A Guide to Internet Personalities and the Threat to Individuality
I’m very conflicted on the term and purpose of “influencers”. I am a marketer and understand the power of influencer marketing, ambassadors and partnerships. I know that it is a booming market that isn’t going anywhere. In 2023, this market was reportedly worth $21.1 billion. I also appreciate that there are many different categories of online personalities and have delved into some below.
The purpose of this blog is to highlight how nuanced social media personalities are. We have the obvious tropes in celebrities but what happens when everyone can be a lifestyle influencer and what is the risk this proposes to society? Later in this article I discuss the how individuality is under threat with the rise of trend culture, ins and outs and those god forsaken routines.
Celebrity influencers
The most obvious type of “influencer” are celebrities with huge online followings that come from audiences of TV, film, music. sports and the wider entertainment world. If we look at mega-stars like Taylor Swift, Beyoncé and The Beatles, they have dedicated “fandoms” known respectively as “Swifties”, “Beyhive” and “Beatlemaniacs”.
Of course, it is difficult not to mention the Kardashian-Jenner clan in this category, Kim Kardashian is widely considered the first mega-influencer who leveraged social media to create and curate her personal brand. Kim’s brand boasts impressive USPs including fashion, skincare, makeup, shapewear, entrepreneurship, “the gym” and internet breaking moments.
2. Content creators
Next up we have the creator economy, an epic category with immense opportunities for those involved and for those who do it well. Key names in this category are the likes of Mr Beast (James Stephen Donaldson) and The Sidemen. Their work originated on YouTube with challenges, streaming games and giveaways. These guys have created media and business empires and used their online presence to fuel successful brands and impressive philanthropic efforts.
In terms of businesses, KSI from The Sidemen partnered with other YouTuber Logan Paul for the energy drink “Prime” that literally took over youth culture in 2023. Further, Mr Beast is reportedly finalising a $100 million dollar contract with Amazon Prime Video to produce huge at-scale competitions similar to his online account. Mr Beast also developed the charity Beast Philanthropy to “Feed those who are hungry. House those who are homeless. Combat the suffering of those in need.”
3. Lifestyle influencers
I appreciate that there is many more different categories of influencer and content creator however I have a lot of opinions about my final type and that is of course our lifestyle influencers. I’m going to say it, this type of content is the most drivel inducing thing inundating social media feeds. A typical content piece for these individuals is the GRWM videos, this stands for “Get ready with me” and if you’re still unsure I have linked a compilation video below to give you a chance to view this.
Fail to prepare, prepare to fail
One of the keywords of this category is “Routine”, Jesus they love routines. Whether it’s their morning, skincare, afternoon, before bed, gym, dinner, funeral, wedding, doomsday - you can guarantee there is a routine for it. What strikes me though is how people consume, absorb and relish in this nonsense. Why do we want to watch a stranger organise their wardrobe, car, bedroom or pantries?
I noticed recently someone commented on a macro influencers post, “where did you get your earrings from xx” and the “author” replied, “Pretty Little Thing xx”. So do you mean to tell me that as a society we cannot make a simple choice of earring without asking the physical representation of a marketing strategy? Surely these viewers can make a purchase from a fast fashion store to buy a crappy pair of gold hoop earrings without a consultation.
Individuality en masse
The domination of lifestyle influencers is perfectly paired with trend culture. In 2023, we saw some wild trends including a major throwback to Y2K fashion in the form of low rise jeans, cargos, Uggs and long denim skirts. Thankfully I did not succumb to these trends, if my jeans are not neatly tucked under my chin it’s a view that the world does not want to see.
At the beginning of January, we saw multiple “ins and outs” pieces of content on social, for example clean-girl aesthetic is out, mob boss wife is in. Side note, I honestly still can’t believe I am typing some of these words but this is where we are. These dominant social trends permeated all fast fashion retailers and clothing brands. I recently was in Primark and there was an entire floor dedicated to clean-girl aesthetics i.e. basic hoodies, leggings, caps, leather jackets and long socks.
People flocked to avail of this trending style spearheaded by the likes of Hailey Bieber but as all trends do, this is fading and a new style is in. Say goodbye to your beige hoody ladies and say hello to my little friend, the leopard print. Yes, in 2024, young women are going to be wearing leopard print, bold colours, dramatic makeup and carrying the mob-boss wife confidence around with them.
Whilst we may think we’re being an individual, in reality social influencers have created “individuality en masse”. Everyone buys from the same place, wears the same makeup and uses the same skincare routine. It’s a very tricky culture to navigate as a young woman and I can only imagine what it is like for children and teens.
Am I a hypocrite?
You may be reading this blog thinking what a hypocrite I am. I use social media to share my blogs on entertainment reviews, opinion pieces and lifestyle articles. I fully understand the importance of social media in building a brand and presence. I want as many people as possible to see my articles and the only to do that is by curating an online presence.
However I don’t want The O Word to morph into a GRWM-routine filled profile for views because that genuinely is not who I am and it doesn’t reflect the values of my website. Social media can be used in a powerful and positive way I just really struggle in understanding how we have collectively become so used to seeing this repetitive content and are influenced by strangers’ recommendations and personal lives.