"Valued at more than US$250 billion, the influencer industry is the centre of the digital economy. Popular haul videos, where influencers display and discuss a recent collection of purchases, and unboxings - videos where content makers open, showcase and review new products - have long been promoting endless streams of consumer goods that can be purchased with an easy click."
"But what happens to influencer culture and popular consumption practices when many are worried about their financial futures? Social media feeds become full of content-makers encouraging us to save our money - influencers telling us not to buy trendy, perhaps unnecessary, goods, like tons of Halloween decor or luxury skincare products. This comes as American tariffs wreak havoc on the global economy and youth unemployment soars, and points to growing economic uncertainty."
The influencer industry, valued at over US$250 billion, has long driven consumption through haul videos and unboxings that present products for instant purchase. Growing economic uncertainty — driven by tariffs and rising youth unemployment — is prompting shifts in influencer content toward saving and frugality. Social media feeds increasingly feature creators urging audiences not to buy trendy or unnecessary items. Viral examples include creators demonstrating product-extending tactics like squeezing remaining beauty product from packaging. Emerging deinfluencing trends and recession-aware aesthetics reflect a broader cultural negotiation of consumption during economic downturns. Past recessions also reshaped influencer pathways as unemployed media workers turned to blogging and social platforms.
Read at The Conversation
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