has unleashed a monster. Its AI chatbot had Google scurrying for cover. But as they say, a cornered animal is the most dangerous of them all. Google, which commands 90% of the global search market, has already launched a public beta of Search Generative Experience. As The Atlantic notes, the internet will be stuck in a doom loop whenever Google officially launches its search chatbot. It may no longer direct you to websites, because the Q&A format means that you needn’t leave the chatbot window. And when websites don’t get traffic, they have less incentive to publish information. The result will be a “much smaller version of the internet”.

In knots: There’s a booming resale market for limited-edition sneakers. Zadeh Kicks boss Michael Malekzadeh was one of many who made millions with the business model. He ran a preorder scheme selling highly sought-after sneakers at low prices. That is, until he scrambled to deliver Air Jordan 11 Cool Greys in 2021. For perspective, Cool Greys retailed for $225; Malekzadeh promised to sell them for $115. On release day, Zadeh Kicks owed customers 600,000 pairs, while Nike's inventory produced about 1.2 million to 1.7 million pairs of shoes. Since Malekzadeh promised more than he could deliver, he scoured the secondary market to fulfil orders. Spoiler alert: customers didn't receive their orders anyway. Now, the US federal government has slapped charges against Zadeh Kicks for allegedly running a Ponzi scheme worth $85 million. Bloomberg Businessweek details the rise and fall of a sneaker resale darling.