Why Are Influencers Being Irresponsible? 🤨

You know this question keeps coming back to me.

Whenever I watch influencers endorsing the most ridiculous or remotely illegal thing. I mean, why else would an influencer recommend lending apps, offer mental health advice, fad diets or gambling (remember Twitch streamer xQc?).

But when someone says influencers and misleading campaigns, the first thing that comes to mind is Fyre Festival. Haven’t heard of it? Well, watch this! 👇

Promoted as an exclusive music festival on a private island with rockstars and popstars, Fyre Festival promised rich experiences and ones that you’ll share with influencers. All it took was for influencers (the likes of Bella Hadid and Kendall Jenner) to Instagram a plain orange tile announcing the festival, which drove traffic and incited FOMO.

An event that lured investors and participants just through influencer marketing, Fyre shows what the lack of due diligence can do. People who bought the tickets were stranded on the island without a roof over their heads. Neither food nor electricity was arrange — forget concerts as the musicians canceled the gigs. What’s more ridiculous, is that the promo was shot on an island they had no access to, but Fyre openly sold villas and luxury tents. The luxury tents were leftover relief tents from Hurricane Matthew.

Watch this Netflix documentary on Fyre Festival.

In 2021, Freedom Phone created all the ripples it shouldn’t have. Touted as a a go-to for the conservatives to have..well, free speech, Freedom phone was promoted by diverse influencers who also weren't sure of its features. But for the initiated, it is regarded as an America-first phone for downloading banned apps (usually unavailable on Play Store & Appstore) or blocking trackers.

It was advertised as a phone that doesn’t censor free speech. Here’s what you should know about this phone. 👇

As per a study by Markets&Markets, the global influencer marketing platform size is predicted to be to $24.1B — a staggering growth from $6B in 2020. Now this doesn’t just explain the possibilities, it also emphasises the importance of being more responsible.

A no-brainer, you say? But here’s the main question: shouldn’t influencers be more responsible about their promotions and brand collaborations?

The Crux of All This…

Unfortunately begins with several horrid stories.

Various Chinese lending apps have been burgeoning in the Indian market which were especially popular during the pandemic. You may have seen influencers promoting such apps that were widely available in app stores. Offering instant loans at high interest (up to 200 percent sometimes), people sought loans without extending surety or KYC documents. But that’s not where the problem began — these apps didn't only charge outrageous interest, they also accessed seekers’ personal information to harass or threaten. The companies behind these apps have done everything —from morphing images to calling the seekers' friends and family to shame them. Sadly, they’d borrow more money to repay debts or undergo shame and harassment. Naturally, influencers aren’t privy to how these finance apps work, but situations like these indeed emphasize the importance of due diligence and whether one can recommend loan apps. Financial advice is tricky, let alone endorsing such apps.

Know more about this here.

Let’s Talk FTX

In the past few weeks, you've already heard all that you've had to about FTX, but financial influencers who endorsed are being sued. Investors are suing celebs and sports stars who've backed FTX, and some content creators have also done exposes on this fiasco.

Even the biggest influencers aren't spared for advertising gambling or micro-transactions within apps. Canadian Twitch streamer Félix Lengyel (known as xQc) is one of the top Twitch streamers with over 10M followers. In 2021, he took to promoting gambling sponsors but later apologised when his followers called him out. And yet, this year, he encouraged them unabashedly and confessed his love for gambling sites. Although Twitch is trying to reduce such promotions on the platform, the impression one creates on kids and teenagers is irrevocable.

Heard of Glow-boosting IVs Yet?

I didn’t see this one coming, though. 🍋

While browsing Instagram one day, I stumbled upon a Reel where an influencer casually ate fruit while getting a Vitamin C IV drip. IV therapies usually remind us of hospitals, but these are apparently glow-boosting orange liquids promising instant results. The said influencer remarked how rejuvenating it was! Even before I could wrap my head around it, I watched more influencers promote these therapies — I mean, who doesn’t like good skin! But at what cost? Shouldn’t a doctor recommend these?

And then, there’s the internet user demography that we ought to consider!👇🏼

Creating Content for Youngsters

FDA banned the e-cigarette brand Juul, which used social media and influencer marketing to its advantage. According to Tobacco Control, the brand spent more than $1M to market the product on the internet. While most of Juul’s internet followers were teens, the brand also worked with influencers with a sizeable number of teen followers.

In a conversation with CNN, Juul’s spokesperson said their influencer program and affiliate marketing initiatives were short-lived. The same article states that the brand offered a certain influencer around $1,000 for a blog post and an Instagram post.

And the Fact Is..

Social media largely influence an average millennial’s purchase, but a teenager’s? A lot more! A study by Digital Marketing Institute shows that 70 per cent of teens trust influencers over traditional celebrities. A tough nut to crack!

Globally, many influencers and celebrities prefer collaborations that might not lead to negative experiences. In one of our conversations with Shane Fan, a TikToker, we realised how vital picking the brand deals were for him.

Despite the glamorous appearance of an influencer's life, thousands struggle to close brand deals, which explains why many influencers take up gigs without due diligence. And for those who have the luxury to choose their deals, only one thing explains the behaviour: they simply don't care. They don't realise that at the other end of their tweet or video is an actual person investing their money, lifestyle, and even health. While the internet has the memory of a goldfish and forgets these fiascos, followers do bear the consequences. How fair is it to endorse irresponsibly then?

What do you think about this? Have you come across any irresponsible endorsements? Do reply to this email and tell us all about it.

That’s it for this week! We’ll be back with another story next Tuesday. 👋🏼  

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— Sunaina Patnaik 

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