By Angelina Tang
In 2023, TikTok was overrun by a new type of influencer: the “de-influencer.” Unlike influencers, who advertise products and have you buy things (a phenomenon promoted by TikTok and Instagram through their in-app shops), de-influencers convince their audience not to buy certain products that may be trending on social media at the moment. This could be anything from the plastic containers people are buying on Amazon to Stanley cups to Dyson Air Wraps, which were incredibly hot last year. De-influencers are supposed to be a push-back against overconsumption and poor spending habits, instead promoting sustainability and financial health. Their content can be found on pretty much any short-form content creation platform, from TikTok–their origin–to Instagram and YouTube.
De-influencers are, ironically, a new breed of influencer. They’re just influencing you to not buy things Ever since the rise of TikTok, the idea that anyone could become an influencer has become widespread, and more and more people are hopping onto this trend. Being a de-influencer has a very “politically correct” connotation, as it’s associated with authenticity, minimalism, and sustainable living. In a social media world saturated with a desire for “authenticity,” seeing people with more realistic, every-day goals of saving money and only buying necessities is a welcome break from the influencers posting constant shopping hauls.
However, the de-influencing trend is not entirely positive. Some people masquerading under the de-influencer label are only doing so to promote their own favorite products, rather than pursuing the intended purpose of dissuading people from buying things. This generally takes the form of the individual showing trendy products that did not work for them or that they did not like, and then subsequently showing one or two products that they do like and serve the same purpose. It’s quite easy to find TikToks exemplifying this, whether on the TikTok hashtag or in compilations on YouTube. In addition, some people make de-influencing content just to shame people for buying certain products they may not like.
The de-influencer trend is one of many things contributing to the very slow trend of mainstream society becoming more climate-friendly and anti-consumerist, as people gradually realize how damaging overconsumption is thanks to crippling debt and SHEIN. This is a positive trend, and as all major social movements have to stem from somewhere, it is hopeful that society will see more sustainability-friendly trends in the near future as an increasing urgency for stopping climate change is coming into the limelight.
