My Latest Guilty Pleasure – Influencers Gone Wild

Effectively, y’all, I’m right down to my final three initiatives for the bed room, after which will probably be FINISHED! I nonetheless have to cowl the attic entry, paint the facet desk (which I’ve already achieved, however I don’t like the colour), and paint the outlet covers. Then I’ll most likely take tomorrow to ensure all the things is completed, perhaps do some paint touchups if wanted, and get my last footage that I’ll share with you on Monday. I can’t imagine that I’m lastly this near the end line on this large bed room suite mission that I’ve been engaged on for over a yr!

So within the meantime, I wished to share what I’ve been listening to recently to maintain myself entertained whereas I work. I’m at all times listening to one thing whereas I work, whether or not it’s a podcast or a YouTube video. I by no means take heed to music. I like tales and knowledge.

Anyway, over my break on the finish of final yr, I caught up on some episodes from a YouTube channel I comply with. The woman’s name is Hannah Alonzo, and I’ve adopted her for some time now. Her channel began out along with her making movies about her anti-MLM (multi-level advertising) stance, and the way these MLM corporations are all about cash, however not often about high quality merchandise or caring for the individuals who truly pour their lives into promoting these merchandise. I’ve by no means been into MLMs myself, however I discovered the content material attention-grabbing as a result of I see so many influencers signing up and utilizing their social media accounts to promote these merchandise. It was attention-grabbing to get a peek into the businesses and the way they really function from her perspective and the views of the individuals who write to her and share their experiences.

However then, along with the anti-MLM content material, Hannah began doing a sequence on Influencer Madness. That content material actually me as a result of it’s one thing that I’ve gotten actually pissed off with myself, and I’ve even written about it right here on my weblog a minimum of as soon as prior to now. In actual fact, simply on the finish of final yr, I wrote a put up about how the world of “influencers” has precipitated me to not imagine anybody who’s attempting to promote me stuff as a result of evidently it’s all about how a lot product they’ll promote and the way a lot cash they’ll make, and so lots of them will hawk merchandise which might be poor high quality if it may well make them a buck.

What I hadn’t realized (as a result of I form of reside in my very own little bubble and don’t spend a lot time on TikTok or Instagram) is simply how insane so many of those “influencers” have grow to be. The craziest stuff appears to be on TikTok, and that’s not likely my world. However I’m telling you that I wouldn’t belief a single individual attempting to promote me stuff on TikTok after I’ve gone down this rabbit gap.

Anyway, after watching a number of of Hannah’s Influencer Madness movies, YouTube began suggesting different channels and movies on the identical matter since that’s how the algorithm works. And that’s when I came across Kiki Chanel. Her channel covers the identical matters — anti-MLM and the insane world of social media influencers. I critically can’t get sufficient of those movies, and I take heed to/watch them in full disbelief of what this world of “influencing” has grow to be.

The underside line is that it has led to an insane quantity of overconsumption only for the aim of content material creation. If you would like a glimpse into this world, Hannah’s Influencer Madness Episode 14, titled “TikTok’s Magnificence Overconsumption Disaster Is Out Of Management” is an efficient place to start out. I imply, simply check out this individual’s skincare assortment…

It’s simply drawers and drawers and drawers crammed with skincare merchandise. How can one individual use all of that? You need to use one product for a minimum of a couple of weeks to see if it truly works for you, so there’s no manner an individual might use all of that and provides an sincere assessment of the product. And but, she’s a skincare product content material creator attempting to advertise these merchandise to different folks in order that she will be able to earn a living off of the gross sales. That is actually insane. And simply the sheer amount of cash being spent on these merchandise that each one have expiration dates is loopy to me! A lot of that may essentially find yourself within the trash as a result of they’ll expire lengthy earlier than she will be able to use them.

Right here’s one other screenshot of an individual with a “skincare room” crammed with merchandise. I imply, simply take a look at all of those merchandise! How on the earth might you’re taking a advice critically from an individual who clearly doesn’t use any of those merchandise lengthy sufficient to know in the event that they’re efficient? And who on the earth wants a ROOM devoted to skincare merchandise? That is simply consumption for the sake of content material creation and promoting merchandise.

And right here’s yet one more screenshot from that video of an individual who unboxed over 40 model new razors and put them on her bathe wall. Why on the earth does anybody want a “razor assortment”? Who’s shopping for 40 razors in a single buy? Content material creators, in fact! And who’s benefiting from this content material?

Kiki did a video on the topic as well, and right here’s a screenshot from a girl who has a whole closet, plus a part of her front room, devoted to storing her bathe merchandise. And once more, that is all for content material creation and promoting merchandise. She’s going to by no means be capable of use all of those merchandise!

It’s all simply overconsumption for the sake of content material creation and promoting merchandise. It has actually reached the purpose of madness. And the issue is that many of those content material creators have hundreds of thousands of followers, so that they’re being fed these overconsumption movies as their common social media weight loss plan, and watching overconsumption breeds a need for overconsumption.

And simply to indicate you that it’s essential be suspicious of actually ALL influencers, let me inform you actually rapidly about one loopy story. I don’t keep in mind the identify of this explicit influencer, however she as a result of very talked-about within the well being and wellness on-line area as a result of she shared her personal weight reduction journey after having youngsters. She wished to lose the child weight, so she actually bought severe about weight loss plan and train and shared her consuming and train plan along with her followers. And since she appeared so real and was having nice success, she had an enormous on-line following.

Then she began promoting her weight loss plan and train plan in order that others might comply with her plan and presumably have the identical profitable outcomes that she had. And she or he made a large amount of cash promoting these plans. I believe there was the choice of a one-time buy of a plan, or you might be part of a month-to-month teaching sort of program. Anyway, she was making a ton of cash off promoting her plan.

Effectively, come to search out out, she was not solely utilizing her weight loss plan and train plan, however she was additionally utilizing a GLP-1, like Ozempic. And she or he by no means felt the necessity to share that essential info along with her followers till she had been on a GLP-1 for A YEAR. So whereas she was promoting her weight loss plan and train program to individuals who desperately wished and hoped to have the identical success that she had had with this program, she felt prefer it was completely wonderful to make all of this cash off of individuals whereas failing to say that she had a secret software in her personal life to assist her lose the burden.

And the loopy factor is that when she lastly made a video sharing that she had been on a GLP-1 for a yr, she nonetheless didn’t appear to grasp that what she had achieved was fully shady and dishonest. She truly didn’t perceive why folks have been so indignant. I imply, it’s like a few of these folks don’t have a conscience in any respect. They’ll do no matter they should do to promote you merchandise in order that they’ll earn a living off of you, and to heck with honesty and ethics. It simply blows my thoughts. Kiki did a video about this lady, and you can see that here.

In order that has been my responsible pleasure recently. 😀 I simply can’t get sufficient of seeing how insane the entire world of “influencing” has grow to be. I actually hope that Hannah’s and Kiki’s channels and movies will likely be an enormous a part of bringing this entire “influencer” tradition to an finish. However within the meantime, I’m going to indulge on this responsible pleasure of mine and watch each video they put out on the subject as a result of it’s all very entertaining, even when it’s so maddening.

And I’ve yet one more advice. As I used to be taking place this entire rabbit gap of social media influencer madness, the YouTube algorithm additionally introduced me one other video about this lady named Elizabeth Teckenbrock who gained an enormous following on TikTok and uncovered her abusive ex-husband. Initially, everybody who heard her story rallied round her and supported her. After which the reality was uncovered. She was (and nonetheless is) a con artist who had lied greater than as soon as about having most cancers, had arrange a fraudulent charity, had deceived and manipulated folks repeatedly, and had scammed one man specifically out of 1,000,000 {dollars} along with her claims of getting most cancers and different well being points.

There’s a podcast about her referred to as eLIESabeth, and I binged the entire thing in two days. Whereas I used to be constructing and upholstering the bottom of our mattress, that is what I used to be listening to. You can find the podcast here.

So watch out on the market, y’all. 😀 Don’t fall into the lure of those influencers and scammers.