We are back again! Let's get straight into it! Do you ever wonder how ordinary people turn into social media 'influencers' over night? From seeing their posts receive thousands of likes, to their many discount codes and media coverage of their relationships... its all a bit too much for me. A good amount of these individuals strive to do this as a living, desperate to appear on 'reality' tv shows such as Love Island and Too Hot To Handle, they want the quick fame and benefits along with this. Do you wish you could appear on these shows or are you not self obsessed? Though! I would not judge if you watch these types of shows. I personally do not as I am more of a granny viewer when it comes to shows though I understand the interest towards the drama between the castmates (not to burst your bubble, most of this is fake).
When these 'stars' come out of the reality tv world and into real life, a huge percentage of their lives are different. As the limelight is around them, they are offered huge sponsor-ships with companies whom love collaborations with 'celebrities' in order to increase traffic and sales on their website. The individual shares snaps of them using or eating the advertised product along with a caption of the benefits of using this every day. With the idea of their followers becoming lured in to the product as it is presented soooo beneficial to them, it is literally influencing them to click the provided link and purchase this. According to a Nielsen survey, "92% of customers trust an influencer more than an advertisement or traditional celebrity endorsement" (BigWave Marketing, 2021). The most popular app for Influencer Marketing is Instagram (2021).
Popular female social media influencers in the UK, such as Molly-Mae and Chloe Ferry have achieved major success from social media attention, alongside with several controversies, from breaking Covid guidelines, advertising extremely unhealthy products and major factuning... they've had it all. If you are unfamiliar with these two, they can credit their popularity from reality tv shows popular in the UK, though with the growing internet attention, the bank balance is rising fast while basically doing NOTHING (seriously considering this as a job...). Social Media Influencers, like these girls, have impacted negatively on society, especially during the ongoing pandemic. While everyone with a normal job was only allowed to travel a certain distance in their own towns and areas, a lot of influencers were travelling to Dubai, breaking quarantine rules and belatedly being disrespectful to the people who struggled during the numerous lockdowns, mentally and physically. Does this mean that anything's possible when you have money and fame? Or if you were paid to do a sponsorship for a clothing brand, does Covid not exist when you are posing for promotional reasons? I think not...
With Fast Fashion and Fast Beauty on the rise, brands such as Prettylittlething and BPerfect Cosmetics' are increasing in popularity and recognition. These brands create collaborations with social media influencers, allowing them to gain exposure for their businesses. The main objective of this venture is to "offer unique and innovative products to customers" (LinkedIn, 2021). Although they may offer lovely products that are attractive to consumers, this is just another way social media influencers impact society, in a extremely harmful way. Why may you ask, oh I will tell. By the way before I start, I am Orlaith from Belfast, not Greta Thunberg, though I am aware of the destructive environmental impact that trending products have on the planet. From the lack of recyclable packaging, non-sustainable clothing, hazardous chemicals and increasing amounts of water pollution (Merlin Vrachovska, 2021). So after me telling you these impacts, do you feel it is right that influencers advertise these companies? I personally am the biggest hypocrite alive writing this as I am obsessed with both of these companies and work in retail involved in fast fashion, though at least I shop and work with a guilty conscious. Now I am sharing these details, I hope you feel guilty too...sorry not sorry!
If you are a social media influencer or are close to one, if you or they want to give me any discount codes or free items I would happily receive... with guilt of course! But not that much....
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