That’s just how influencer marketing is designed to work.
Some have seen this coming.
Lee said that, to her, de-influencing was “about facilitating conversation.”
Between 2015 and 2017, a number of “anti-haul” videos started to crop up on YouTube.
She’s adamant, though, that de-influencing has to be coupled with an anti-consumption message.
“I’m not saying never buy anything again,” she said.
The de-influencing trend is sparking finger-pointing in all directions.
But others are blaming influencers' followers for not being smarter, more mindful consumers.
Fewer people are acknowledging the wider forces at play.
They’re designed to prioritize the individual over the collective and have consumerism and consumption at their very core.
Our spending and our value systems, however, are another matter entirely.
“You’ve got to wear it and give it a good life,” she said.
“You took it on.”
“A lot of people definitely don’t change for the right reasons,” she said.
“But I do think that sometimes movements like this can still be a gateway towards change.
It’s important to remember, she added, that trends are a product of people taking individual action.
“The consumer shapes the conversation,” she said.
Together, consumers can cause a cultural shift that completely changes the landscape.
