The Art of Deinfluencing
No.136: Mon 13 Mar 2023
Hi, it’s David here.
This week's newsletter is written by our Community Manager, Marielle Phillips, who has a huge influence on our company as she casts community members against each project.
In her piece she discusses the role of influencers on our society and consumerism on our culture.
Recently I have been thinking a lot about the effect of consumerism on our climate and feel that brands must start imagining what role they play if they indeed have a role in a world that cannot cope with a culture of over consumption.
As always, we are curious to hear what you think.
David Alberts (Co-Founder and Chief Vision Officer at BeenThereDoneThat)
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Hi, it’s Marielle here.
Back with more findings from my endless internet trawling. Next on the agenda, the rise of ‘deinfluencing’.
The clue is very much in the name but for anyone yet to join the enraptures of Tiktok’s cult; deinfluencing refers to the new trend seizing the app where users are denouncing viral products, in an effort to combat rife consumerism and save each other from lacklustre purchases.
And a pig just flew past my window.
Tiktok - a platform which has consumerism coursing through its veins, is attempting to help the planet and our pockets by encouraging this content? Surely not! Does my tone reveal a little scepticism?
Even as a self confessed Amazon ‘Primer’, this veil of authenticity caught my eye.
The growing trend, which mostly aims to sniper the beauty and wellness industry, has now racked up a staggering 200 million views. So what’s my problem? Views of this scale, focused exclusively on overconsumption, would undoubtedly be a force for change.
Well, unfortunately and somewhat predictably, this trend has been hijacked by the influencer masses, who instead of encouraging viewers to buy less overall, are now suggesting alternative (cheaper) ‘dupes’ for viral products previously being denounced.
Deinfluencing is being held hostage by its consumerist cousin.
Don’t have £500 for a Dyson Airwrap - there’s a £40 Revlon dupe for that. Charlotte Tilbury Flawless Filter fleecing your bank account - there’s a £6 Revolution Beauty dupe for that too. What once started as the antithesis to the ‘haul’ video, has now morphed into its own breed, enticing viewers with just how many dupe products they can buy for the same price as the original viral one. “The idea that deinfluencing could lead to less consumption is already fading. Instead, it’s adapting”, according to Ronnie Goodstein, a marketing professor at Georgetown University.
Consumerism, for me, has always been on a conveyor belt and the trend cycle is not a new phenomenon. Even in the days of the playground, if you weren’t seen with the latest Pauls Boutique bag (niche reference) or Cath Kidson flip phone - don’t even bother showing your face in second period.
The insatiability of buying the latest ‘it’ product has always and will always be there but through the domination of social media these trends are amplified - recently and most notably through TikTok shop. “The hashtag #tiktokmademebuyit has become synonymous with TikTok because of its overwhelming ability to push new products and drive sales” notes the CSO of Mekanism Agency.
Where previous app’s have failed, (trigger warning for anyone who worked on Instagram Shop) - Tiktok has flourished. Its shopping integration has been seamlessly (and somewhat covertly), integrated into its user experience - morphing it into a product-pushing ecosystem. Commerce is so enmeshed in the app that half of users will use the platform to research new products or brands. According to Mekanism data, shoppers are twice as likely to buy directly from Tiktok vs other platforms “because it’s entertaining”.
Online consumerism has become so passive that even I must hold my hands up and ask who hasn’t fallen victim to a 1am purchase? It’s just too easy. If it’s true that when we buy something, we get the same release of dopamine as when we eat sugar or drink alcohol - frankly I am the online equivalent of a diabetic alcoholic.
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Yes, I hear you - let he who is without sin cast the first stone yada yada but my frustration is not at online consumerism, that is a battle I cannot fight in 600 words. My frustration is that a once powerful viral movement is now being derailed by more influencer tactics, ‘rebranded’.
The answer? Candidly, I’m not sure. For each dying trend, spawns 3 new ones. An eternal medusa head applying her latest products. I suppose all we can do is be aware and hopefully today at least, I have deinfluenced you from the deinfluencing trend.
As always, we are curious to hear what you think.
Marielle Phillips (Community Manager at BeenThereDoneThat)
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Senior Consultant at EY
1yI love reading your takes Marielle Kouroushi-Phillips ! Superstar