TikTok’s de-influencing trend: a reminder of the bigger influence picture
A new trend is blowing up on TikTok: De-influencing. where influencers critique items on camera and recommend viewers don't buy them. It’s the antithesis of #TikTokMadeMeBuyIt, and as Time reminds us, is similar to the “anti-haul” niche on YouTube that calls out the products that creators refuse to buy.
But is de-influencing the natural conclusion to a years-long bombardment of consumption-promotion by influencers insisting we buy the product they’re selling?
Is de-influencing a coping mechanism for creators attempting to navigate or remove themselves from TikTok’s ever-increasing micro-trends?
Perhaps it’s a way for creators to underscore the importance of authenticity in the parasocial relationship they hold with their followers? “Trust me, you don’t need this product”.
Is de-influencing just another micro-trend for creators to jump on? A vehicle to parcel up and post new content with?
Or is it a sophisticated sales hack from influencers attempting to appeal to savvy purchasers? “Don’t buy that product… buy this product instead, it’s half the price and twice as good. You can trust me, I called out the other one.”
Or is it just good old-fashioned, objective critique being repackaged as a hashtaggable TikTok trend, a rebranded version of a really simple concept given a fresh label to sound more ‘current’?
Like most answers to complicated questions, it depends. It depends on the creator and the credibility they hold with their audience. The de-influencing movement offers a few reminders to brands, however:
Neutral term: The word ‘Influence’ is often used interchangeably with ‘advocacy’. But influence is not always positive. Influencers are change-agents. They help form or change the opinions of a distinct community. They alter behaviours. As such, influencers may hurt a communicator’s cause just as much as they may help. Advocates, on the other hand, are resolutely supporters. Be careful with your terminology when you’re defining what you really want.
Honest de-influencing reviews can also be positive for brands who are willing to listen, as has always been the case. Instead of being defensive, brands can use being on the wrong end of review content as an opportunity to put things right, or provide context or correct misunderstandings.
Dishonest de-influencing reviews, on the other hand, are a matter for the regulators. Both the ASA and the FTC carry guidance on fake reviews.
What is clear is that de-influencing is not the opposite of influencing. That would be to show powerlessness or weakness, and promote the assumption that successful influencers must be positive about anything they’re asked to discuss, something these TikTok creators can’t be accused of. At the time of writing, #deinfluencing had 103.5m views on TikTok.