BuzzFix | Rise of 'Deinfluencers' in Influencer Era: All You Need to Know About Social Media Trend

Are we approaching the end of the influencer era? With the growth of social media marketing, brands approach influencers followed by hundreds and thousands of Internet folks with the simple intention of promoting their product. These photogenic and pristine accounts attempt to persuade their audiences to choose the product that has somehow changed their lives overnight. If you aren’t a fan of your timelines flooded with “paid partnership” and brand hashtags, there’s some good news for you.

In recent times, for better or worse, there has been an upsurge in a category of content creators that has been categorised as ‘deinfleuncers’.

Who are these people and what do they actually do?

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Deinfluencers stand by the idea that these overpriced trends are no more in style. These people urge audiences to evaluate if they actually need to spend Rs 45K on a hair equipment or if there is a genuine need to buy that weighted blanket worth Rs 15K. Their message is as straightforward as it can be: be sustainable and spend wisely. At times, they also suggest a replacement product which is way more affordable alternative.

Deinfluencing trend started with the beauty and lifestyle categories. However, over time it has also garnered popularity in several other domains. According to a report by CNN, hashtag deinfluencing had 584 million total views on TikTok. Out of this, 582 million views occurred in just 12 months.

We are all aware about how influencer culture promotes an unhealthy habit of overconsumption in a bit to keep up with all the trends and that’s when deinfleuncing comes into play. It protests material culture and the section of people that promotes overconsumption of things.

Here are a few examples of deinfluencing:

While many may think that it is a complete rejection of the influencer market, it actually just reinforces honesty with its audience. The idea is to conveys ‘honest’ opinion rather than promoting a product irrespective of its truthful review.

As per a recent study, 87 per cent of people followed a brand, visited its website and bought the product after it

was advertised on social media. That’s the kind of impact that influencer marketing has.

Many people think that both influencers and deinfluencers are in the same business. Kris Ruby, a social media analyst and president of Ruby Media Group, while speaking to CNN said, “Rather than saying buy this, they are saying – don’t buy this. Both are forms of influencing. It is no different than saying, ‘Vote for this candidate,’ versus ‘Here’s why you shouldn’t vote for this candidate.”

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Even though many influencers take it as a threat, there are also people who connect with this latest trend. Influencer Mikayla Mains explained how the deinfleuncer culture is ‘refreshing’ and she loves to see the industry take a different direction.

Will this new social media trend really knock down all the influencers and their marketing tactics?