Social media Influencers are the new celebrities when it comes to affecting the trend cycle.
They are often selling a lifestyle through their content, along with their favourite products, places and fashion trends. Think clean girl aesthetic, mob wife and strawberry girl, all those trends we saw rolling around the internet.
Influencer recommendations on the likes of TikTok and Instagram is word of mouth marketing for the modern age and is arguably more effective, so it is no wonder why so many companies choose to work with them,
If you feel overwhelmed by the constant stream of products that you apparently must have, you are not alone.
@askinem Stanley restock time!! 🥒🥕 What would you add?? 🍓 #stanley#restock#organized#musthaves#restocking#asmr#restockasmr#satisfying#gadget#restock ♬ original sound – Emily Askin – Home/Lifestyle
Many people have spoken up about the Stanley Cup craze and how they regret spending €50 on a water bottle, or the internet’s infatuation with the La Mer moisturiser, where 60ml will set you back a whopping €345.
The ‘De-Influencing’ movement was created when social media users realised how exhausting it is to try and keep up with the trend cycle, and they began to offer reasons why NOT to buy popular products. Young Irish Budgeter on Instagram and TikTok has been a forerunner in de-influencing, dedicating a series of videos to the movement.
We asked the savvy saver what motivated her to do this in a time when most content creators seem to be selling something.
“I feel so passionate about intentional spending and not squandering hard-earned money on things people don’t really want and never needed. In this day and age there is a constant barrage of advertising so mindful spending is so important,” she explains.
@young.irish.budge ✨Deinfluencing trends you just dont need part 4. Social media ks consiving you you nedd these itomws when in fact there just not worth it. #deinfluencing #deinfluencinginfluencing #deinfluencingvortex #overconsumption #influencerculture #overspending #deinfluencing ♬ original sound – Young Irish Budgeter
But she wasn’t always like this. It was from her own experience of overconsumption at the hands of social media that she decided to help others spend smarter.
“I’ve gone from super spender to super saver. When I was a student and the first few years in my career I was jumping on any trend and I was so heavily influenced by all the fashion Influencers. I didn’t blink when I dropped €500 on a cashmere coat even though I was on €5 hour!”
The Young Irish Budgeter understands that, for a lot of us, completely cutting ourselves off from buying things we like is not realistic.
Her videos make people feel that they are not the only ones with the urge to splurge on the next great hair tool or trending pair of shoes, but that it is important to consider why they want the product in the first place.
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“The beauty of de-influencing is that it is not about NOT spending money, it’s about spending money in line with your own values.”
The de-influencing movement on social media is a little reality check in a sea of product placements, and a reminder that you may not need the new matte version of your favourite lipstick, or to spend hundreds of euros on teeth whitening kits, no matter how much your ‘for you page’ is telling you otherwise!
Words by Sorcha Lynch