Have you seen the deinfluencing trend on Tiktok? Because I’m seeing it everywhere. I think it’s a really fascinating conversation. and it makes me wonder if deinfluencing is just another trend or a better way of life.
What is deinfluencing?
First, what is deinfluencing? Instead of sharing the 17 lipsticks that you’re totally obsessed with, deinfluencing asks, “Hey, don’t you already have like five lipsticks? And you haven’t even worn two of them ever? Why do you need another lipstick girl, just stop, save your money.”
I think this is happening because everyone is generally sick of ads and influence. Our culture is a form of advertising ads are everywhere, their ads at the gas station at the grocery store on the radio on our social media platforms. And I’m talking about direct advertising, but also this kind of like guerrilla advertising and marketing that influencers do, where you feel like you have a personal relationship with someone and they are also selling you things in that relationship. Our daily lives have become completely consumed by ads.
There is even this nightmare scenario, where brands are beginning to talk about projecting ads into the night sky so that instead of seeing stars, you’re gonna see coke bottles and drum kits. That is truly dystopian.
The average American sees about 5000 ads per day and I think people are burning out on all of it. Combined this advertising burnout with the general negative vibe that more and more people seem to have about the current state of affairs in our world. And you get a recipe for why deinfluencing is really beginning to take off.
Capitalism Burnout
More and more people are really disillusioned with how life is going in rich countries, particularly the United States. But instead of choosing apathy, people are choosing action. And people are putting on their critical thinking hats and saying, “Hey, what is buying this 15th blush actually going to do for me? Is that actually going to make me happier? Is that actually going to make a difference in my life? Oh, it’s not? Well, then I think I’m good.”
And that’s really amazing and powerful. In a country where 70% of the economy is driven by consumer spending, if consumers stop showing up as a large group on mass, we will see drastic change in our world really quickly.
We do need some commerce for our systems to work
Everything in our world comes down to money, which is part of the reason I am so interested in talking about it. But I’m also realistic in that I don’t think it’s going to push every single person who sees one of these videos to completely stopped shopping. And that’s not what our world needs. And that’s not what I want. We do need some commerce for our systems to continue to work.
However, the conversation about how badly life in rich nations like the United States In the United Kingdom is going is not going away anytime soon. And for the first time in recent history, generations in the US and the UK are not getting more conservative as we age.
This is a direct result of young people looking at the vast lifestyle, financial and social protection differences between themselves and their parents. When something like buying a home of your own feels ludicrously unattainable to the vast majority of people in an entire generation. People start to think that the status quo could use some shaken up.
I think deinfluencing is really cool. I think it is just a harbinger of more things to come in our conversations around what’s working in our world and what’s not.
For more info, check out our most recent video: Deinfluencing Era: How shopping more intentionally can save us all
I want to know if you agree with me or not. Are you seeing this? Do you think I’m right? Do you think I’m wrong? Let me know in the comments.