the death of the influencer
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- čas přidán 27. 06. 2024
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sources:
History Of Influencer Marketing Predates Social Media By Centuries - But Is There Enough Transparency In The 21st Century? - www.forbes.com/sites/petersuc...
A History of Social Media Influencers - findyourinfluence.com/a-histo...
Forget law school, these kids want to be a CZcams star - www.cnbc.com/2019/08/02/forge...
Get Rich or Lie Trying by Symeon Brown - www.waterstones.com/book/get-...
The Age of Instagram Face - www.newyorker.com/culture/dec...
What It Really Costs to Go On ‘Love Island’ - www.vice.com/en/article/3aqen...
Love Island star Savanna Darnell shares regrets as show left her an 'absolute mess' - www.examinerlive.co.uk/news/t...
My Insta-Worthy Lifestyle Got Me Into £27,000 Debt - www.refinery29.com/en-gb/debt...
videos to watch:
Rowan Ellis - The Ethics of CZcams Sponsorship - • The Ethics of CZcams ...
Smokey Glow - Is TikTok Replacing CZcams?! My Thoughts - • Is TikTok Replacing Yo...
time stamps:
00:00 - intro
05:48 - 1. what is an influencer?
10:28 - 2. origins and evolution of the influencer
13:00 - 2.5. the evolution of the youtube sponsorship
23:16 - 3. why do people want to become influencers?
28:44 - 4. micro-influencers
33:28 - 5. how far will people go to become influencers?
37:20 - 6. why do people like influencers?
38:52 - 7. why do people dislike influencers?
46:16 - 8. brand deals & authenticity
49:48 - 9. influencer fatigue
**FOR BUSINESS ENQUIRIES ONLY**
jordantheresa@sixteenth.co - Jak na to + styl
lorde is a mainstream celebrity but she said "right when you can afford anything they give it to you for free, stop giving us free stuff", i thought that was interesting
the problem with influencers is that they promote extreme consumerism. A lot of them are also super fake. And people now are smarter they want to consume less and live a sustainable life. Too much promotion not only kills the envinroment, our pockets and also our self esteem.
its commodity fetishization
Absolutely. That’s why I have tried to limit my following to only people who have clearly stated that they vet their sponsors and only work with brand they actually use and enjoy and feel good about promoting to their audiences. The “typical” kind of Instagram model influencers just started to affect me negatively and I realized that they truly were just there to try to sell things to people. There are some that do truly care about their audiences, but they are definitely not the majority.
I kinda dont agree with your consumerism comment. I think most people are still hyper consuming and dont see anything wrong with it. The things they consume change everyday but we are obsessed with buying to make ourselves feel better or create an aesthetic. Even while trying to be better leople can make mistakes. For example theres people who throw away their old things to buy more sustainable alternatives even though reuse/reduce is an important part of being sustainable.
yes! I literally cant stand buying thungs that have no real functional use and can be used long term as much as possible.
@@goldenapple3952 do you not consider the 99% of the human species who cant afford necessities let alone buying luxuries to be human or worth considering in your thoughts about consumerism? who do you think makes the stuff? people who cant afford to consume it. all consumerism does right now, is drive society into a worse and worse situation. because we arent paying the people who produce, only those who consume. keeping all wealth in a consolidation loop, where it just gets exchanged between the same small group of 1% of the species while the rest of us get to do nothing but suffer for no benefit to ourselves until we die, watching the air headed consumers dance around and act like there isnt anything wrong in the world lol..
Beauty gurus blew up so much, because in the beginning, they were the source of honest opinions. They were oposition to advertisment, trustworthy. We didn't believe ads in tv anymore, but we could believe the make up artist on youtube who recommanded a product. Back when youtube didn't give you any money and people were making videos just for the sake of sharing, out of passion.That's why a lot of people felt so much resentment, when the influencers started getting paid to promote stuff they don't even use.
This.
Yes! This is such a good argument
It also feels like people go out of their way to use obscure products now that you can only buy online
I mean it was a kind of different and more sophisticated way to tlemarket products
I don't mind the sponsorships if they say "sponsorship."
I do mind that they don't put makeup on correctly.
90% of the products that look like crap on them that they proceed to trash, looks so bad because they put it on incorrectly.
~JuSt ReAd DiReCtIoNs~
This also goes for makeup tool reviews, and hair tool reviews- blow dryers, straighteners, even brushes.
And oh, how they drag out videos with nonsense. It isn't entertaining. It isn't funny. It just is blah blue blee blach. Most "influencers" who started with shorter videos can't create longer content and maintain their viewers' attention.
I think it's also the death of celebrities. They've killed the mystery by being relatable and available on social media.
i agree, the only new celebrities that have an impact dont / rarely post on social media (like timothee chalamet), they understand that keeping the mystery is how you do it.
@@emma-rdgs alexa demie
@@emma-rdgs YES.
This could be such a cool topic because I totally agree!! Back in the 90s 2000s it was rare to see them and fans used to go crazy over them !
To me nowadays there’s is little difference between celebrities and CZcamsrs tbh. I see them on the same platforms doing the same things. Like you said there is no more mystery about them. It’s a bit sad.
This is on a kind of related note, but I have a friend who was on deviantART for a long time who experienced a similar thing. She's been on dA for a long time now and built a pretty loyal following of 2,000+ watchers, which is pretty substantial on that platform. On that platform, she's been commissioned so much, even started making pins, plushies, and tattoo designs. Recently, she tried out tiktok and quickly blew up. She was making comics that were getting views in the millions, she's never had so many eyeballs on her art and got about 70K+ followers. But even with those numbers, she got almost no offers for commissions or sold merch. What she did get were a bunch of people asking for more content, even though the stuff she was making was quite work intensive. I feel like the infinite scroll of TikTok devalued the amount of work she was really putting into her art, and when people weren't getting content fast enough (by that I mean, within days of her last post), they just forgot about her and her views plummeted. That weird surge of fame she experienced ended as quickly as it began, and she made almost no sales out of it. Compare this to her 2,000 watchers on dA who still commission her to this day. I'm not saying dA is a perfect platform (it's not), but TikTok is designed to have this pathetic half-life, I wonder how ANYONE maintains TikTok fame at all.
side note: I loved the vid. Does anyone know which part of Britain her accent is from?
I think tiktok can be useful for people who make music. But having a viral song doesn't mean you'll make a career out of it
That is really interesting. I didn’t know DA was still an active community cause I left in 2011 (I might go back now tho).
As an artist, I’ve felt down about not creating enough art to build a career online (I can’t even fathom how people consistently post once a day) but this honestly made me feel better? Cause I’d rather have a smaller amount of reasonably patient followers that actually support me than short lived viral fame. This helped put some stuff into perspective for me, thanks for sharing. I hope your friend’s career continues to grow! :)
I think to maintain fame on tiktok you have to already have it, you have to be favoured by the algorithm and you have to be beloved by Tiktoks mostly young audience, that's what I think at least.
DA is the worst lol but this story definitely has value. loyalty gets you further than fame.
i have around 200 subs and at one point i had a few patrons and was getting $45 a month when my patreon was active. might not sound like much but it was a lot to me and very meaningful to have constant support from people.
Tiktok is basically the CZcams version of Twitter
honestly I’ve just got so bored with social media that I uninstalled tiktok, instagram, and snapchat. youtube is the only app I still use bc I’ll never get bored of it. to me influencers who started out on youtube know how to engage their audiences. however people like charli damelio who started out on tiktok can’t connect with their audiences. tiktok and instagram never and will never feel authentic or make me feel good while I watch like CZcams has for me. youtube isn’t perfect but it’s definitely better.
Im trying to quit tik tok it destroyed my attention span I’m just happy I got through the video
I've personally found tons of engaging content creators on TikTok whose stuff I liked so much I followed them in other places. I feel like with Charli she is so cool and inspirational to young kids as a person that at this point they'll eat up anything she puts out. If you look into her comment section there are so many repetitive hyperspecific comments like "Like if you're watching this on Wednesday" or "Like if you're here before one mil" Not all of them are like that but you can tell that at least some of them that aren't bots just want to be noticed by this person they either, look up to as a positive role model or less healthily idolize in their head as perfect it's like standom per say. Additionally despite the fact that she seems to have very much captured the hearts and minds of kids and teens around the world (gotta give her credit for that honestly) she definitely didn't ask for it as far as I can see. It feels like she was doing it for fun as a dance student with a passion for dance then so many people liked it and began to follow her that it became a very easily viable source of income that it could support her family so she kept doing it until she became the most followed person on tik tok. Which at that point especially since she didn't intend to become so famous she probably never thought about how to truly engage with an audience I think it'd be hard to learn at least quickly. and being the 2nd most followed person on tik tok I'm sure it's hard deciding which side of that audience to pander to. Lucky for her it seems she doesn't need to decide. This is just speculation but It feels like with the squeaky clean family friendly image that Charli's young fans have cultivated for her the same one being reinforced by her parents and the brands that trust her has stopped her from being her genuine self at least to some extent. Maybe you're not the type of person that she usually interests (I'm not really either but just to consider) those are my thoughts as a 15 year old anyway. The video is over and I've spent at least 30 mins writing this so I hope you enjoyed reading it.
Honestly Instagram is just for them showing us how much better their life is in comparison to us and people slowly lose interest in that, i also just use CZcams right now because i follow a lot of amazing youtubers who educate me so much on various aspects of life and society
@@andromeda_2410 I forgot to say this in my original comment but I love Instagram to stay up to date with memes, music, and lots of different visual art not to mention comic strips. I feel like I can find something to like in almost every social media platform. Maybe I'm just really artsy and love learning about different things but I know I'm not alone. I do follow people I know from school and stuff. Even if I do see a pretty picture of someone I know or not having fun I feel happy for them or just take it in and cary on. Posting is also just as fun for me. I sing praises for other social media but CZcams is still my favorite and most used. It's definitely a greatest of all time website imo.
@@MichaelTurner856 oh yess i totally agree with you on that part i was just saying how toxic Instagram is in reference to these influencers, apart from that, memes and connecting with friends is amazing !
Petition to start calling influencers "mascots"
They are puppets
Petition to start calling influencers ' narcissistic freeloaders '
Another thing that leads to influencer fatigue (at least for me and my friends) is not that people do sponsorships, but that all you see on your feed are ads. I basically unfollowed everyone on instagram I don''t know personally after discovering one day that literally every single story and every single feedpost contained something people wanted me to buy. I watched this for a while and at least 90% of post are ads on any given day. I am sick of it. Now I follow friends and family and art 'influencers' and it feels a lot nicer and not as hellish and dystopian
Omg same! I followed so many artists and vtubers since they’re more different and interesting to me ads are already ingrained in our society why on earth would I follow one?
Same
woah you just plucked that very same thought right out of my head that I've been experiencing waayy too often recently.. I personally don't follow those types of influencers either buut I have such a habit of falling down these little holes while I'm scrolling through the Insta explore page & I end up clicking on this person tagged in this photo and then that verified person that left that comment etc. etc. because I'm just so curious and such a little snooper sometimes & wellll it's fckn ad after ad after nauseating fckn ad I can't stand it anymore. I used to F around all over Insta when I was bored and awhile ago I would find myself on the 87th person's page after clicking through a string of profiles like 2 hours deep somehow- now tbh I kinda can't stand Instagram and a lot of the instafluencers (
heck, I've started unsubscribing from email lists of women I used to follow because now the only shit they seem to talk about "take my course and start making 6 figure months like me!!"
like ffs the only reason you're having 6 figure months is because you're selling $1000+ "courses" that amount to nothing more than get rich quick schemes.
I absolutely stopped watching any stories of anyone. It was like watching the worst feature film every night.
To expand on jealousy and envy, I believe injustice and feeling indignant is also a relevant reason why people "hate" influencers. If you work 40+ hours a week in social or healthcare, saving and transforming everday people's lives, but still cant afford to own your own home, but a 22 year old can make hundreds of thousands for being fun and pretty it's easy to hate them for the injustice of the situation. It is a systematic reason why people in essential jobs can earn significantly less than those who post online, but influencers are the face of that system, making it easy to hate them.
People have to realize their attention is VALUABLE. We’ve all seen the classic YT’er who was relatable making content for fun and then they make a lot more money from going viral and then as fans/viewers it makes us feel iffy when they post their multi-million dollar penthouse out of the blue.
Then the hate and envy of “That should’ve been me! Instead of watching people I could’ve been the one being watched!”
You are completely right about how people envy rich content creators. People on twitch make $200-700k per month playing video games but they literally never speak about money or showcase their life because they know it will make their fans feel inadequate. But on YT many influencers make money off of showing their glamour which make them easier to hate.
The world needs nurses and plumbers etc. Could you imagine if everyone was a full time influencer? It's impossible. Society could not function. It's the attitude of I want a pilot to take me on my brand trip but I myself refuse to do a job that adds to the literal functioning of society. Society functioned before influencers but without nurses, doctors, pilots, plumbers and any essential job it would be chaos. Someone needs to sew those cheap ass Shein clothes for Gen Z. They want to utilize a specific service such as a dentist for wisdom teeth removal and agree the job is essential to society functioning properly but refuse to pick up the torch and continue on for when the boomers who millenials like me and also gen z like to shit talk retire. We say "they ruined the world" And yes the boards of massive corporations fucked up the environment but massive Shein hauls and McDonalds burgers aren't helping the planet heal from pollution at all. A lot of the new generation being a influencer as a side hustle instead of full time seems more sustainable and better for society as a whole. Maybe robots will help do the more mundane and undesirable jobs giving humans more time for leisure activities although that may just put a lot of people out of work who could not afford post secondary education. A robot helper for work so you can have more free time and be more efficient when working seems like a good idea to me lol. I think being a successful influencer probably takes a lot of time, focus, dedication
I like that you touched upon the cost of living sky rocketing and minimum wage staying the same, it truly feels like we are entering a recession and many people are now being faced with rent and grocery bills that are sky high and this curated, sleek and “clean” lifestyle isn’t relatable or attainable. More rugged, edgy and handmade aesthetics are in fashion and interior design as opposed to the manicured, minimalist style that prevailed in the 2010s. The traditional influencer just doesn’t fit into that new style. It’s not “cool” to be rich in countries where most people can hardly afford basic health care, housing and food.
PREACH! I live in poverty and have always hated when people flaunt their wealth and use their influence to support oppressing and exploiting people (fast fashion etc) for a quick buck
so beautifully outlined
This
i think it’s really weird that Emma Chamberlain says these things, but like…literally spends everyday upholding every issue she speaks about.
Recognising issues doesn’t mean wanting to change them, especially if they benefit you
exactly
@@giuliapasanisidefoscarini i agree, but she does usually bring up these issues to gather popularity. it’s just obviously disingenuous.
i think it’s because emma has expanded past being a traditional influencer,, like now she has a coffee brand, she works w vogue/louis vuitton, etc. i think she’s calling out how traditional influencer culture in falling apart not necessarily calling out being an influencer
@@marycanary3871 Emma is one of many performance activists
There was this video in my country where a tech giant guy tells the other person that "people are just data points". And it hit me hard, that actually is what we are in the current economic space. We are only consumers and companies will go to any length to get money out of us be it mining our insecurities, 'influencing' naive people and minors etc
If my favorite CZcamsr said that I would cry
Capitalism at its finest
Ahhh good old capitalism
This is nothing new.
If the product is "free" you are what is being sold
i really do think that by nature tik tok is focused on growth, and not personality and community. so it’s super easy to have no idea who you’re even looking at when you engage with content on there. whereas twitch and youtube are basically the opposite. it’s 100% about the person and the community and interactions you build, so people not only know your content but know YOU and who you are.
Yep, musicians are the ones making the best of TikTok, not the people creating content - unless you’re the owner of a small store for something niche, in that case TikTok is a great way to get new clients.
About todays children wanting to become influencers: I could also imagine that todays children see their working class parents working all day for little payment and realizing that their life isn`t at all happy and fun like children imagine adult life should be with all the freedom you get when turning 18. Maybe todays capitalistic work environment shows kids what they really desire when growing up. Which could be having flexible working hours, getting paid enough to even afford fun leisure activities, dressing up like you want, people looking up to you, having responsibility, being able to take care of your mental health. Basically freedom and flexibility as Luiza wrote in the comments somewhere here.
And not worrying about how to afford food tomorrow or how to spend enough time with friends&family when working an exhausting 40+ hours and trying to keep your mental health together. And that`s what influencer lifestyle seems to make possible. Maybe we shouldn`t judge children for not having enough amibtion to become astronauts anymore and instead choosing more "realistic" high reward jobs. Maybe we should create better work & living conditions which allow people to have good simple satisfiying lifes and kids growing up with happy parents.
amazing mindset couldn't agree more
best take I've seen in these comments
Interesting point
Literally. Don't know how ppl are so close to recognizing capitalism and its pitfalls but they're not connecting the dots quite yet.
This is exactly why I fell into hustle culture when I was a kid. It seems like the only way to make a living is to start a business, and my business of choice was art, but a lot of it focused more on getting social media attention and basing a business off of that. When you can't afford collage, that seems like a much more viable option and really the only way to have any sort of financial freedom.
I think influencers are dying because people are starting to get tired of consumer culture
I think it’s interesting that she says that now influencers are getting famous for nothing or by accident because I don’t necessarily think she’s an exception to that and that this has always been the base of influencer culture.
We’ve seen the critique of “well what do you do?” Towards influencers since the days of magcon and vine it’s honestly not a new talking point, it’s just interesting that someone inside of the influencer loop said it.
Emma became a style blogger but she didn’t start out that way she was just another person making videos about their life and just happened to go viral. She made something of herself after she went viral for doing essentially nothing but showing her life with obnoxious over editing
She does admit in the podcast that she also got famous by accident and for doing nothing
i agree, when i saw her at the met gala i was like... why? they’re just letting everyone in now & it used to be a highly exclusive event. & i don’t say that to insult her, i like her. i’m just acknowledging that her type of celebrity isn’t in the same bracket as say rihanna, or the revered & seasoned actors that attend. it’s like all “celebrities” are staring to be grouped together. it’s not just influencer culture. it’s celebrity culture in general that’s changing. everyone is famous which means that essentially no one is. if everyone can be a celebrity then it takes away from what we recognize as celebrity. which i’m not mad at. honestly i think celebrity culture in general is not good for people’s mental & emotional health. for the stans & the person being observed & praised. it’s kinda dehumanizing the whole thing. a person becomes a brand & is solely recognized for their image or public persona. no one truly knows them but everyone feels like they do bc we see so much of their lives w/out having actual connections/ relationships with them.
it also ties into cancel culture bc of this process of society stripping a “celebrity” of their humanity & curating this image of who we think they are/ should be. it’s easy to write a person off when they do something we deem immoral, or appalling & say “throw the whole person away” bc they have displayed their humanity. they’ve done something that’s not perfect or we don’t agree with so we, as a collective, decide they shouldn’t be seen or heard from again if they can’t keep up the ruse & keep us happy with them all the time. which is a fantasy. it’s not realistic. humans make mistakes & do shitty things. but we’re more likely to be forgiving & understanding towards someone we know & care about than a stranger who’s pics we like on instagram. bc we don’t know their true character. (this doesn’t apply of course to the predators in hollywood assaulting women. i’m referring to young youtubers & tik tokers who may say or do
something ignorant or celebs getting tweets dug up from years ago when they were young & dumb & people come running with their torches & pitch forks to cancel them.)
I’m glad that she acknowledges that most influencers gain a following by accident and by luck. Most of the top influencers now are truly just lucky. Something got picked up in the algorithm one day and they just started growing. Yes, they obviously put work into their content, but that’s not necessarily why they grew in the first place. That first spike in views or likes or whatever truly is based entirely on luck it seems. And I’m glad there are starting to be more people, like Emma, who talk about that luck aspect. Because there are a ton of super entertaining people in social media who don’t have a large following simply because they haven’t been lucky enough to be picked up by the algorithm yet.
@@katherinehorton459 i completely understand her being at the met gala though, because she is a fashion icon. many celebrities who do nothing for that sphere still attend, but no one complains because they’re an ‘acceptable’ type of celebrity. i think it’s important to note that emma has started/gained traction for SO many fashion trends and displays a real interest in it.
The meanest, darkest part of me can't help but laugh a little at the tiktokers having meet and greets that no one shows up to. Just a classic case of hubris and inflated ego
like what do they even do to be able to entertain a whole crowd? dance silently with their phone in their hand in front of a crowd of people? 💀
Honestly same
@@rewdskwid 🤣
@@rewdskwid 😭
@@rewdskwid 💀💀 oh my god
why is it so funny to me that Santa is an influencer like imagine him doing a squarespace sponsorship 🎅🏻
I feel like something that wasn't mentioned was COVID and its impact on the influencer sphere. There was a bit of it mentioned in terms of influencers and their controversies but I think COVID impacted both influencers and MS celebs in a way that no one expected. Idk how to better explain my point w/o rambling lol. Its just I don't think people really wanted to watch celebs and influencers party and shit when family members and friends were getting sick and passing away.
So true, that is a huge part of it for me. It’s quite uncomfortable to see, esp when they’re posting cheerfully about going to festivals & traveling to densely populated cities. It honestly raises my anxiety bc it’s normalizing the exact things that are perpetuating this situation, & I’m immunocompromised so that really does legitimately stress me out. And I know some people feel like it’s a bit of a slap in the face to everyone at high risk of a severe case & those with high-risk loved ones.
I agree 2019-2020 influencers were still doing pretty well but the moment they showed their true colors that was the last straw for a lot of ppl and the harder the times became the less we want to see influencers living it up
Your point is very simple: COVIDA caused a lot of people to reevaluate the things that are important in their life and influencer culture is not part of it.
Influential culture is materialistic, keeping up with the Joneses, flashy/aspirational... COVID was a real forced introspective time. I don't see how you can consume a lot of influencer content and also be a reflective individual for example. COVID threw a wrench into into the mix.
I actually disagree with this. I'd say most people engaged with influencers the MOST during quarantine as a form of escapism and entertainment. people were willing to watch anything at that time and influencers were dishing out so much content. now though, people give them less attention imo which is why they're now doing weird stuff to get people talking.
@@user-hp5cf5kf8k I both agree and disagree. I agree in terms of yes, people watched more for escapism. However I don't think that negates my point that COVID impacted influencer culture. I remember at the start of the pandemic many influencers who were very popular pre-COVID losing a lot of traction because they continued to party and do other things that people just didn't want to see. And as far as I'm aware (I could be wrong though) I don't think generally people are watching influencers less even as life returns to normal. They might be watching different content but from my personal experiences the CZcamsrs who grew during COVID are still bringing in the same numbers.
Personally, I think the Jeffree Star/Shane Dawson thing was actually the beginning of the end of my relationship with influencers. After that, I just felt a very predatory, greedy, and downright nefarious air around influencers. And after my love affair with beauty influencers died, my finances made a dramatic turn around. I haven't bought new makeup since last year and when I do make purchases, they're far more practical, i.e. used furniture, stocks in solar energy companies, car wash memberships, cooking tools, thrifted clothes, etc.
“We need to start normalising jealousy” - Jordan Theresa, 2022
Isn't this more like envy ?
Normalizing jealousy but not normalize harmful behavior that comes from being jealous..
I’m tired of influencers because to me it’s just a new form of capitalism. Giving these people so much money and power and they let it go to their head. It’s just tiring to see it consistently repeat itself over and over.
Yeah, but unlike the people under this video, there are millions playing into the capitalism game and worshipping those influencers. But many people commenting under this video may still be playing into the game
ordering clothes or other items online and then returning it is actually really bad, because most of that stuff doesn't get sold again, it just ends up on a landfill (or in one of those amazon resell stores if you're lucky), plus it just supports the whole production of extremely cheap poor quality items made with exploitation of sewers, warehouse workers and superfast delivery service to an even greater extent, so buying stuff with the intention of returning it after wearing only once is just fucking awful
Damn right 👏
Or when influencers buy over $500 of shein clothes. Of course they aren’t gonna keep all of that paper thin quality shit. And shein is known to be a bad brand along with many other online brands.
I think as a people we’ve learned to not give influencers attention b/c we’ve been having this conversation for a while. Us Gen Zs are getting older and we’re not that young and naive anymore. The influencer lifestyle is an embodiment of the “American dream”. However, in this current socioeconomic climate, publicly bragging about having a rich, influencer lifestyle just seems outdated and a little bit tone deaf.
“If it was easy, everyone would be an influencer.”
But that’s kind of the dilemma, right? I mean…more and more influencers are popping up everywhere, and there seems to be less and less requirements for them to have a unique skill or be able to entertain in a way that requires effort. I’m not that into TikTok, mostly because I just appreciate the production quality on CZcams. But I don’t think it’s accurate to call large, well-produced CZcams channel stars “influencers” anymore, at least not in the same way they used to be, or the way TikTok influencers are now.
Channels that flourish long term usually have at least a team of two - the talent, and the editor. Many people pay for CZcams premium and consider it another kind of streaming service, like Netflix or Hulu. You could argue that sponsorships are just the new ad or commercial. I think being a successful CZcams star takes a lot of work, experience, and refinement. But that’s only a small portion of who we consider influencers to actually be in 2022, and the vast majority don’t work that hard.
with tiktok it’s especially easy. the most an influencer has to do, apparently, is make 1 video with a stolen dance and a bang energy can in the frame per month, and their whole living expenses are paid for. i’m sure on other platforms it’s different, especially on youtube, but the tiktok algorithm is too aggressive and will promote whatever is deems profitable to it to whoever it deems will consume it. they just need to post a few 10-30 second videos a day, which they can film at once and might not need to edit (or can edit within the app). i’m not even sure if it’s fair to compare influencers from different platforms because of this
@@user-xh8tl1su6x check out tiktok and the use as propaganda tool used by China
Absolutely different algorithm used over there
yep. Yuo'll find that a lot of the beauty gurus who were big way back in the day or who started out on CZcams reeeeeally early, have now migrated to Instagram or TikTok. Why? Because back in the early days of CZcams, no one really cared about the production value of videos, it was just people filming from their homes/bedrooms. They never had to worry about the editing, the cutting, the scripting, etc. Now YT is more about long-form, quality content, they can't keep up because they don't know how to make high quality videos. That was never a skill of theirs! Tiktok and Insta are easy for them so they migrated.
Can we also talk abt how all these influencers are the embodiement of the american dream? I remember being OBSESSED watching content of rich people from Los Angeles while living in rural Italy, I think it was kind of an escape in a way
Gosh when we’re the ones envying your life
@@tifKh oh honey I don't live in the pinterest Italy, I live in Pianura Padana aka one of the worst areas in Europe pollution-wise and weather-wise 🥲
Bruh i love the interaction here with previous commenter, basically we, the normal and average Europeans watch Rich American people living the American dream in their small little privileged world, while the normal, average American citizen experience is nothing like that. Just the same as these Americans watch some videos of rich Europeans living their best lives in their little privileged worlds in the most beautiful and wealthy European cities. I live in Eastern Europe so it’s kind of funny to see how Americans usually associate it with extreme poverty, the orphanage documentaries from the 90s and dark blue filters in movies, when in reality, things are more than okay around her if you are an average citizen, except the cities are not pretty because of the old apartment blocks.
@@mrswagaswaga Girl same 😅 Di dove sei?
@@khadyadjisall5708 brescia e tu? Hahahahahah
As a person who makes/consumes book content on CZcams can I just say how much I LOVE your shelves as a background, and the fact that you look stunning and confused me at the beginning when I was trying to figure out what the issue with the extensions was because all I could discern was ✨fab✨vibes
omg exactly
Lol yeah I can't recognize extensions even if you point at them so I was like...?? Dunno man cool hair color haha that's all I know.
same. I think her hair looks so nice in this vid ❤
frankly i dont like influencers who dont acknowledge their privilege and i dont consider that a "jealousy" thing. I consider that an anger at the wealth inequality we have in certain parts of the world if not all of them... its especially bad with influencers who started out rich and just got richer. a lot of them are rags to riches, but the ones that aren't... they sure rub it in.
I think u mean envy; that is what we all feel when we see someone doing better then us and not being shy to show that lol
@@markigirl2757 i still dont consider that envy... its such a petty way to describe the feelings of those in poverty.
Very true but also I would say there’s nowhere on this planet where wealth inequality isn’t a problem. There are billionaires from almost every country!
@@CC-bu7tu And, what, the top 5 richest people in the world live in America? You and I both know this is primarily an American problem. It's certainly the country with the absolute worst wealth inequality in the world.
@@boots1622fan lmao a simple google search would tell you that the top 10 countries with the biggest wealth gaps are in Africa. The world doesn’t revolve around America luv.
The fact that every male influencer you mentioned has been problematic,to say the least,is amazing.
everyone else i definitely agree but jacksepticeye ? what did he do?
@@Sabrinaaa36 well,almost all male influencers she mentioned.
What has gender got anything to do with this
@@patatoe558 everything. people hate charli damelio for being overrated but support khaby lame ?????????
To me all of this is so strange because I quit instagram during the peak of pandemic and could not handle the constant flow of content of tik tok. I think I'm not the only one.
same I had to quit as well - it became so overwhelming and it would be all I could think about - I had to stop for my own sanity lol
Same
I quit literally everything. I reached a point where I felt like everyone was self obsessed and I feared I'd be the same
The amount of ads on tiktok now is crazy to say the least. Every few videos there’s usually 1-2 ads or sponsorships. Scrolling on tiktok for an hour could make you easily watch dozens of ads. It’s tiring and kind of sad that most of the content isn’t about authenticity or humor or fun anymore, just money. Pretty much every influencer or creator now has sponsored ads.
One thing I would like to point out though. The reason big brands have started using influencers as cover models, spokesperson etc. is not because they photograph so well, are good models or well spoken - it's because their followers will buy from the brand. It's not their talent, it's their money making factor.
There was a Tweet I saw that said something like, “Dear young people, stop being influencers. We need electricians.” At first, I just rolled my eyes and saw the Tweet as another boomer going, “why don’t kids want a real job?!” However, people in the comments proceeded to tell stories about not having enough people working in union-based service jobs. As a result, the infrastructure in their cities has gone downhill. While I understand the frustration with having poor infrastructure, what that tweet, and others like it, fail to understand is that kids want to be influencers for the same reason kids back in the day wanted to be movie stars and musicians. It’s just more glamorous and receives more praise. People are more likely to be interested in a CZcamsr explaining their job than a janitor.
Let’s say a teenager was given the option of two jobs. One job allows them to create their own hours, earn money and do something they’re actually passionate about in the comfort and safety of their own home and receive praise and admiration from thousands of people. The second job requires them to wake up at the ass crack of dawn, put on an uncomfortable uniform, drive in traffic, all to slave away in the blazing sun/pouring rain/freezing cold for hours with people they don’t know or care about, and be berated and belittled by a boss who doesn’t care about their existence. Which job is the teenager most likely to choose? The vast majority of “real jobs” are just plain unpleasant when compared to being an influencer.
The entry barrier to being an influencer is next to nothing compared to most “real jobs.” All you need is a smartphone with an internet connection to be an influencer. Every job that pays minimum wage requires a high school diploma. Jobs that pay above minimum wage require college degrees, which many people can’t afford. Student loans aren’t a viable answer either since most people don’t want to get into debt just to get a job. Plus, having debt before having a steady source of income can ruin a person’s credit, which will make it harder to buy a house. Trade school is a common answer to getting a decent-paying job without college, but those still cost a lot of money. It also still ignores people who aren’t adept at decent paying trades like teaching, IT technician, or dentistry. Another elephant in the room is most jobs can only be done by young, able-bodied, neurotypical people long-term. There’s high turnover for manual labor jobs due to older people not being able to do back-breaking labor for 15+ hours a day 5 days a week. Since the majority of people in their 70s can’t afford to retire, they end up living under the poverty line. The majority of “real jobs” are also not suitable for those who are neurodivergent. People with Depression and Anxiety have a difficult time in jobs that require them to interact with multiple people and be under constant pressure to work as quickly as possible, such as fast-food restaurants. People with ADHD and ADD have a difficult time in jobs requiring sitting still, focusing, and staring at a computer for hours, such as most office jobs. People who are partially blind, paraplegic, have chronic pain, or have muscular/bone disorders are limited in their selection of jobs that require intense physical labor. Health Insurance is so expensive that a lot of people can’t even afford medication to help mitigate these hindrances. While some manual labor jobs do have good health insurance, they’re still dangerous. Even with all of these regulations and safety measures, people still get injured and die on the job. I once heard a story of a woman who worked at a meat processing factory. She leaned on a railing that was not secure, and she ended up falling into an active meat grinder. Her family was compensated, and all the railings over the grinders were double-checked from then on, but that didn’t change the fact that an innocent woman lost her life just by working. Most people don’t want to risk their lives just to put food on the table.
When you take all of these into consideration, influencing is the safest and most accessible job field. Is it really that hard to understand why kids glamorize them so much?
Plus a big factor is Money. People don’t work because they need something to do. They work to make money. Influencers make way more money that electricians.
All of this. Yes 👏
That was a wonderful insightful comment! Thanks for sharing your perspective. And now I gotta think about that 😃
this is definitely gonna sit with me, thank you for sharing
add multiple disorders together and people have even less suitable job opportunities, making something like influencing seem like the only option.
I recently learned that the clothes sent back to online stores are not resold, they also go straight to landfill or are burnt
Ik this video wasn't mainly about this, but the point of : being an influencer is hard work but also high reward (26:12) is SO IMPORTANT. I've had a real problem recently of having some of my favs complain over and over about how 'its so hard' because of burnout and mean comments but when I look at my own life where both of my parents (we are immigrants in the UK) are facing very serious discrimination at their work (work that we need and don't have the freedom to find 'a better job'), creative burn out, serious mental health problems (therapy is so fucking expensive), cut off from family and social circles AND ARE SO UNDERPAID ( my dads a lorry driver working 40+ hours in discriminative environments and is so severely underpaid because the industry is shit) where the effort and work is in no way compensating, especially now with prices going up, we can barely afford groceries, not to mention fuel and attractions/recreational activities. The amount of freedom and flexibility of the influencer is astounding compared to the average working class person (especially immigrant/POC/disabled/lgbtq worker). It makes me feel so hopeless and unseen
Edit: I want to add, so this doesnt come off a sob story, that I absolutely sympathies with more privelaged groups and their issues (or just like other people who happen to have different circumstances) because no one ever will be fulfilled in this system, like creative burn out can be incredibly tough and the whole online image/ persona is also a huge problem, but I'd also love for more awareness and understanding and having people talk about ( like actual convos) struggles that have become part of our everyday in a comforting and aware way. Im only a teenager and find it hard to relate to influencers and other people in my everyday life (ofc no one owes anyone earnesty and opening up but i think community is important) :))))))))
The average person can't afford the lifestyle of these "influencers".
This comment. Like, not to say their problems don't matter but compared to what real people go through? They haven't even started. Thank you for putting this out there.
Life on life’s terms is just hard AF, for everyone, unless you are shielded from it for some reason but then that can come with its own problems i.e. resentment ,divorce, ignorance, etc
the thing is though that everyone's problems are different and for someone who's rich there are other problems than for someone who's poor. they live in two complete different worlds. they see life through their lense and through their world.
@@fennew I agree, but it's good to remember/realize how good you have it. I think that's what OP was trying to say, not that other people's problems don't matter.
you calling youtube a "really old website" aged me into senior discounts, then putting zach king in the new wave of tiktok influencers completely buried me
i think the market is being clearly over saturated by everyone doing the same thing. but also because influencers are starting to become less trust worthy and less relatable altogether. like we see an ad on instagram by a beauty blogger or model or youtuber and now we instantly just know they are only being paid to say this. we don’t really have that genuine belief that influencers really use or like the products they are promoting anymore. i think as Gen Z is getting older we have become more skeptical and desensitized to a lot of influencers marketing because this is what we’ve grown up with. when i was younger i was much more likely to just buy a product without much thought or consideration simply because i looked up to said influencer. i think Gen Z just doesn’t trust influencers anymore because we see all ads as just cash grabs. not to mention a lot of influencers seem like they’re all pretty much the same and very few seem to have traits or interests that can set them apart from the rest.
mmm idk about that. Maybe for the older people in genz. Hlaf of gen z are still 12-17 so can be more gullible.
I think the older part of gen z yes, but the younger part of gen z is mostly still obsessed with “fitting in” by buying all of the popular or expensive brands. Wether that be skincare, self care, makeup, clothes, iphones etc. Especially if you watch tiktok or spend a ton of time on other social media, it seems like every other post you look at there’s either multiple ads or sponsorships. Which of course influences people to buy the shit they don’t need.
An underrated reason why follower count is becoming less important is the advancement of social media analytics. Obviously brands use influencers whom'st followers match with their target market, but now they can get ultra specific with that target market, something they couldn't easily do back when the industry was just beginning.
"You can still say you work hard whilst acknowledging the privilege that your job hands you" is such a solid point
Just Jhordan recently posted a video about her experiences with being an influencer/model and I found her point about content creators/influencer models and their high compensation super interesting-
Brands used to have to shell out thousandsssss of dollars to shoot ONE campaign. You had to hire so many different people just to shoot one line of clothing
But now they can pay a couple hundred-thousand to one influencer who does all that work for them.
So the reason why influencers get paid so well is because brands are using the same money they were going to pay tons of people to just pay a couple influencers
And in comparison, someone doing traditional work like nursing is dealing with the same inequalities of compensation not being raised with inflation and work expectations.
I'm jealous af not gonna lie, but I think if I got the opportunity to lie my way to the top I would deny it.. In school now and the thought that I could work my booty off for years and still find myself struggling financially, while a TikToker can quickly gain millions, really is a hindrance in my motivation. :/ I get "don't compare yourself to others" but that's difficult to do.
You can work for a career of a lifetime, they got lucky getting a career for now, once they lose interest that's it, in any other type of job you have a chance for improvement and climbing the ladder, an influencer can climb the ladder all the way to the top but eventually they'll fall down hard because that job has an expiration date, that should be your motivation, you won't be rich in your 20s but your 60s is a different story if you play your cards right, influencers are rich now and will likely be struggling in their 60s if they aren't smart now
Also these tiktokers are gonna have a big suck in when their job expires and they actually have to work a real job with no life skills and the only thing on their CV being "influencer" they're likely gonna struggle
@@jessica5470 eh kinda disagree. while yes they would lose their job once they're not interesting anymore for the public, they are earning SO much fucking money in such a short period of time that you have to be utterly dumb not to hire a financial advisor and basically just splurge without thinking about the future. Even if their career only lasts 1-2 years, they still earn more in those 2 years than someone in their lifetime
YES... That's why with a 4.0 at a top 10 university I'm also getting into the CZcams space. But I want to be different and not be promoting products people want. Instead, I want to really *influence* to be the best versions of themselves and share my learnings.
@@Sabrina-sx9fl yeah you would have to be utterly dumb, when it's teenage tiktokers who's lives have changed extremely quickly and they get an extreme amount of wealth in a short period of time they end up with a false sense of security, my point is they will probably be dumb, even if they have someone advising them they won't listen, they're still kids, they will follow what everyone else does and spend spend spend on the most stupid stuff just to flex, won't happen to everyone ofcourse but I strongly believe in 10-15 years time we will see lots of stories about the rich going broke
I used to work for a company that was looking to sponsor their product using American micro-influencers on Instagram. It was one of the most jaw-dropping experiences. $10,000 for one Instagram post for only 60k followers and we had to write the copy and pay for the visual expenses separately. Also, we had scheduled meetings with several women influencers whose husbands ran their businesses and made the decisions for them - we never got to meet the women. We even had a husband threaten us for over an hour in an introductory meeting if we didn't meet their demands (we were only explaining the product and asking if they would be interested in promoting it). Truly shocking. We ended up not working with any of them and going through a more traditional digital marketing route. Something I also thought was not professional was they wouldn't provide statistics on the demographic breakdown of their audiences to make sure it was reaching our desired target market, or any statistics related to past sponsorship deals.
what?!!!! 10k for 60k followers? I though influencers were getting paid like a few hundred per post. Jesus
Sorry this post is just disingenuous. Although influencers get paid ‘a lot’ it’s extremely less than traditional advertising fees for actual celebrities and public figures. A lot of businesses feel like influencers are demanding too much when in reality they’re actually asking for a fair amount.
And personally, good for the women for having men willing to not tolerate brands attempting to underpay influencers for their work. As someone who works in influencer marketing, the industry is still very patriarchal and mens presences unfortunately are taken more seriously and less likely to be manipulated in a situation such as bargaining for how much you believe you deserve
on influencers buying clothes and sending them back - i remember seeing an article a couple of years ago about returns being sent to poor countries to just go straight into mountains of fast fashion landfill, they weren't being repackaged and sold on like we'd assume as i guess the clothes are so cheap to make but there's so much wrong with this situation
i totally agree with what you were saying about the inflation of followers on tiktok, because of the fyp and it's targeted algorithm youre exposed to hundreds of people to follow every day, and when you follow them it's not a huge commitment if that makes sense. you can go into your following tab, but no one really does that. i drop follows on tiktok way quicker than subscribing to someone on youtube. dream (the minecraft youtuber) said he thinks every 10 followers on tiktok is equivalent to one youtube subscriber in terms of fanbase power/impact and i thought that was really interesting.
This is true but increase the number from 10 to 1000. I deleted my tiktok months ago. the endless scroll was a serious hindrance to my productivity. I am youtube everyday for work and I have to watch like five videos from a single creator before i subscribe.
When I watch influencer critique videos it’s interesting how much Emma chamberlain gets brought up to prove a point of gaining a fast following and major success. For me as a black woman when I see Emma chamberlain and all her “success” it’s very telling how white mediocrity is very lucrative. Not simple just Emma but a lot of other conventionally attractive skinny and able bodied influencers who just to happen to be of caucus decent or share white skin but are not ethnically white. Therefore, who are on CZcams and get by just simply ✨exsisting✨ documenting an average experience and monetizing it just because they are the algorithms sugar baby.
attractive people are liked by a lot of people who knew. As a guy its very easy to build a following the more attractive you are as well. goes both ways i'd say. but women are objects so they can commidify themselves and make more money :emma chamberlain, charlie dimelio
YESSSS 👏🏽👏🏽
You're right and you should say it
exactly
Like SUPERCARBLONDIE I’m shocked she wasn’t mentioned
I feel like the difference between CZcams and Tiktok influencers is just a logical result of how the apps are structured. With short form content that's just a few seconds long, you can't really form a bond with the person, while if you watch an hour long video by your favorite CZcamsr you feel like you get to know them. I feel like this isn't just about parasocial relationships too, I think it can just be comforting to be invested in a single person on CZcams and look forward to their thoughts. I feel like on Tiktok when you follow people you follow a trend or a trope rather than a person, like you follow "cute quirky fashion person" or "alt cottage core communist" or idk what while on CZcams you follow someone more for their thoughts. And ofc it makes sense that you'd trust someone's opinion more when you have a better grasp of who they are as a person, rather than listening to someone on Tiktok who is more like an idea of something, if that makes sense. Also, I feel like people are less trustworthy on Tiktok because that app is peak capitalism, I mean the cycle of undisclosed ads and shady promotions is just repeating itself, but with Tiktok it's worse cause there's so much more content on there. Also Tiktoks algorithm just makes it easy to commercialize and market literally everything so quickly, it's kinda dystopian.
Anyways this was kinda ramble-y god I'm tired, but the video was good and you look cute Jordan!! Glad to hear you've been feeling better :) 🧡
Being able to afford something other than fast fashion is a privilege I don’t think a lot of people take into consideration.
Can we normalize normal jobs?
On the flip side can’t be mad at influencers, we watch them as much as we use to watch TV and such
This 👆
This is what I've been thinking for three years now, bc people on the internet especially if it comes to New Age influencers always demonize 9-5 jobs and say how bad they are. Even though the bureaucracy of self-employment is more complicated than being employed somewhere. Also not everyone is made for self-employment. Influencer culture is definitely glorifying it.
Normal jobs makes some of us suicidal. And that’s not to say that we’re ‘special’ , that’s just the experience some of us have had, over a few years, of trying to do the right thing, and being bullied/harassed time and time again. (No, we didn’t ask for it). that’s not something we plan to experience again, so some of us will do whatever it takes to find another way to make an income.
@@CorrinaMusic @Corrina Although I get the sentiment (as someone who works predominantly in service which. Oof. Lordt.) I feel as though this is one of those things that people often don't get is the world will not care about your feelings when it comes to work, especially in an environment where capitalistic ideals are pushed to such an extent and a world that is getting more and more expensive to even survive in - especially if you have people who are dependent on you. If you have the privilege to not work or to find alternative work, then that is amazing... for you. And perhaps you've worked hard for that privilege or you were just lucky to be born in a position where you have it or it was much easier for you to get to that privilege (i.e, being White TM.) But it's just kind of weird when people are talking about the demonization of normal jobs ((which are way more achievable for people who don't have the privilege/ability to self employ and in general are typically more sustainable)) and say "normal jobs make some of us suicidal" and demonize normal jobs even more. I doubt you meant it like that, but I do think it's important to recognize that a lot of people who are in the normal jobs are just as suicidal or struggling but don't have the privilege to just... stop working and find an alternative.
They are normalized most people, employed has a “normal job” perhaps u shouldn’t internalized what others think about those jobs and do your own thing lol
This feels a little chronically online, no offense, but that is normal. if you go out and ask a random person what they do they most likely won't say "I'm a fluencer" they might even get side eyes for not "actually working" outside the internet major of the people work normal jobs, normal jobs are normal.
Did Emma just insult herself? She got famous for no reason, by accident and now is only as popular as she’s become because she started going to Galas and Hollywood events. Maybe she didn’t realize she was projecting her own insecurities, about how she views her celebrity status and her fear of not being able to maintain that status, onto other influencers. I can’t imagine someone being that tone deaf as to not realize that the person they’re criticizing is themselves.
I don't think it was an insult, I think it was more of a self-aware understanding at how she (and many others like her) started and how its shifted since her early days.
@@Rettfet7265 she just sounded so annoyed when talking about it, like she was judging rather than reflecting lol.
agreed
It sounded like hypocrisy (not in a rude way!!!!) but like is that the word? I don’t quite know what the word is but yeah!
LOL exactly what I thought when I saw those video essays about capitalism being the source of girls' insecurities and unrealistic beauty standards. The influencers preach about the very problems they're propagating
Influencer culture is peak late stage capitalism. Althusser would call influencers "ideological state apparatuses" (basically they enforce the capitalist status quo with methods ither than violence); they exist to sell us the lifestyle of the owning class, specifically a version of that lifestyle that is attainable to the working class. beauty and lifestyle influencers turn the body into just another commodity, all while perpetuating racist and sexist beauty standards. don't even get me started on the tik tok algorithm, and algorithms in general. nessa hit the nail on the head imo.
also I think analysis of influencer culture ties into Marxist theory very well, if you wanna look into it I reccomend "Ideology and Ideological State Apparatuses" by althusser, "Wage Labour and Capital" by marx, and "A Contribution to the Critique of Political Economy" by marx (specifically the section on base/superstructure and especially the part on commodity fetishization) as good relatively accessible texts to start with. the althusser can be a headache but it's worth it.
thank you!! commodity fetishization during late stage capitalism, i see that. and thanks for those reading suggestions!
Idk if others have felt this way but, I thought the point of an "influencer" was that you have no 'foundation/basis' for your fame. Maybe it's products or fashion or lifestyle, but nothing really in a specialized way. If you make video essays, any essays, fashion insight videos, activism (body neutrality or slow fashion) then i wouldn't call you an influencer per say. I would switch to content creator or a more specific label.
That's how I viewed it too. Like if I can minimize the video and just listen to it and still get information or a new take or interesting thought process I don't consider them an "influencer" l. Influencers to me provide nothing but an endorsement. If I took one of Kim Kardashians videos and just listened to it with no picture it wouldn't be much of anything. Just an add for a product I can't see.
This describes my thought process perfectly. I consume lots of online content, but the people I follow can be primarily categorized as youtube gamers & twitch streamers, fandom tiktokers, and video essayists & commentary channels, all with their own specific niche or twist ( ie. what they're bringing to the table). They all have influence, but I never really think of them as "influencers," because their end goal isn't to sell a product or lifestyle.
@@misslydiawashere holy shit yeah you nailed it! when jordan said that most youtubers would fall under the 'influencer' category if not for misogyny, i wasn't sure i agreed but i couldn't give a reason why. this comment nailed it--the people i watch aren't just trying to sell me things i don't really need. i'm p sure you and i follow the exact same people!! gamers, twitch streamers, fandom creators, commentary/essay channels, and booktubers/poets and writers. all of those categories, ridiculous as it sounds, DO have something specific they bring to the table. gamers are damn good entertainers. fan-creators are writers, artists, cosplayers, and theory-writers. video essay channels are educational and very well-constructed, booktubers review media, and writers tell stories. following those categories--or even following more 'traditional' makeup artists and fashion youtubers who DON'T base their career on selling products, but rather on education/creativity--feels very different to following the influencers that try to sell things. i can provide a concrete reason for following them--they're talented at x, they're entertaining, they teach me about current issues, etc. whereas for what i would consider an 'influencer' the only reason i ever follow them is like...... they look kinda cool
@@misslydiawashere @adomania "the only reason i ever follow them is like...... they look kinda cool" exactlyy!! Loved both of your inputs.
I found this video really interesting! And it reminds me of the death of the “Victorias Secret Angel” in pop culture. Influencers live off of being aspirational in some form or another but over time the disconnect between what they are promoting whether overtly or not has such a disconnect with changing viewpoints about society and our collective values that it no longer is seen as “aspirational” but “out of touch” instead.
I don't think I've ever bought something because of an influencer/content creator. Closest thing would probably be me downloading honey but only because it's free. I can't actually imagine enough people actually being influenced in their purchases to the point where it would warrant the insane amounts of money brands spend on sponsorships/ad deals.
influencer culture and internet celebrities aren't dead- social media personalities are just getting better at making us think they aren't influencers. the increase in creators who make fun of influencers and distance themselves from the term is a bit scary because it's getting harder to tell when they're trying to make money from their audiences. social media is also so oversaturated that the line between micro and macro influences is blurred and bigger creators don't stand out as much. I'd call this the post-influencer era more than anything.
I have to add this comment only because I’ve seen it addressed in other videos but one thing that Emma forgets to realize is that by being a Eurocentric looking white female she has power and privilege right away in regards to the way that people interact with her. Many BIPOC communities in the beginning were excluded from the online realm of influencing. I think about all those photography trips that the brands like Benefit and Urban Decay used to take these influencer’s on. Yes the influencing realm is more saturated with content creators… but this includes a variety of content creators from different world perspectives that exist in the content that they are creating and it is so much more vast than it used to be and if your for you page does not reflect that… that is more on you and the content or people you follow and the algorithm that you determined based on your use of the app.
tbh I don't think poeple of colour have any less of a chance of blowing up or being popular now adays. just my opinion
this.
There was this brand trip, iirc it was to Coachella, from Dote a few years ago where the segregated the bipoc influencers from the white influencers; the accommodations given to the poc creators were awful by comparison.
@@greyno7030 wasn’t emma on this trip or at least her two bffs
@@putrijd5173 I think so yeah
40 minutes in - just letting you know that i could listen to you talk about love island forever. one of my favorite reality tv shows despite how horrible it can be behind the scenes
only behind? xD
@@MrPiotrV listen, the on screen mess is what i live for LOL
Miss Jordan you're an influencer yourself, influencing me to be smarter, the ultimate influence
also the ninja warrior wish sent me, the coolest thing
I actually ended up reading Get Rich or Lie Trying and while I think the author makes several excellent points, there were sexist undertones that I personally couldn’t get past and nothing more than a cursory overview of deeper topics that I wish were more deeply covered.
I’d personally like to know more about Symeon Brown: he utilizes feminist arguments to drive home several of his points but then he makes comments about specific female demographics like how they “prefer not to read”.
The majority of the book seemingly masquerades as a deep dive into the anthropological affects of social media on modern culture but in doing so he barely scratches the surface of the wide array of topics that he addresses.
Also, the sexist undertones.
I can't tell you how many whole books I read with heavy sexist undertones/attitudes thruout...in this late year of 2020 and ugh. I can't read your book and finish it when you clearly hate women. We are the primary reader market yet authors still out here being sexist trash.
Wow, i really wanted to read that book but finding out the author is MALE? and writing about an industry and practices that are woman-dominated? No thanks, i am not interested in hearing a man's view on that, because 100% it will be sexist/mysogynistic. From the cover I assumed it was a really insightful book written by a woman.
I hope the long form video trend never dies because I am CHUGGING DOWN on these 50 minutes
Im only 16 but I feel so thrown out of the loop of today's influencers. I really only use youtube (mostly for movie analysis or video essays) and tumblr (for studyblr/acadamia posts). i deleted most of my social media a while ago and have been feeling less shoved with constant advertisement. I had tik tok from 2019- early 2021 (january or February of that year is when I decided to delete it) and the thing I liked most when I first downloaded the app was a lack of ads compared to other social media at that time. But it slowly turned into promotion after promotion and brand deals which started to turn me away from the app. That, mixed in with my rapidly decreasing mental health, pushed me into deleting the app. Fast forward to today, I feel like a more independent person, not being influenced to ma major degree on what to wear or how to act.
I commend you for that especially at 16 years old. You are wise beyond your years. I’m 29 and feel so out of touch with TikTok culture but in retrospect I believe that’s a good thing.
Fr Now, you can’t watch more than a few videos without being hit with an ad or two, sponsorship or brand deal. As someone who doesn’t watch tiktok that much anymore, every time i open the app i get less and less interested. I’ve never bought into any paid promotions or ads from influencers, so i see right through it.
I think influencers often forget that their viewers at the end of the day dont really care abt merch and shit. Like most people download tiktok to fill the boring space in their day, not to care too much about the people they are following and liking. Idk if I worded thsi correctly but hope this came actoss right.
I honestly thought influencers were about to be the 'new celebrities'...
celebrity culture is dying though 😭 that's why all of these tik tokers are being invited to all these events
@@user-hp5cf5kf8k thank God for it, celebrities means "to be celebrated" a bunch of narcissistic nonces should not be celebrated
Amazing video Jordan! I'm not sure how aware you are that you structure your videos like a University-standard essay, but it's incredibly thought-provoking and clear to follow, whilst providing so much insight into discourse via books, articles, studies, as well as primary evidence to back up everything you say. I really feel like I'm echoing the feedback given at my university, but I just want to say that whilst I watch your videos recreationally, I always take away a really nuanced side to a discussion which I may not have given much thought beforehand. Thank you for all of your amazing videos, and I'm loving the fact that they're getting longer and longer each time!
I noticed this about her essays too, they are soo informative and don't feel overwhelming
You starting the video with bashing your hair meanwhile all I was thinking was 'love her look in this video' and now I'm trying to see what is wrong
“You look like you’re in year 11.” Omg flashbacks to the three long strands underneath a bob phase lmao 💀
alfie deyes' "i am not a tory" is a memory i fully forgot about PLS
I was JUST talking about how I feel like influencer hype has been dying lately with a friend!! Great video!
You becoming a presenter on Ninja Warrior would END ME I WOULD DIE✨ (complimentary) that’s such a vibe- I can’t-
I feel like it's not just the death of the influencer but of celebrities in general. Like name on celebrity that has gotten big and mainstream since like 2020? It's actually genuinely concerning
Olivia Rodrigo got quite big I’d say
I think Jennifer Lawrence is the last actor who really blew up and got famous
@spacebuns I say it's concerning cause I'd rather not be stuck with the kardashians and reality TV stars as our celebrities forever
Great analysis!!! Also I think insta is dying… not only for the influencers but for the average person too
I agree, I disabled mine. It just got old and over played
this was an excellent analysis of influencer culture. side note: i think you have a beautiful smile! people are so used to porcelain veneers they forget what real healthy teeth look like.
Really well structured video, I love this kind of video essay
For me, the only makeup/fashion youtuber that I was subscribed to was Missdarcei. Then she started doing only short content video that I'm not really into (i usually like to watch long/ish commentary videos like yours or other creators while I eat specially or study idk) and actually a lot of people that followed her were not content with it either cuz we watch her videos because of her personality and how she expresses herself which is not really interesting in short content. When you added her in the part of "nobody came to my meet and greet" it really made sense why not a lot of people went if they followed her on tik tok (they're only casual viewers and don't really know her well UNLIKE the ones that have been subscribed to her channel even before she blew up)
As a Turkish person, "medical tourism" used to be a decent option for foreigners that wanted certain operations, most famously hair implants (IDK the correct term) for balding men. However, it has become much more open to exploitation due to increasing demand and the rapid decline of the value of the Turkish lira. Getting a BBL at a well established facility with a reputable doctor probably costs a lot here as well at this point, as prices have leaped up with the high demand from westerners. At this point very cheap seeming prices for BBLs etc. are a red flag here.
Another factor is the decrease in quality of medicine education, which used to be amazing, but a ton of people applying to scammy unis ad getting medicine licenses are a part of the problem too.
this is easily your best video ever!!! you are the older sister all of us need. thank you for this amazing video :))).
The pink kitchen utensils are to die for omg!!
I really think Emma's comment was more a observation considering she took a break from CZcams for that exact reason.
Omg i LOVE the index of topic sections at the beginning. Amazing, helps me organize/prep my brain to follow along better!
I loved the bit about the pros and cons of being an influencer! The thing about "being an influencer is easy", is that any job is hard. But as you said, some are just as hard or much harder and severely underpaid. Influencers saying "i worked hard to get where i am" always irks me because most people work really hard too yet don't get even a fraction of the recognition that influencers receive. Not saying its unfair, just that denying the privilege that comes with being an influencer shows how disconnected some ppl are
23:29 even as a child (I’m 28 now), before social media and influencing was a thing, I never understood why people wanted kids to aspire to be astronauts 😂😂😂. How many astronauts does the world really need? Where is the job market for astronauts? Lastly and most importantly, what really do we all want to go do in space when we haven’t even figured out life here on earth? Only a couple of the people I personally know with aerospace engineering degrees have actually been able to get jobs in related fields. The rest had to pivot to something completely different with higher demand.
My mom always pushed me to aspire for practical careers that actually had a market, especially for the African market and I’m glad I listened. With all this, I still want to be an influencer when I grow up so… 😂😂😂
This is not talked about enough for sure!! Also i grew up thinking an “astronaut” is someone who’s prob an veteran who’s physically healthy and knows how to operate machinery/aircrafts, not some smart genius studying STEM, or something. In this day and age where anyone can be in space if they are rich enough, I’d rather kids NOT be astronauts. Cuz honestly to kids, they just look cool. End of story lol. The panic reaction of adults after this survey was too funny.
Not to mention how dangerous space travel is!!
36:50 the clothes you send back to online stores dont go back on sale because theyre not "new" anymore. They're either thrown away or sent to outlet stores (:
I just love your videos so much. The music. The commentary. The research. The timestamps. The little details everywhere. One of the best channels out here.
For me at least, as an adult with a career and disposable income, CZcams personalities inspire more loyalty and, with older audiences, have a better chance at getting viewers to actually buy sponsored products. Things like audible, warby parker, curiosity stream and brightcellers are brands that ive engaged with because of youtube. The youtubers who introduced them to me are ceeators that inspire a more loyal following and requires audiences to engage with their content on a deeper level. Tiktok, on the other hand, with its billions of users, is for laughs. It has a younger and less dedicated viewership. How many followers of tiktok and Instagram influencers can even afford to buy the products they sponsor? What percentage of their followers are adults with an income? Do their followers even care enough?
I don't know if this is just me but I also find that tiktok sponsorships are for very random products, things I would never particularly gravitate towards buying in the first place. Whereas on CZcams it feels like the sponsorships are more realistic almost? Like a menstruation cup, audible, a VPN service, or even Hello Fresh are all things I would consider. An 'anti-bloating' green juice subscription is very much not
That part about people having 1 million followers on TikTok but 1k on youtube or instagram is so true 😭. I personally feel like it’s more beneficial to have more followers on instagram and youtube than TikTok especially if you’re trying to sell merch.
at 44:00 and let me say this. people in regular marketing also earn a lot of money. my grandpa's brother is very rich because he came up with one of my country's most recogniseable slogans back in the 70s
Girl what was the slogan, don’t leave us on a cliffhanger
@@ameliaparsons5616 facts I need to know
Can I please just say as a girl ur age that totally was brought up with watching CZcams / spending time online all of ur videos feel like I’m sat with a friend having a convo! thank you so much for all of your videos!!! x
The fact that an influencer is saying that it's dying and how people are getting famous for basically nothing is so funny to me like what does she think she is ? She got famous for drinking coffee and doing errands
I’ve never clicked on to a video so fast! I work with influencers and I don’t consider myself one, but I’ve definitely benefited from influencer culture in the sense that I’ve had a couple of gifted products and event invites. Much as I love the work I do I’ve been feeling the influencer/social media fatigue more than ever recently. I just feel like everything on social media - whether it’s a trend or a certain style of filming - has been seen a thousand times before!
I’m also put out with the direction Instagram is headed in. You basically have to fight to be seen on the platform - something which is fine for businesses and influencers who may have social media strategies, but not for the average person who just wants to share photos with their friends. Also the popularity of Reels means that influencers are now trying to repurpose photo content as video content and a lot of the time it just doesn’t work😖
A few things recently have caused me to change my attitude a bit. I post what I like on Insta, I don’t worry myself too much about setting up the ‘perfect’ photo, I don’t bother with perfectly curated hashtags. And I’m probably a little bit happier for it 😂
You did a really good job of explaining all of this. I appreciate this.
Lillie Langtry was the first celebrity influencer. Dating back to late 1800's. She was the face of the Pears Soap in 1882. She even let her face on different brands even though some of those brands were considered lethal.
Ooo this is so interesting!!
I think because TikTok content is so short form that following someone feels so inconsequential because you're likely to enjoy their videos, regardless of their personality. It is so easy to go viral on TikTok without saying a word (or sometimes even showing your face) because it's just a snippet of your life (specifically the lifestyle community). In CZcams's golden era, you needed to be likable. Physical attraction played a huge part in it (especially on platforms such as Instagram), but you needed to have a personality worth watching. You don't need to have that on TikTok so followers don't feel as connected to the creator, thus you're not interested in meeting them. Additionally, TikTokers aren't seen as 'celebrities' the way that CZcamsrs were in the mid-2010s, because there are so many of them and it's so easy to go viral
Equally you could say that famous actors only act for money, bankers only bank for money, MacDonalds workers only MacDonald for money...
I always love your videos and the topics you cover + your accent ♥️
As a fellow tuber I related to a whole bunch of stuff you said. I have a degree in psychology and worked as a private therapist for 4 years and that was the best paid job I had until now.
Also the comment about scared on some months for money is def true. From Jan - Jun I got paid less than min wage on YT but the other 6 months can be pretty insane.
i love when she went "youtube is a very old website it was created in 2005" cuz so was i lol
An hour long video? Now this is a treat. Enjoyed it, thank you for putting in the effort to produce this!
I think the influencer bubble is crumbling not because people are not interested but because they are not engaging with them. For example there is a difference between checking out Kylie's instagram and paying money for her products or waiting three hours in the rain to catch a glimpse of her walking out of a hotel. Sponsors on the other hand seem desperate sponsoring short term influencers than people who can genuinely be ambassadors for the brands.
Hearing CZcams be described as a "very old website" makes me feel like a dinosaur
i mean it is. time crazy
As someone who uses TikTok for mainly to learn about stuff (i a wide variety) i think its very useful for short bursts of content, if I tend to see a 1+ minute video, unless it is very interesting, i will skip. I think its more worth my time to watch a youtube video about a subject then someone shoving the same amount of content in 2 minutes. I think thats probably another reason why people don't follow subscribers on tiktok vs youtube.
I just love how thorough your videos are. Always an interesting watch! I just know there's so much work behind forming such a strong opinion/report about a subject!
what i'm honestly so fascinated with is how some older influencers manage to translate their fame into the latest social media app... e.g. loren gray who was insanely popular on musically then is now known as a tiktoker?? Insane. Not to mention brent rivera?!?! He's probably not that old but he's probably been here since bethany mota LMAO
Very strange to see Emma say this as a white girl with eurocentric features that have most definitely helped her get popular by literally….doing nothing. Many BIPOC content creators get passed up for ppl like Emma solely only the fact that they are BIPOC. It’s seriously giving a lack of self awareness
Absolutely. She wouldn't be where she is if she wasn't a conventionally attractive skinny white cis girl
I don’t think she was excluding herself necessarily. If she was, yea definitely lacking awareness. But I feel like she knows she’s included in that group, no?
agreed