The next wave of influencers is coming

   It seems only yesterday when it was 2009 and you could find me huddled with my friends around a small screen with tears of laughter streaming down our faces as we watched YouTube videos from The Annoying Orange.



   The internet has certainly come a long way since then! Over the years, we watched hilarious YouTubers come to prominence such as Smosh, Fred and MisterEpicMann but then emerged the first wave of influencers: people like Zoella, Tanya Burr and Sprinkle of Glitter (now rebranded as Louise Pentland) began to take the fancy of the public. But this was only the beginning. 


   Now, having realised that people can actually become famous for blogging and 'get free stuff', it's suddenly cool and everyone wants to do it. There are bloggers of almost every category imaginable from a range of different backgrounds; it has become so much easier to find an influencer you can relate to.

   The things that make an influencer has, in my view, become more materialistic. It is no longer enough to film amateur videos in your room. People are tripping over themselves to grab the highest quality cameras and lighting they can afford as well as designer products for the sole purpose of being thrown together for a flatlay. 

   As so many people are now striving to be influencers, it is like a competition to see who can portray the most luxurious lifestyle. The biggest blogs on my Instagram feed are these flawless looking women, flaunting and promoting luxurious products they have been sent and flocking to the same beautiful (and expensive) places.

   By all means, I am not slating these influencers at all. I am constantly in awe of them. It's the life we all dream of having, right? 



   However, what many people are coming to realise is that 99% of it is all a farce. A highlight reel. A pretence. On one side, we had a lifestyle blogger facing backlash last year because of their heavily edited images to the extent where this person super-imposed them to make it look like they were in places they were not. On the other, we have influencers buying fake followers and being given opportunities to collaborate with big brands purely based on that following and not the content, which I am glad to see Unilever is addressing right now.

   I recently even read about influencers paying to have professional pictures taken in a private jet in Moscow that doesn't even fly anywhere! That's how far people are willing to go for the sake of an aesthetically pleasing Instagram feed these days and it's quite baffling.

   Thus, onto my verdict: these luxurious looking feeds are losing their appeal. The next wave of influencers will fall from private jets right back down to earth again and people will care for more realistic and grounded content. 

No more #Ad on products influencers don't really care for.
No more focus on materialism.
No more not being able to afford being a valued blogger.


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What kind of influencers do you think will be dominating the industry in the future?
Let me know in the comments below!

14 comments

  1. I was really interested in this post. I really agree and the way you put it is almost scary, the influencer world we have made for ourselves. I liked your honesty, thanks for sharing!
    Coco| pjsandstuff.wordpress.com

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    1. Thank you so much, I’m really glad you enjoyed my post!

      It is quite scary - almost like a Black Mirror episode!

      Meg x

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  2. I think people will always enjoy the aspirational lifestyle feeds but health and fitness also seem to be rising up. Who knows what the next big thing will be but I would love it if the real life posts got more love

    Josh
    https://www.LOOKDWN.com
    www.twitter.com/jb_new
    www.instagram.com/jb_new
    www.pinterest.com/lookdwn
    http://youtube.com/joshuab1119

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    1. Very true! I hope so too because I believe that it will relieve more of the pressure to become a materialistic blogger!

      Meg x

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    2. Very true! I hope so too because I believe that it will relieve more of the pressure to become a materialistic blogger!

      Meg x

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  3. This is such an interesting post! Personally I love the aspirational feeds BUT as long as its coupled with a down to earth and genuine person running it. There's no way I'd be following someone who pretended to be in a private jet despite not actually flying in it!
    Soph - https://sophhearts.com x

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    1. Yes, I am completely with you there! I know plenty of aspirational bloggers, who are down to earth and it's so good to see these people rising up in the industry!

      Meg x

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  4. Honestly, I don't follow any "big" influencers or bloggers. I don't actually think I follow anyone with over 10k on Instagram unless they're a brand. I find the fakeness of it all so boring, depressing and unable to relate to. I much prefer having conversations with people using affordable products and wearing clothes from a sale rack, like me... Don't get me wrong, I'm so happy for people that manage to make a fabulous career out of it all but I need that relatable content and to know they're down to earth to want to support them!
    Alice Xx

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    1. No, I completely get it! I love how you support relatable like-minded bloggers; it's those who need the support more and those who are more likely to return the favour!

      Meg x

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  5. You are so right! It's not something I'm interested in to show the world something I'm not, but what's actually going on! I love me some good instas as much as the next person, but I will not pretend to do something (i.e. paying to have a pic taken on a plane) to do so. I did enjoy this post. Great job. xx

    Jay

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    1. I always try to be as realistic with my work as possible - I think that is very important! I'm exactly the same as you, I could never pretend to be somewhere for the sake of a picture, otherwise what's the point?

      Thank you for reading my post!

      Meg x

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  6. I love the 'real' bloggers and content creators - the ones who refuse to conform to the current standards, instead allowing their individual personality to shine through. I think this authenticity is going to be the next wave.
    Britt | http://alternativelyspeaking.ca

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    1. That is a very interesting point and I am in complete agreement with you there! Authenticity is an essential and I believe that, with lots of influencers striving to be the same, individuality is something that is going to grow more valuable and appealing to the public eye.

      Meg x

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  7. I have actually felt the same exact way! I understand that traveling the world is cool, and it motivates me to work hard in order to achieve those things, but I promise you that no matter how "big" I were to get, I would never show unrealistic views of my life. Instagram is full of highlights of someone's life, but faking that you're on a private jet is ridiculous. I think you're right, I think just like blogging, it's all going to go full circle and being more humble & real about everything is going to be where influencers are going to go. Great post! xxx

    Melina | melinaelisa.com

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