On Being “Influenced”

As in Daisy Keech. Not as in Dale Carnegie.

Where exactly is one supposed to draw the line between being awed and inspired by the feats of others, and relying on those others as the sole source of inspiration to do what one has been influenced by those people to do? By this I mean, in a culture and consumer-based economy that relies more on more on the opinion of a certain social-media-venerated individual to know what is best to buy and to most effectively sell products respectively, how do we know what to believe?

I have been a big fan of the influencer life. Seriously. No, I mean it. I am fully on board with sharing one’s story and experiences, using your experiences to help inspire others, and (in moderation) promoting the message of brands that are in alignment with your beliefs and values. In the same way that Nike and Jordan work well, or YSL and Kaia Gerber. They stand for the same things, and the person works with the brand in a way that is mutually advantageous. In my self-proclaimed “instagram-prime” I was approached by makeup brands, climate activism collectives, and fitness brands for partnerships. I even fell into a pyramid scheme once (a story for another day). And while none of these brands seemed to promote what was in alignment with my personal brand, I believed that one day, with enough growth and commitment to gaining traction and engagement on social media, sharing content related to health and fitness in particular, the right one would find me. I have since deleted the instagram account that hosted so many of my metaversal hopes and dreams, and while I am not opposed in any way to pursuing such a lifestyle, I don’t have the time to be editing short-form content on a daily basis. Say what you will about the frivolity of the influencer community; content creation is a lot of work.

Now, there are a number of YouTubers that I watch on a weekly basis, one of whom I get closer and closer to unsubscribing from every day, because in every video, she contradicts herself. Last week, she promoted a certain brand’s lip gloss. Touted it as the best, the most long-lasting, most hydrating and overnight-plumping product that she had ever tried. This week, there’s a new best-ever lip gloss. And she is being paid to promote the products, with which I don’t technically have a problem, because in the world of influencer-based marketing, this is how brands get a lot of consumers, and it is the primary way that YouTubers make money. Same applies to a fair amount of Instagram influencers that I know, however, I’m not on Instagram very much anymore so I’m out of the loop.

What can we make of this? Well, for starters, the few methods by which YouTubers can gain income are through subscriber support (the little ‘pay’ button close to the like and subscribe buttons), YouTube revenue (only acquired after one has amassed over 1000 subscribers and 4000 total watch hours), or most popularly, through brand deals. Brand deals tend to bring influencers and creators more income than the former two options, hence its popularity. I don’t think there is anything inherently wrong with influencing, brand deals, or the combination of both. Where I think the issues lie, are in brand deals that contradict the message of a certain creator’s content, and/or when an influencer only uses their platform to promote consumption.

Now, on being influenced. It will probably depend on the person, but when an individual tells me something is reputable and I should purchase it, I am far more likely to believe them than I am to believe a big corporation. This is what the consumer market figured out. Peer pressure us into buying stuff. Softly, using people we think are cooler and nicer and fitter and prettier than us.* And to make matters worse, Instagram has made it such that we no longer have to leave the app to buy things from brands we love. Easy? Yes! Harder to make conscious choices? Absolutely!

Now, I will consent to being influenced to go to the gym, to read more books, perhaps to buy a new pair of jeans, or to get the second-best-ever lip gloss on the market. But I think we all need to acknowledge that that is what’s happening. And with every passing day, it is easier to hide the blatant marketing schemes right under our noses. We should question whether or not we really want to be consuming these products or services. Do I need 3 different brands of whey protein? I don’t think so. But I also know that by purchasing a few products from an advertised brand, I am supporting a creator who uses brand deals to fund the kind of content that they genuinely enjoy making, and that has a positive influence on the world. Joseph Solomon. Hitomi Mochizuki. Isabelle Paige. Matt D’Avella. Faye Bate. To name a few. And I will gladly influence the greater public should the urge overtake me, but with the awareness that brands will make use of creatives to further their own agendas, thereby influencing public opinion with the use of the common individual.

*deep exhale* Let us know your thoughts, if any. This was a little all over the place. I’ve seen one lip gloss too many this week, so do bear with the rant-like nature of this think piece. More cultural criticism like this? Subscribe! I’ve been encouraged to pursue the genre (thanks A.G.D) so maybe I will.

-TC

*none of these things are actually true. I don’t believe that. Neither should you.