I also do agree that influencers do add some value to our lives. It allowed the opportunity for anyone to create content and in that way gave voices to people who don't get represented in mainstream media. It made me feel seen and heard to have my culture represented in an empowering way.
Yes!! There are always a few positives and if you regularly work on curating your feed, it doesn't feel as toxic to be online. It really is what we make of it sometimes.
This piece is such a mood Aliena!! I really felt every word of this especially as someone who’s got into the loop of content creation herself on Instagram, but I always strive for authenticity on my page and don’t want to come across as fake or putting on a facade on my page. I also felt on a deep level potentially getting plastic surgery on my big nose to blend into society’s norms but it’s taken a lot to realise that us Pakistani girls are beautiful in our own unique and silly ways and plastic surgery would only make us look like those plastic influencers across Instagram and whatnot. Proud of you for this piece, again writing what all of us NEED to hear terribly 👏🏻💯
Trust me I wanted to be a content creator for a few years, then had to humble myself by realizing how much effort it takes and ultimately how inauthentic it becomes forcing yourself to post consistently. At least on Substack, posting once a week feels healthy. On platforms like TikTok and Instagram, the expectation is to post everyday if not multiple times a day, which is the recipe for burnout.
GIRL welcome to the big nose club because I have the same problem!! We don't need surgery trust me 😭 If you think of your nose and other features as the marks of your ancestors, it doesn't feel as bad to have a bit of asymmetry.
Thank you for this post!! I can’t get over “there’s something inherently dystopian about the persistent flex culture in the middle of an economic crisis.” Influencers can be relied upon poorly, as a quick page for users to make comparisons that leave them feeling inadequate. Orrr they can be viewed as vision boards, but even this is dangerous if users fall into the trap of believing they want the influencer’s “perfect reality.” Great post! Loved it.
Thank you so much for reading! I am a huge fan of vision boards, but admit they can be a bit unrealistic when it comes to lifestyle. They're mostly motivating when you're working towards concrete goals versus just using them for inspiration because then you fall into the comparison trap.
I absolutely love your posts, they hit every time, and you say it so well, Masha'Allah!!
It's not just microinfluencers, it's also the regular people we go to school with who pretend to be influencers on their Instagram pages. Not necessarily to gain clout but because they want to hop on every new trend to stay 'cool'. The life that they share is so deceiving to the reality they life.
I knew a girl who seemed to live the high life of all the well-off influencers in their 20s. Living by herself in high-rise apartment, downtown. With all the fancy clothes and extravagant dinners. Posting pictures of her extravagant house in Pakistan. But in reality she and her family was struggling financially and barely able to make ends meet. She was forced to move downtown cause her family moved out of the country. All the extravagant clothes and dinners left her struggling to pay rent. That fancy house in Pakistan? It was an airbnb. I only know this because I knew her personally, but what about all the others on social media who's extravagant life is also a façade and we'd never know.
Like those people who go on vacation so they can feel rich and pretend like they're so liberated to be able to travel. I knew a girl who went on a trip and was texting me the whole time she was there about how terrible she feels. Only to come back and flex about what an incredible vacation it was and grateful she is to be able to go.
I was honestly pretty sick of the flex culture as well which is why I really needed to get off social media. I also learned about the mere exposure effect which is when we see something often we start to want it. I didn't want my values to start blurring by repeatedly being bombarded with propaganda of a life I'm supposed to be living. These things really need to be talked about more, thank you for sharing!
I look forward to your comments as well 🥲💗 Thank you truly for always sharing such relatable insights.
I know exactly what you mean about people making their lives seem more polished than they actually are. With a world of credit cards, Klarna/Afterpay, Airbnbs, you name it, it's much easier to pretend like you are more well off than you actually are these days. I love how you labeled the spoon-feeding of this lifestyle to the masses as propaganda because that's exactly what it is and it never occurred to me until you said it.
I have also taken time off social media and deleted a few people as I mentioned in my post. TikTok started off a bit more positive when it gained traction during the pandemic, but I feel that it's become as toxic as Instagram at this point. I think a lot of people feel similarly because I don't know many people who regularly post on their Instagram feeds anymore. Or it could be as people age, they have more responsibilities so they don't have as much time to spend on social media. I can't say much about the younger Gen Z social media habits as I'm a bit above that age range.
“Influencers boost the economy and create jobs.” A lot of dip on that one chip 😂😂. Nonetheless you brought up a lot of good points. I feel like people consume a lot of “aspirational” content. There’s a deep rooted (planted) delusional belief that one day that can be (or will be) them. The rise of parasocial relationships also coincides with that thought too. Although I don’t see these types of content slowing down, or being consumed less soon I’d love to be wrong about that!
LMAO I was doing my best to be nice before getting to the point of the article 😭 I'm all for aspirational content but I wish most of it wasn't materialistic - I'd rather it be realistically aspirational instead of yachts, mansions, and first class flights. I agree that this type of content won't completely go away. I just hope that the younger kids on the internet choose to ignore these influencers or call them out over the fake lifestyles they promote.
I also do agree that influencers do add some value to our lives. It allowed the opportunity for anyone to create content and in that way gave voices to people who don't get represented in mainstream media. It made me feel seen and heard to have my culture represented in an empowering way.
Yes!! There are always a few positives and if you regularly work on curating your feed, it doesn't feel as toxic to be online. It really is what we make of it sometimes.
This piece is such a mood Aliena!! I really felt every word of this especially as someone who’s got into the loop of content creation herself on Instagram, but I always strive for authenticity on my page and don’t want to come across as fake or putting on a facade on my page. I also felt on a deep level potentially getting plastic surgery on my big nose to blend into society’s norms but it’s taken a lot to realise that us Pakistani girls are beautiful in our own unique and silly ways and plastic surgery would only make us look like those plastic influencers across Instagram and whatnot. Proud of you for this piece, again writing what all of us NEED to hear terribly 👏🏻💯
Trust me I wanted to be a content creator for a few years, then had to humble myself by realizing how much effort it takes and ultimately how inauthentic it becomes forcing yourself to post consistently. At least on Substack, posting once a week feels healthy. On platforms like TikTok and Instagram, the expectation is to post everyday if not multiple times a day, which is the recipe for burnout.
GIRL welcome to the big nose club because I have the same problem!! We don't need surgery trust me 😭 If you think of your nose and other features as the marks of your ancestors, it doesn't feel as bad to have a bit of asymmetry.
And thank you as ALWAYS for being a real one ❤️
Thank you for this post!! I can’t get over “there’s something inherently dystopian about the persistent flex culture in the middle of an economic crisis.” Influencers can be relied upon poorly, as a quick page for users to make comparisons that leave them feeling inadequate. Orrr they can be viewed as vision boards, but even this is dangerous if users fall into the trap of believing they want the influencer’s “perfect reality.” Great post! Loved it.
Thank you so much for reading! I am a huge fan of vision boards, but admit they can be a bit unrealistic when it comes to lifestyle. They're mostly motivating when you're working towards concrete goals versus just using them for inspiration because then you fall into the comparison trap.
Yes! Exactly what I mean. 💖
I absolutely love your posts, they hit every time, and you say it so well, Masha'Allah!!
It's not just microinfluencers, it's also the regular people we go to school with who pretend to be influencers on their Instagram pages. Not necessarily to gain clout but because they want to hop on every new trend to stay 'cool'. The life that they share is so deceiving to the reality they life.
I knew a girl who seemed to live the high life of all the well-off influencers in their 20s. Living by herself in high-rise apartment, downtown. With all the fancy clothes and extravagant dinners. Posting pictures of her extravagant house in Pakistan. But in reality she and her family was struggling financially and barely able to make ends meet. She was forced to move downtown cause her family moved out of the country. All the extravagant clothes and dinners left her struggling to pay rent. That fancy house in Pakistan? It was an airbnb. I only know this because I knew her personally, but what about all the others on social media who's extravagant life is also a façade and we'd never know.
Like those people who go on vacation so they can feel rich and pretend like they're so liberated to be able to travel. I knew a girl who went on a trip and was texting me the whole time she was there about how terrible she feels. Only to come back and flex about what an incredible vacation it was and grateful she is to be able to go.
I was honestly pretty sick of the flex culture as well which is why I really needed to get off social media. I also learned about the mere exposure effect which is when we see something often we start to want it. I didn't want my values to start blurring by repeatedly being bombarded with propaganda of a life I'm supposed to be living. These things really need to be talked about more, thank you for sharing!
I look forward to your comments as well 🥲💗 Thank you truly for always sharing such relatable insights.
I know exactly what you mean about people making their lives seem more polished than they actually are. With a world of credit cards, Klarna/Afterpay, Airbnbs, you name it, it's much easier to pretend like you are more well off than you actually are these days. I love how you labeled the spoon-feeding of this lifestyle to the masses as propaganda because that's exactly what it is and it never occurred to me until you said it.
I have also taken time off social media and deleted a few people as I mentioned in my post. TikTok started off a bit more positive when it gained traction during the pandemic, but I feel that it's become as toxic as Instagram at this point. I think a lot of people feel similarly because I don't know many people who regularly post on their Instagram feeds anymore. Or it could be as people age, they have more responsibilities so they don't have as much time to spend on social media. I can't say much about the younger Gen Z social media habits as I'm a bit above that age range.
Aww thank you for such kind words! I love commenting and having good discussion!
I totally agree, TikTok used to be genuinely fun for a while and now it's become overly commercialized.
So good
Thanks for reading!
“Influencers boost the economy and create jobs.” A lot of dip on that one chip 😂😂. Nonetheless you brought up a lot of good points. I feel like people consume a lot of “aspirational” content. There’s a deep rooted (planted) delusional belief that one day that can be (or will be) them. The rise of parasocial relationships also coincides with that thought too. Although I don’t see these types of content slowing down, or being consumed less soon I’d love to be wrong about that!
LMAO I was doing my best to be nice before getting to the point of the article 😭 I'm all for aspirational content but I wish most of it wasn't materialistic - I'd rather it be realistically aspirational instead of yachts, mansions, and first class flights. I agree that this type of content won't completely go away. I just hope that the younger kids on the internet choose to ignore these influencers or call them out over the fake lifestyles they promote.