Influencers; who and what are they influencing?

Welcome back to Gabby Rambles, a series where I’m a hater first, critical thinker second. Today’s victim of my ongoing, perhaps unreasonable, hatred spew? Influencers. Before we dive in, I need to disclose that I literally majored in social media. I live to analyse this shit. What are the driving forces that make us want to consume different aspects of media? What can be said about our cultural ecosystem by looking at the ways individuals use their online platforms? I understand these conversations hold nuance and can’t be looked at through a black and white lens, however as I mentioned, that’s not what we are here for today. Today, we are here to be a hater. 

Now, when I say influencer, we aren’t talking about the Shani Grimmonds or the Kylie Jenners of the world, who have formed their digital footprint through the likes of YouTube, reality TV, and entrepreneurship. No, we are looking at this on a more micro level, the influencers with approximately 10k followers to their name. In the last two years, we have seen an oversaturation in the Melbourne micro-influencer market (I personally blame Covid), everyone and their dog wants to be the next big thing. Don’t even get me STARTED on the Melbourne foodie sector of TikTok. You’re not a Melbourne foodie, you went to El Camino once and got smashed off one fish bowl. Get a grip. 

So what is the actual job of an influencer? In this cultural climate it seems to be anyone with a platform who wishes to surrender themselves to the consumerist and capitalist hell hole that is Instagram. Oh you got a promo code for Shein? You want me to try a hair and nail strengthening herbal tea? Is this what will be needed to survive in an ever-expanding social network?  I don’t mean to shit on people's aspirations, or maybe I do, but I just think there’s more to life than aspiring to promote a pre-workout brand for a millisecond of online gratification. Studying social media has made me see right through these influencers. I don’t see an ad. I see a random person setting up a phone tripod and being their most inauthentic selves for 30 seconds. It’s fake and disingenuous. 

Brands have a lot to account for as well. Do they benefit from reaching out to micro-influencers? Do they choose users whose values actually resonate with that of the brands? Are these users actually going to help market their product and boost sales? Or do these “influencers” just get off on exploiting small businesses for free products and a cute paid post for the grid?

Watching the new season of Cheer, I was inspired by Maddy Brum’s take on how Navarro Cheer has transcended sport and become somewhat of an empire; “I’m here to do cheer. I’m not here to promote myself, I’m not here to make myself big. I’m here to cheer and go to school”. I get the feeling that a lot of the influencer market today start creating content with the specific intent to become an influencer, but it requires much more than that. Take Abbie Chatfield for example. She didn’t gain social and cultural capital because one day she woke up and decided that’s what she wanted. She struggled through getting dumped on national TV, slut shamed across the internet, and crowned queen of the jungle to get to where she is today. As of late, influencing has become some kind of a self-fulfilling prophecy. You know those foodie TikToks whose popularity thrive off “you HAVE to check out this SUPER INSTAGRAMABLE bottomless brunch place”. Are we really now prioritising Instagramability over the quality of a restaurant’s food and service? And does Instagramming said locations further indulge our desire to become an influencer? I mean, the idea is that you go to these establishments with the intention to build an “aesthetic” grid, right? Is being an influencer really about influencing, or is it just about needing to look a certain way? 

This has been an ongoing topic of conversation with my friend Leesh, who agrees that a buzzword for the influx of the micro influencer market is monotony. Maybe if these influencers put some effort into their content, rather than searching for the most popular TikTok audio of that week and confining themselves to an overused trend, maybe then I’d be more inclined to hear what they have to say, but the creativity is dwindling, and it’s glaringly obvious. My for you page on TikTok has become a platform for cut and paste copies of the same shit over and over:

“Hey guys come see what I get up to as a random 20 something year old with no personality that you have absolutely no reason to find relatable except for the fact I live in Melbourne and drink matcha lattes each morning”.

While this “style” of “influencing” is monotonous, Leesh and I also believe it’s perpetuating not only an unattainable lifestyle, but also one that is unsustainable. I’m sorry Molly Mae, but we actually don’t have the same 24 hours in a day. Not all of us have the means to visit a different Taqueria each week. Not all of us can afford to ditch the 9-5 grind. Not all of us have the luxury to do 10 things before midday. As Leesh says, “where 👏🏼 is 👏🏼the 👏🏼money 👏🏼that 👏🏼she👏🏼 went👏🏼 to 👏🏼work 👏🏼and👏🏼 got👏🏼herself, not👏🏼 her 👏🏼dad’s 👏🏼money 👏🏼or 👏🏼her 👏🏼grandpa’s 👏🏼money”. But seriously, where is the sustainability? What’s the plan for 5 years down the line? You want to grow your Instagram? Cool, then what? Do you want to be promoting skinny-me tea for the rest of your life? Are you waiting for Louis Vuitton to reach out and ask for a collaboration? As I mentioned in my Flex Mami blog, are we moving towards a society where monetising the self will be the ideal career move? Do I see a potential postgraduate thesis in the near future??? 

And now, I leave you with an ounce of self awareness; I’m proud to admit that I am without a doubt fucking annoying online. I wreak absolute havoc on the internet. I literally do not shut up. But you know what? At least I have substance, I have authenticity, I provide entertainment - and I would much rather post an in-depth analysis on orgasms and chlamydia than have my Instagram brandished with “use code GABBY20”.

Anyway, let me know your thoughts. Is being an influencer a sustainable career? Do any influencers have a chokehold on you that you can’t break away from? Have you fallen victim to a discount code? Slide into my DMs x