If you’re on social media, chances are the personalities you follow are flogging something. You’re drawn in by being able to eavesdrop on their lives through their photos, stories and reels, but what you’re trading in return is your eyeballs, your attention and ultimately your cash.
Many influencers will profess to love their “community”, and well they might. Every follower is another shopper that brands will pay to reach.
And what seems like harmless entertainment can be a problem for your bank balance. Constantly watching lifestyles or ones beyond your reach can push you to spend more, and on products of dubious merit.
Beware claims
If you’re one of Ireland’s 2.4 million Instagram users or 2.37 million TikTok users according to Datareportal figures, you’ll know the drill. You’ll be familiar with influencers’ “morning routine” featuring the face creams, supplements and yoga mats they “can’t live without”.
You’ll know the celebrity using the branded coffee machine they’re “obsessed with”. There’s the sports star sharing date-night pics to showcase his new watch.
Who hasn’t seen the ubiquitous “get ready with me”, or “grwm”, content genre where an influencer name drops seven different brands of primers, tanners and unguents before going to that particular #IWorkWith restaurant? Or the “pack with me” reels showing clothes shopping “hauls” before they go on #PRtrip holiday.
Almost half of influencer advertising was not clearly labelled or tagged as such, according to Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) research in 2022. Tags used were often vague and unclear, leaving the consumer in the dark as to whether the influencer had been paid to recommend a product or service. Advertising, masquerading as something else, tramples on consumer protections.
The most prolific influencers share curated slices of their lives with us. Good luck to them, you might say but influencers’ enthusiasm for some products and services can be more to do with how much they earn from promoting them than for their genuine benefits. Followers beware. If you were to purchase every single thing some influencers recommend, you’d be broke, and you’d probably be in possession of some turkeys too.
Pressure to spend
Social media is designed to make us spend in a few ways – so gird yourself. The first is by cultivating a fear of missing out (FOMO). Some accounts show enviable products and experiences and we can feel we need or deserve.
We’re not immune to the sales tactics. Some 64 per cent of 16 to 24 year-olds have purchased online based on a recommendation, an endorsement, content or ads from an influencer or celebrity they follow on social media. That’s according to the An Post ecommerce Index published last year. Some 43 per cent of 25-34-year-olds said they have made purchases on the basis of influencer recommendations.
The second way social media pressures us to spend more on things like clothes, celebrations, experiences and holidays is to create aspirational content to populate our own social media feeds. When it comes to big-ticket items such as travel, this can be a problem.
Travel content on social media is pressuring Americans to create picture-perfect vacations, according to a survey of 2,000 adults by Forbes Advisor last year. Nearly half of respondents travelled to a destination or landmark because they saw it on social media.
While getting inspired by photos, videos and other social media content isn’t necessarily a bad thing, the influence doesn’t stop there, according to the Forbes data.
Half of respondents noted that they “often or always” feel pressured to emulate the lifestyle or experiences they see online, with men and women responding roughly equally. The figure jumps to 74 per cent when respondents who “at least sometimes” feel pressured are included.
Roughly four in 10 of respondents had taken on credit card debt or spent more than they had originally budgeted after seeing a similar vacation on social media, according to the survey.
Sometimes what we buy as a result of social media hasn’t been specifically “sold”. It could be a “look” we feel pressured to replicate, like an unwrinkled forehead or perfectly plumped lips. Remind yourself that part of the strategy at play on social media is a pressure to keep up with the Joneses. Try to resist, and if you can’t, make sure you can afford it.
Watch the labelling
Consumers consistently overestimate their ability to identify influencer advertising. That’s according to research by the consumer watchdog, the CCPC.
“Many consumers felt misled after purchasing an item on the advice of an influencer and levels of trust in influencers generally are very low,” according to the CCPC’s Kevin O’Brien.
In other research by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), over half of those surveyed were bothered both by the lack of transparency in influencer marketing and in not being able to distinguish content from advertising.
It is an offence to mislead a consumer, and influencers who fail to comply with the law may be subject to enforcement action, including prosecution, said O’Brien.
Guidance issued by the ASAI last year, in conjunction with the CCPC, aims to “support influencers” to comply with their legal obligations so that followers know when they are being targeted with advertising. The new rules mean influencers must now always clearly and prominently label their reels and stories.
Consumers should expect to see either #Ad, “Paid partnership”, #Gifted, or the Irish language equivalent, on all advertising posts.
#Gifted should only be used when the influencer has received an unsolicited product or service, and the brand has not directly influenced the post, according to the guidelines.
All other hashtags must only be used in addition – and following – those already listed. These include #Collaboration, #BrandAmbassador, #PRinvite and #OwnBrand.
The rules apply to social media influencers posting ads, advertising their own brands or reviewing things such as a gifted meal or a hotel stay for example. The rules also apply to sponsorships, being a brand ambassador, discount codes, competitions with gifted prizes as well as content about free products, services, trips, event invitations or experiences.
“If you benefit from mentioning a brand on your social media channels, the content is commercial content and this must be obvious to viewers”, says the ASA.
Watch for these labels. And if you feel an influencer isn’t being clear about what they are selling, you can make an anonymous complaint to the ASAI here.
Curate your feed
If following some accounts leaves you feeling a want or reaching for your credit card, it might be time to break up. Hitting the “unfollow” button can make you feel happier and save you money.
You could go totally cold turkey, of course, by uninstalling social media apps, so removing temptation. Another way to beat Instagram and TikTok at their own game is to follow people who make living frugally or within your means look great. By curating your social media feed like this, you’ll still get your fix but minus the downsides
There is a growing community of people who want to influence you to consume less, to spend less and to reuse what you have. Some will share content about how they cleared debt, or manage their household finances or buy only second hand. Others poke fun at influencer sales tactics and the “miracle” products continuously plugged.
Curate a feed to make it a bit more akin to real life and your real financial position, and it will be better for your pocket, and probably your self-esteem.
Some Instagram accounts to follow:
Not.needing.new (71,000 followers): Anna Kilpatrick is a UK-based influencer who is all about “the joy of enough”.
“What if it were possible that everybody just stopped at ‘enough’? When you had enough, you sought no more. No bigger house, no better car, no further holiday, no flatter television or more powerful shower – you just had enough and felt happy with each wonderful thing you owned,” says the 51-year-old single mother of teenagers.
“I’m absolutely and utterly proud that I keep my household going on very limited means. I DO NOT feel ashamed of my second-hand style.”
@_greengal (3,720 followers): Irish influencer Shannen Healy shares her “imperfect sustainable journey”. Expect counterculture “underconsumption haul” videos where she talks about using the items you already have, and using everything to the last drop.
“It’s NOT normal to have multiples of products or clothes, to be doing unboxings or trying new products all the time. Not only is it a huge expense, but it’s also massively unsustainable. We will never be happy if we are trying to constantly find happiness in things rather than memories,” she says.
@the_elephant_in_my_wardrobe (9,673 followers): This account charts the journey of Gemma Metheringham, a PhD student researching second-hand fashion, towards becoming a more conscious consumer.
“Over the past four years, I’ve reduced my clothes shopping by over 75 per cent, chosen #secondhandfirst and learned to #makeandmend.”
@mynameisjessb (360,000 followers): A fun take on how Instagram influencer sales tactics compare with real life.
