Why "Deinfluencers" Are The Hottest Thing On Social Media

What do you call someone who goes on social media to tell you all the things that you shouldn't buy? If you guessed "deinfluencer," you'd be right. Apparently that's the hottest new hashtag on TikTok as a range of creators alternately criticize consumerism, review products and offer advice on saving money or finding "genuine happiness." The hashtag #deinfluencing has over 260 million views on TikTok.

Despite some claims that this shift is evidence that "TikTok users finally starting to place authenticity over consumerism," or that "influencer marketing is dying," the truth seems a bit more predictable. People are fed up of being manipulated or lied to through fake content from influencers who claim to love products they are just paid to promote. The smarter influencers are finding ways to promote only the things that they actually like ... while still cashing that sponsorship paycheck.