Social media expert predicts how influencers will lose relevance in 2024
By Winnie MabelAn influencer is an individual who has amassed a significant following and online presence on social media platforms.
They are often seen as opinion leaders and trendsetters within specific niches or industries. Influencers typically have a dedicated and engaged audience who trust their recommendations, opinions and expertise.
Influencers create and share content related to their areas of expertise including fashion, beauty, fitness, travel, food, parenting, technology and many more. Their content often includes product reviews, tutorials, lifestyle updates, personal experiences and collaborations with brands.
Despite their popularity today, Mr Jack Campbell, an Australian social media expert, predicted that influencer marketing of goods and services will be dead in its current format by 2024 and beyond.
“Instead of someone coming on camera and saying ‘I love this product’, they are instead just going to get on camera, talk about something completely off topic and use a product. The goal is going to be generating curiosity. Content is going to be about inspiring the end user to go and research what that influencer is using. Remember, people like to buy something, they do not want to be sold something,” said Mr Campbell.
This was his explanation for how product placement in content creation will take more focus and the influence will be less direct or a hard sell.
He went on to predict that large followings will no longer be considered an achievement for influencers to brag about but will be viewed as “cringe and toxic.”
“Becoming too popular will have risk of being unfollowed and put you into a clout chasing category or ruin your notoriety. I don’t even think influencers will be considered influencers anymore or community leaders,” added Mr Campbell.
He was of the opinion that the current influencer marketing format of the personalities reviewing products will not only create resentment between the followers and the influencer but also between the content creator and the brand because they have little creative control on what to post.
In Kenya, the influencers scene has many of them directly selling directly to followers as opposed to the format being suggested above by Mr Campbell. Influencers are busy marketing land for sale during a time where land buying scams are high, marketing phones, food brands and quite often, clothes. For some, they also use clout to market the products in the event they are not able to organically generate interest in what they are selling. Majority of them are found to be especially active on Instagram as opposed to other social media platforms.
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