"Influencers"

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120945948#Comment_120945948

Ye and I hate the way they go on about 'content'. It's like a grab all anything to say/do rather than actually have something to say/do. It can seem so forced.

Glencarraig

"Influencers!................get a proper job FFS !!!!!!!!!!!!

RockOrBog

My 10 year old niece has 8 girls in her class, she reckons the other 7 want to be youtube influencers when they grow up.

There's Irish kids going around with American accents now from YouTube

Northernlily

It's about time influencers get their comeuppance. They are some of the most dangerous people out there in my opinion doing untold damage to the minds of youth.

However - I will say it's brands that are at fault. Some influencers have absolutely 0 morals but maybe 100s thousands of followers thus the brand will throw them a freebie to advertise without doing any semblance of due diligence.

You have to be a certain type of vulture in my opinion to be an influencer and spread the lies and misinformation some of them do. The lives a lot of them show are pure BS.

In my opinion the tide is turning on them and it's about time.

Northernlily

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120947459#Comment_120947459

I was having this conversation with my partner the other day. Her niece is the same and her internet use time is not controlled/monitored. Her niece wants to be an influencer but has very clear communication problems in social settings my o/h believes is from spending too much online. She will however show her something and speak like an influencer doing a demo same phrases etc. Her parents (my oh brother) chooses to ignore

Parents need to wise up to this nonsense fairly lively.

Strumms

how disingenuous some of them are. There is one who is famous going by one name on tiktok, I won’t use the real tiktok name here but it’s in the format ‘IrishTracy’ and she just appeared earlier on my FB under ‘people you might know’ as someone completely different like Sarah Kelly….. looks like we actually have a genuine friend / acquaintance in common on FB and that’s how it appeared. I had a sneak peak at her FB profile and it’s the normally dressed, normal family, boyfriend, socialising etc average say I dunno 32-38 year old…. On tiktok a mad yoke dressing in all the colours of the rainbow and wacky hair and personality….

so the whole influencer thing gets turned on at the flick of a switch….an act, basically. 💶💶💶

gmisk

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120947590#Comment_120947590

There is definitely a bit of a shift.

A good example would be those "influencers" SheIn had over to help to promote them, they all got absolutely ripped to shreds.

https://www.npr.org/2023/06/30/1184974003/shein-influencers-china-factory-trip-backlash

https://slate.com/business/2023/06/shein-influencer-fast-fashion-hauls.html

lisasimpson

The whole influencing world needs to be regulated. I think its australi where they are banned from advertising supplements and giving health advice.

I love the wat none of them seem to know how to use google like the rest of is or use family and friend recommendations. Hi guy can anyo e recommend xyz and sit back a wait for the freebies to roll in

Id also love to know how tax compliant they all are

Nigel Fairservice

A lot of them seem to describe their day jobs as make up artists, personal trainers or 'models'.

There are the practicalities of a nobody (to begin with) becoming one of these vacuous “influencers”. To become an “influencer” requires investment in both money and time. To set up your exponentially increasing exposure on Instagram and other platforms you need to spend a lot of money in the first place, before you catch-on and gather followers. This may be several €k, and you need to spend a lot of time and money on grooming yourself to get the “appearance” right. Then find your vacuous “content” and poses in suitable locations and demonstrate your ability to promote whatever it is you are talking about. Then with your “CV” you can approach entities who want their wares promoted, and then you can start earning.

Personally I’d rather be doing a real job 😁

Greyfox

Lots of hate here aimed at the influencer but instead it should be aimed at the eejits who follow bad influencers.

If people on Instagram are dumb enough to fall for this form of advertising then that's on them not the influencer.

Brid Hegarty

@Fr Tod Umptious I don't get the hate towards influencers. All they are are modern day marketing people.

You do realise that you just showed your own contempt for influencers, and possibly explained why it is people hate them.

Beefcake82

Influencers, also known as professional attention seekers. Only reason they exist is a lot of gullible people giving them attention. Remove that attention and they are nothing.

miamee

Laughing at the variety of descriptions and hate towards 'influencers' here. Describing all of them as 'vacuous' or 'greedy' or whatever else is like saying all boardsies are X. They are a mix of good and bad, entertaining and bland just like boardsies.

Suggesting they 'need to get a real job' only exposes the fact that some people understand very little about how difficult it is to get and maintain a following on Instagram or TikTok and just how much time it takes. You need to produce regular content, it needs to be new, relevant to your audiences interests and needs, sometimes it is paid, and sometimes it is not. Social media is so cut throat, if you do a deal with or recommend the 'wrong' thing, you are done.

I have zero interest in celebrity influencers and don't follow very many, if any. Anyone I follow that falls into the 'influencer' category are women my own age who might recommend clothes or make up or holidays, breaks that I might be interested in and that would suit me (a woman in her 40s). There is no harm in it, it's not in your face because you can choose to not follow or to unfollow at any time. I know how much work goes into it properly and I personally couldn't do it on top of my full-time job as a lot of them do (the ones I follow).

The likes of Andrew Tate trying to poison vulnerable young people can get in the bin obviously. I see them as something different even though they probably do fall into an 'influencer' category of some sort.

freshpopcorn

Well as a guy I've no interest in woman talking about make-up tips of dresses.

Also not much interest in guys talking going to the gym and counting calories.

I like comedy sketches and maybe one's talking about true crime if that counts.

Apart from sweets and a kitchen cleaner I haven't bought stuff recommended by people online from what I remember.

I do fin it funny when there all green and eco conscious one minute and they they've a big haul of clothes that they'll probably never wear more than once or twice.

Fr Tod Umptious

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120949713#Comment_120949713

I don't have contempt for marketing people.

Marketing people help people chose things they need/like/want all the time.

But then again @Brid Hegarty, you are the one who started a thread a while back claiming that you are immune to advertising, which is in fact BS, because no one, no matter how smart they think they are are no immune to advertising.

Sleepy

My attitude to them really depends on the kind of "influencer" we're talking about. The likes of Peter Sellers or Stumpy Nubs in the realm of woodworking, or Mike Greenfield from Pro Home Cooks who make a fortune creating Youtube videos that have an educational value or even the likes of Mr Beast, Jack Septic Eye or Mark Rober that just make entertaining content I have a certain respect for. I think they'd consider (and present themselves) more as "content creators" than influencers though... I'm sure there are plenty in the fashion/makeup space etc. who could be considered the same but as a forty something Dad they don't really pop up in my feeds so don't attract my notice.

The nauseating "influencers" are those that could most kindly be referred to as "lifestyle vloggers". There's nothing educational or entertaining in what they do, simply preening for - usually heavily edited - pictures or footage of them showing off their "aspirational" lifestyle (or at least a flimsy, vacuous portrayal of such). A less charitable description might be "professional show off" or in the case of those who go begging for free stuff in exchange for "exposure" on their socials "professional beggar".

While both categories can undoubtedly leverage their position through paid partnerships, advertising, selling other products under their brand (e.g. Beast Burgers / Feastables / over-priced rebranded make-up) etc. I'd argue that the former category have much more real-world influence on their viewers than those who refer to themselves as "influencers" and, actually having expertise in something, will usually have a much longer shelf-life.

We're already seeing the evolution of many of the early Travel or Beauty influencers into "Wedding Influencers" and "Parenting Influencers". Where do they go from there? As their looks fade and they become less photogenic, they'll fade into obscurity imo.

The worrying aspect of all of this is that when kids hear about the fortunes made on social media by the lucky few, they see it as a viable career. With over 100 million Youtube channels actively creating content, reaistically it's a pipe dream. Your average child in Ireland has a better chance of making a fortune as a professional footballer or actress than they do as an influencer or gaming streamer.

Brid Hegarty

@Fr Tod Umptious I don't have contempt for marketing people.

I thought the mere fact that you don't consider them to be influencers, and instead to be marketers, kinda showed contempt towards them. The question is, were the marketers of old disguising themselves as not being so? For e.g, someone who is inspired by Cristiano Ronaldo to better their fitness doesn't view him as a marketer. If Ronaldo were doing fitness videos on twitter and made brief references to creams that he uses for skin-care, then people might think he's just being genuine.... it mightn't click with them when watching it that he's just being paid. But if George Clooney is in a coffee advertisement then the viewer knows straight away what the deal is.

@Fr Tod Umptious But then again @Brid Hegarty, you are the one who started a thread a while back claiming that you are immune to advertising, which is in fact BS, because no one, no matter how smart they think they are are no immune to advertising.

That's an unusual use of the phrase "but then again" and a desperate attempt to relate this thread to mine in order to wind me up.

One eyed Jack

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120953805#Comment_120953805

The worrying aspect of all of this is that when kids hear about the fortunes made on social media by the lucky few, they see it as a viable career. With over 100 million Youtube channels actively creating content, reaistically it's a pipe dream. Your average child in Ireland has a better chance of making a fortune as a professional footballer or actress than they do as an influencer or gaming streamer.

You’re after reminding me of the time I appeared on an Irish children’s show in the 90’s and we had to do a piece to camera about what we wanted to be when we grew up. The other children were like “I want to be a famous footballer”, “I want to be a famous singer”, etc, and then there was me - “I want to be a maths teacher”. Andy Ruane was like “Can you not think of something more exciting than a maths teacher?” I stood with a blank stare for about a minute before he said “Ok NEXT!” 😂

The point is - they’re children! There’s really nothing to be concerned or worried about in them having dreams and aspirations at that age, some will make it happen, some won’t, I didn’t become a maths teacher but I still ended up working in fintech, not really a role I envisioned myself in as a child, I was more interested in entrepreneurship and engineering.

As for influencers and the idea that it isn’t a real job? It’s a real job, which most people just either aren’t interested in, and of those people who are interested in it, most aren’t very good at it, because essentially it’s about marketing yourself and your brand, before sponsors ever begin to show any interest in associating you with their products. Only a small handful of influencers are making any real money in the industry and that’s no different than any other industry or sport or business. I follow a few of the more well-known tech reviewers who as well as doing paid advertising and marketing videos, also do tons more unpaid videos to promote their brand and keep their channels active and create a community around their brand.

It’s tough but rewarding work and very few people are interested in doing that kind of work, and even less are actually dedicated enough to keep doing it day in and day out. I’ve seen plenty of influencers and content creators suffer burnout and suffer ill mental health from the amount of work it takes to be successful in that industry, so I wouldn’t put them all in the same boat at all to be derided and regarded as someone not to be aspired to. It’s not as sad as Bill Gates, Michael Dell or Richard Branson being your childhood heroes 😬

lisasimpson

What makes me dislike influnencers is 1. Dishonesty- the photoshopping the shite out of themselves.

2. My big annoyance is the ones using their kids. Yes kids are used in traditional advertising but you dont know their DOB, pets names, where they go to school etc. Its open season on the poor mites and they are too young to understand.

foxsake

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120959111#Comment_120959111

i agree with your points and i would like to add the media fawning of them as if they are something special when in reality they are mostly a bloody clothes horse.

Calahonda52

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120945209#Comment_120945209

“I can’t pay my staff or mortgage with instagram likes”.

epic!

Sgt Hartman

The ones I really can't get my head around are the video game "streamers" on Twitch. Even worse are those who follow them.

These "streamers" make money by playing video games for hours on end while other people watch and comment on their gaming sessions. The most embarrassing thing about them is that many of them throw tantrums and smash their controllers when the game doesn't go their way. The worse case I've seen so far is a fit looking Icelandic guy who has a travel page on Instagram and who also plays FIFA on Twitch. He smashes his controller off the wall and jumps onto his couch snarling like a rabid rottweiler after conceding a goal in the last second of his FIFA game. All this is being watched live by his thousands of followers. It's utterly pathetic and embarrassing.

Sleepy

@One eyed Jack Again, I think a lot of this depends on the type of influencer / content creator we're talking about and how a career as one is approached...

A teenager who sees a profession as a gaming streamer or social media influencer as a perfectly attainable career path rather than a fortuitous happenstance like a lottery win is likely to neglect their other interests, schoolwork and/or real world socialising. We need to make sure that kids realise the odds of being able to support oneself in this manner are extremely low, likely short-lived for those that do manage it and seen as the pipe dreams they are. Fine to chase as a hobby, foolish to dedicate one's entire life to without a solid backup plan (e.g. a trade, a degree etc.)

Being a professional show off is a terrible thing for a child to aspire to IMO. Publicly representing one's life as something others should aspire to is practically begging for someone to try and disabuse you of such notions... Just look at the public schadenfreude when lifestyle influencers get their comeuppance. Look at the glee at the failure of Fyre Festival, the reaction when the White Moose Café told Elle Darby to **** off when she sent an email begging for free accommodation (I actually had to google her name which says a lot), the recent reaction to the ex-Coronation Street actress looking for free catering etc.. Seeking fame and attention as it's own end rarely ends well and it's not surprising. If you're trying to convince the world that your life is perfect, the reality that it never can be is going to destroy your mental health.

I see nothing wrong with a kid (or anyone for that matter) looking to upload social media content based on their activities and interests but I do think it's important they're taught that it's a hobby or "side hustle" if it starts to generate any revenue rather than a viable career. If they end up making so much money they can retire at 25, that's wonderful for them but it's as unlikely as winning the lottery so they should be working towards a viable career in something more realistic at the same time.

lisasimpson

Doesnt carlow IT or whatever its now called run a course to become an influencer

Boomers don’t understand modern music, changing social norms, or the idea that an influencer is a valid and often lucrative career choice.

Hangdogroad

"Tiktok prankster Mizzy"

https://www.rte.ie/news/uk/2023/0810/1399033-london-disorder/

Hangdogroad

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120960301#Comment_120960301

OK Boomer named after an early 70s movie.

Sleepy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120960301#Comment_120960301

I can't imagine there are many Boomers that understand much about social media tbf. Though as someone who's either Gen X or a Millennial depending on the bracketing of years chosen, I'd still think "influencer" as a career choice is akin to basket weaver, art historian, potter, wood turner, artist, photographer, racing driver, poet, TV presenter or musician.

While an elite few will make a fortune and there'll be a small number who'll grind out a basic living at it, most attempting the career path will fail and end up flogging a dead horse while on welfare, living off their partner or working in something else (likely at a level below their potential since they'll have wasted their educational opportunities and / or the formative years where most are engaged in graduate roles chasing that dream).

It's all well and good if you're from a wealthy family or have a high earning partner who can indulge your passion but potentially quite detrimental to those without such safety nets to rely on.

Floppybits

Influencers = Chancers.