Is Social Media Influencer Culture on the Outs?

Wondering if social media influencer culture is on the outs? Let’s discuss…

I grew up in Germany during the peak of the Cold War through the 80s. We didn’t have computers, cell phones, smart phones, tablets, social media or anything else of the sort. THANK GOODNESS! But what we certainly did have of course, albeit in limitation, was advertising. Specifically TV commercials. While younger generations have been able to skip a lot of TV ads thanks to streaming services (although you’ve likely already noticed you’re not paying for ads again during your streaming shows), those my age and older were raised on TV ad culture. I bet many of you can describe at least a few of your favorite stand- out commercials from your childhood; probably the ones that played around your Saturday morning cartoons.

In Germany, at the time I was living there, we only had three state run TV stations, plus AFN, the American Forces Network. It ran a few older American programs purchased for reruns on the network, plus plenty of military-based community programming and PSA’s (Think OPSEC and “Simmer Down Bob” - the one about now NOT to behave like an American out in public - were my faves. IYKYK).

So while we didn’t watch much TV at all in my youth, one of my favorite things was to flip on one of the German stations during “commercial time”. What’s commercial time? Well at that time German commercials didn’t interrupt the main program, rather they were played back-to-back in a 15-minute or so block starting at the top of the hour, with super short fun animations between each commercial. So my sister and I would literally run up to the very top of the house to an attic room, where the one tiny TV sat in an empty room, to catch the commercial time so we could watch the cartoons. Without the cartoons, what would the incentive be to watch any of the commercials? Brilliant!

I feel like social media culture has pretty much become the same thing. While some content creators legitimately started out to be just that, anyone with a big following seemingly quickly turned into primarily just another perpetual stream of product ads cleverly wrapped in the guise of entertainment or "tips and hacks". Has it been effective? Absolutely. Has it become incredibly annoying for many of us? Absolutely. It’s just not that clever anymore nor is it much in disguise (as much as it may still try to be).

Many content creators who you used to follow for interesting info, inspiration, or just plain fun, now spend most of their time shilling products for a multitude of companies. While some of this information and certainly some of the products may be useful of course, and there is some learning still to be done, I’ve gotten the distinct sense there is a collective fatigue developing amongst social followers. I can certainly attest to being over it! With authenticity leaving the building and a slew of product placements (advertisements) stuck in your face 24/7, the shine has worn off.

Advertisers are obviously aware of this. More so than most of us. If you study influencer marketing trends you’ll find that many companies have shifted to target smaller creators or “micro-influencers” who may be focused on a very small or unique niche set of followers or defined community. They are also doing more open collaborations versus "hidden" product placements. I have felt this shift personally as I now get multiple product and brand partnership and product endorsement request emails a day, which always leave me shaking my head. Why would they want to work with me, I only have 7,000 IG followers? Well, I suppose they consider me a “micro-influencer”, whereas I’d argue I’m not an influencer at all. That's not how I earn my living nor do I have any desire to - and I've always refused products for endorsement trades.

Sure, I shill my own books, services, and art on my channel…but that’s what my social business account is openly and authentically FOR. That, and genuinely educating my community about horticulture, botany, and nature. I throw in some botanical art while I’m at it. As would or should be the case for your social media channels for your own garden center, plant shop, or garden design service, for example. Ultimately it should be about authentically and transparently building your own community of interested engaged members who already openly know you offer specific products and services and signed up for it, not just “followers” who don’t engage, who you should be focused on.

So, is influencer marketing culture going away? No, certainly not. But it’s definitely evolving as are people’s attitudes towards social media in general.

I wrote this column specifically because of a comment one of my botany students made during an office hour a week or so ago. We were talking a bit about genetics and how plants randomly evolve through mutation and they mentioned a botany related book they really wanted to read. They then said that it was really hard for them to get through. I asked if it was because the information was too technical, or what specifically was the issue? They responded that it was just hard to get through the book due to a lack of focus with TikTok and other social media always distracting them and taking up their attention.

I thought about their statement for a moment, and then said something along the lines of well, that is the game social media and content creators are playing with you - the game of the dopamine trick. Social channels are specifically geared towards giving your brains shots of dopamine to keep them coming back and dominating your entire attention span. Ultimately social channels and influencers now own our attention and that’s essentially the most lucrative commodity (as well as our data). Then I said “But does all that time you’re spending staring at TikTok videos make you a more interesting person?”

I’d argue It doesn’t and that it does the opposite. It dumbs you down and makes you compliant. EEK. Not that you can’t learn things from social, but it’s only in tiny bites. At the root of all this is what I consider to be a pretty intense anti-intellectualism movement. The political powers at be, and big advertisers, don’t want you to be intellectually curious or highly educated. Because our attention has been co-opted as currency, many of us just don’t have the ability to absorb long-form learning (which we need) anymore. Look, we’re all using some form of social media and it can be tough to totally disconnect. Social is still great for networking and promoting your business and keeping in touch with friends and family (although I'd say much less so these days). But I guess I’d ask you, are you using social media or following an influencer, to become more educated and interesting…or is it just zoning you out, dumbing you down, or causing you to buy a bunch of stuff you don’t really need or want?

When it comes to how you are using your business social media and advertising it can still be beneficial for you to work with an influencer or a micro-influencer. If you are a real authority or expert who can impart accurate information, and be authentic, truthful, and transparent about your collaborations, you can still educate your customers and have meaningful conversations. Focus on creating a community of interested companions. As a user of social media I'd ask you what you're getting out of a social media relationship with a business - whether or not you feel it’s positively feeding your intellectual curiosity and output and growing your knowledge, or just draining your brain and wallet.

If you have any thoughts on influencer culture or social media, I’d love to hear from you!