“Deinfluencing”: This trend goes against everything influencers stand for

Influencers are swimming in freebies these days. Be it a beauty guru or a travel influencer, for every niche there is a suitable product for the content creators to promote. But the hashtag “Deinfluencing” is now trending on TikTok — and this movement is taking action against everything influencers stand for.

The term “deinfluencing” was first used in the zero-waste community. With this, influencers who are committed to sustainability wanted to convince their followers to consume less. They also wanted to draw attention to the fact that not every need requires a separate product and that not every hyped product needs to be ordered immediately.

The trend has now spread to other niches of the internet and major content creators are also joining the movement on TikTok and Co.

The focus is mainly on “deinfluencing” expensive, heavily hyped products. Examples include a hair styler for a few hundred francs, a shampoo for 27 francs or a foundation for 55 francs. These products are mentioned particularly often on TikTok. While some rave about it, others advise against it in their “deinfluencing” videos:

However, since the trend has spilled over to much of TikTok, it has lost some of its permanence. While products are still discouraged, so-called “dupes” are often mentioned in the same video. Dupes are counterfeit products that have the same or a similar effect as the original, but cost a fraction of the price. In this way, consumption is still encouraged, but a little more consciously than before.