In a one-act show written and presented by P L Deshpande in Marathi named ‘Asami Asami’, the cynical father of the protagonist says a very apt line. In fact, this Cynicism was so typical of lower and middle-class segments of pre-liberalization Indian society which kind of celebrated minimal existence and avoided splurging on things you don’t need. The dialogue goes as “God created the universe but his favorite creation is Donkey. All that you need to be is a Potter (who makes the donkey carry the mud), and there is no scarcity of Donkeys around you”. The relevance of this is apparent in a very modern term called Social Media Influencer.
Influenza is an infectious viral illness. From Latin influentia, “to flow into”; in medieval times, intangible fluid given off by stars was believed to affect humans. Italian influenza referred to any disease outbreak thought to be influenced by stars. Today our lives are influenced by stars of another kind popularly known as Influencers. Social Media is omnipresent and omnipotent. It engulfs all aspects of our lives. We are so used to it that we live our lives through social media. We buy things, services and do certain activities dictated by Social Media.
Social media influencers are individuals who utilize social media platforms to build their own personal brand or influence their followers to act (including buying products, supporting a brand, or vacationing in a certain location). They can share anything from clothes and beauty products to make-at-home slime with their followers. While it might seem like frivolous fun, some influencers are making significant amounts of money from their connection to their fans, making them the modern entrepreneur.
These days everyone aspires to be an influencer. It may have its own advantage like making public choices more democratic in comparison to conventional celebrity endorsements. For businesses: it offers a more effective means of extending brand awareness in terms of cost and reach. There are downsides and risks for businesses as well but what really is disturbing for society as a whole is problematic engagement with society. This needs a mention as Influencing has significant volumes and revenues of social media influencing — it’s a US$13.8 billion industry. Influencers are motivated and often incentivized (through product and brand endorsement) to increase their power on social media and many are becoming more proficient in attracting and engaging followers.
Followers, on the other hand, can easily become attached and obsessed with influencers and their engagement can often become excessive and unhealthy. Problematic engagement with social media influencers is common among followers, but not well-known or understood. There are two types of attachments — parasocial relationship and sense of belonging, both of which are key in social media influencing. Influencers’ social attractiveness has a stronger effect than other factors in building followers’ attachments. Following more influencers could reduce the impact of attachment to the community (sense of belonging) when it comes to problematic engagement. Social media influencers should also be aware of followers’ problematic engagement. Although it may be in contrast with their goal of increasing follower engagement, they can focus on creating a healthy relationship with their followers.
Today, social media influencers endorse various products and brands showcasing their use and how it benefits them. This tempts their followers to try it out for themselves. Fashion and beauty influencing, food and travel vlogs are on the rise. Constant consumption of content from these influencers has resulted in people spending humungous amounts of money on endorsed products and brands.
Savings are taking a big hit as money is being spent on either trying out a new fine dining restaurant every weekend or purchasing expensive skin serums and other beauty products suggested by social media influencers for clear and glowing skin. While every expense resulting from following social media influencers does take us on a guilt trip, the urge to get our hands on the products is equally real and uncontrollable.
This calls for another service: Deinfluencers: influencers on Social Media are telling their followers what not to buy under the guise of critiquing overconsumption and saving money. The growing trend – which has mainly taken root in the beauty and lifestyle communities – comprises videos in which popular products are labeled overhyped. If influencer marketing uses personal endorsements to sell products, in principle, de-influencing should urge consumers to think critically about their purchases and evaluate their necessity.
‘Deinfluencing’ videos surfaced very recently, as a sincere attempt to join the dots between trend cycles, unethical labor practices, excess waste, and other existing social ills. Deinfluencing’ videos have metamorphosed into a viral video format in which influencers are slating products they didn’t like and redirecting followers to other products or their ‘dupes’. In essence, most ‘de influencers’ on the app are really influencers in sheep’s clothing. For most, ‘de influencing’ appears to be the latest ‘socially conscious’ marketing ploy loosely based around sustainability and the financial hardship consumers may be experiencing during a global economic decline. Worldwide, people have tightened their purse strings to survive rising rents, utility bills, and inflation rates. At the same time, saturation and increased competition in the influencing market mean the job is simply not as easy as it used to be.
What would a genuine wave of de-influencing look like if it were to happen? There won’t be an anti-consumerist revolution against the apps engineered to sell us stuff. Social Media can pressure people to buy stuff they don’t need or can’t afford in order to keep up with the latest trends and maintain their social status. It’s naïve to think we can outsmart all the marketing devices deployed at us. Many intelligent thinkers have offered radical solutions to overconsumption, but in the meantime, remember that the next fancy item you buy will only be as good as the other ones collecting dust.
We need definitely have to derive wisdom from our earlier generation symbolized by the father of P L Deshpande’s protagonist to help us get vaccinated against Influenza of a new kind.
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