Is the Influencer Era Over?

Influencer marketing is marketing using social media and mass following. This obviously is more prominent in recent years because of the fresh release of social media. 2020 and 2021 were the years of very prominent influencer marketing. However, recently it seems that people are turning their heads to old influencers and switching them out for more “important people” like celebrities in the big industry. The influencer era seems to be on the decline, and people are starting to understand why.

When markets become overwhelming, it is hard to know what to do with the immense amount of products. When it came to influencers, there were too many for people to keep track of. When influencers started, it was simply having a few famous people on TikTok. Now there are too many to count, which means if one person messes up, the friend group goes down with them. In 2022, 50+ million people claimed themselves as digital content creators. Making the market so dense that it got boring to see the same thing.

Another contributing factor of the downfall of online influencers is that many digital creators are getting canceled and are struggling to give a good online image to their fans. Cancel culture has begun to be so prominent in the influencer world that people do not know who to trust anymore. After the downfall of most influencers, it seems that no one is talking about them or cares about anything good they do. One example of this is previously popular makeup influencer, James Charles. Before the years 2019 and 2021, people loved this man because of his relatability and talent. However, after he was exposed for inappropriate behavior, people seemed not to care after the drama blew over. This seems to be a common cycle for most influencers after losing fans. 

Throughout 2022 and 2023, it seems that the trend has not changed of people starting to love celebrities again. Some of the top influencers seem to be celebrities at this point.  whether it is Selena Gomez recommending one of her makeup products or Khloe Kardashian promoting her new clothing line. There seems to be no end to the celebrity craze. And with this celebrity obsession, there is a decrease in the following of online influencers. It seems that consumers have gotten bored with the constant promotion of products rather than content posted by influencers on social media.

In conclusion, The uprising of other celebrities, distrust in influencers, and the boredom of content has led to the downfall of the influencer era. Maybe a new wave of influencers will be approaching soon, but for now, it seems that celebrities have taken over, and hopefully, they will be more engaging and trusting.