TikTok is one of the largest social media platforms on the planet, with 1.04 billion monthly users in 2024. This makes it the perfect place for advertisers, sponsorships, and marketing, with retailers and ecommerce stores being able to reach enormous audiences. However, as time has gone on, users have become more and more disillusioned with marketing tactics – giving birth to the rise of ‘deinfluencing’.
At Squarebird, we create dynamic digital marketing strategies to help businesses achieve their full potential on social media. In this article, we’ll talk about what deinfluencing is, where it came from, and what it could mean for you.
What is deinfluencing?
Deinfluencing is a social media trend, primarily on TikTok, that encourages users not to buy into products or experiences that are being overhyped by marketing campaigns and influencer sponsorships. This can involve genuine reviews of products, analysis of what people actually need compared to what mass marketing tells them they need, and warnings towards deceptive brands known for low-quality or ineffective products.
More recent deinfluencing focuses on giving genuine reviews for overhyped products that are being excessively marketed. However, its true origins lie elsewhere.
How did deinfluencing start?
Originating on TikTok, deinfluencing was initially (and to an extent, still is) a push for sustainability. With influencers selling all kinds of products and experiences, to the point of selling their own integrity, TikTok was becoming a place for mass-market brands to rapidly churn out their ecommerce products.
To reach the most people, these brands would engage with influencers to create sponsored content advertising their products. Due to contractual obligations, and the need to keep the revenue coming, these influencers would end up losing their integrity over time – and people noticed.
Getting sick of the repetitive mass marketing of noticeably low-quality products that no one really needs, the deinfluencing trend began to gain serious traction in 2023, with fashion giant Vogue even giving their own take on the subject.
How has deinfluencing changed?
Despite the origins rooted in genuine content, sustainability, and retaliation against the diluted social media content that results from influencer marketing, the reality of deinfluencing has notably changed, separating into three main types:
- Controversialists
Instead of seeking to give a genuine opinion, these deinfluencers will focus on the views that come from negativity. Often employing clickbait to draw in views, controversialists will lambast products in the hopes of engagement from both people that agree with their message and those that swear by the products.Being a controversialist does come with risks, however. Firstly, it can make it more difficult to receive sponsorship deals, especially from companies the creator has spoken negatively of before. It is also often obvious that someone is speaking negatively for the sake of it, resulting in a loss of credibility.
- Genuine Reviewers
Where a controversialist seeks only to stir up their audience in the hopes of increased engagement, a genuine reviewer provides a more open and honest take. They will give a brutally honest review of a product, often highlighting its flaws, but giving a genuine look into how well it works and whether people should buy it.As well as products, genuine reviewers work to deinfluence lifestyles as well. They can help people feel better about themselves for not having a perfect home, the latest fashion, or the fanciest holidays – offering a helpful dose of gentle reality in an online environment where it feels like everyone ‘has it all’.
For businesses, genuine reviewers represent an opportunity more than a threat. If your products are high quality, then a review from someone known to be truthful can give you a great deal of credibility. It can also highlight flaws with your products, giving you the opportunity to show yourself as a proactive company by responding to and addressing these issues.
Any sponsorship deals with these reviewers should be approached carefully, as you will not want to hinder the impact of their genuine nature by adding restrictive clauses that stop them from being honest.
Learn more ways you can leverage genuine, user-generated content >
- Sustainability Advocates
Somewhere in the midst of all the product reviews and brand decrying, the original message of sustainability was diluted and almost lost. However, there are still deinfluencers out there who try to spread the idea that it’s ok not to buy the latest trends, to purchase products people don’t need, and to engage in unsustainable fast fashion.Often, sustainability advocates will branch into one of the other categories as well, but the core of the message still remains.
Overall, the interesting conclusion is that many deinfluencers have become influencers in their own right, often having cult followings that listen to their words, follow their product recommendations, and avoid products they warn against – in some cases, without even experiencing it for themselves.
To an extent, deinfluencers are preaching to the choir. The people viewing the deinfluencing TikToks are more likely to be people adverse to mass-market products in the first place, meaning the content and message might not be changing anyone’s mind. They can also be people looking for others like themselves who have grown sick of over-advertising and disingenuous brands.
However, with changing algorithms recommending new, related content all the time, there is still a chance that anyone could see and be influenced by deinfluencing content – so what’s the chance it will impact your business?
Can deinfluencing be a good thing?
For the planet
One trend that brought about deinfluencing was the prevalence of ‘sustainable ecommerce products’, that were effectively mass marketing schemes designed to latch on to the popularity of sustainability. “While new, reusable things might seem like a good idea, there’s likely something you already own that does the same job” – an idea which brought rise advocation against buying these products.
Deinfluencing also combats fast fashion, where thousands of products and styled can be turned around within a day. More recently, some of these brands have been addressed by governments around the world, with additional restrictions being placed on shipping laws.
For your brand
When handled in the right way, deinfluencing can be a positive thing for your brand. It boosts buyer trust and the integrity of your brand, as well as giving you a chance to reveal the honest truth about your products. People like it when brands can admit to their flaws, so responding well to any criticism given in these sorts of reviews can lead to even greater opinions – and the resultant sales.
There aren’t many examples of brand deinfluencing themselves and distancing from traditional sponsored influencer marketing, but it can be a good idea – both to align your ecommerce activities with the trends, and also to build trust and respect with your audiences.
Is deinfluencing a threat for your brand?
The threat that deinfluencing poses really depends on the size of your business. For example, if a small business is targeted by deinfluencing, it could pose a risk to your sales and continued operation. However, it’s usually not the smaller businesses that have these kinds of troubles as they don’t tend to have the large, overhyping audiences in the first place (and they also tend to have more of a focus towards product quality).
The main brands under threat from deinfluencing are massive global brands that people on social media have grown sick of seeing. The hope of consumers is that mass-market ecommerce brands will have to stop or change their business models – growing past fast fashion and rampant consumerism to focus more on quality products and genuine marketing.
Evolve your social media marketing strategy with Squarebird
If enough people can jump on the deinfluencing train, it will have enough of an impact to make a change. This is good for the planet, good for consumers, and can be good for brands as well – with higher quality products generating better reviews, and knocking low-quality competitors out of the market.
It’s not all on brands, however. Consumers need to be more mindful, think about what they’re buying and why, and their own personal sustainability.
To capitalise on the advantages deinfluencing offers, you need a robust social media marketing strategy. This will set your business up for better reach online, leading to more conversions and a more positive public perception. At Squarebird, that’s exactly what we do – among a whole host of other digital services. Get in touch today to help your social media marketing take flight!
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