One of my rules for myself is I NEVER watch a video where the creator bought anything from Temu. Anyone who ignores the impact of that kind of purchase is not worth my time. I wish creators whose channel is based on consumerism could switch to something more sustainable.
I think we should all realize that influencers who make very product-based content are never people to model our own purchasing habits after. I've noticed this particularly in beauty themed videos, but the creator always has an overwhelmingly huge amount of products. Most of them even do "de-clutter" videos! They literally are inundated with stuff that they have no use for or don't even really want. They also tend to use the word "de-clutter" when they really are simply throwing away most of it due to the items being too old to use or for hygiene reasons. It's just not something to strive for and modeling spending habits off of what influencers have either bought or gotten for free will leave you broke as a joke and totally wasteful. Edit: I should have watched longer before commenting, you say just as much in the video! I'd really love a video on the buy/de-clutter cycle. I've noticed some influencers whose primary content is on de-cluttering and minimalism who greatly encourage and push people to get rid of way more than they normally would. They give guidelines for what to declutter that blow my mind, they literally want people to get rid of things they use and value, all while never addressing the elephant in the room...shopping habits.
Watching this while cooking my hello fresh box made me think. I always felt like they were greenwashing but I also live far away from the nearest grocery store and don’t have a car, struggle with my mental health etc. for me it’s a compromise but once I move closer to a grocery store I would order less
It sounds like hello fresh is providing a service that actually meets a genuine need in your life (accessible food), which is great! In my (internet stranger) opinion, that’s the best case scenario for this kind of service and totally different from influencers suddenly deciding that meal kits are the only possible way to accomplish making dinner, even if they were doing just fine before and the only thing that’s changed is the influx of meal kit delivery service marketing.
Hello Fresh is far from the most problematic company out there. And there are several positives such as possibly ZERO food waste (at the consumer level). I tried it for a time and was most troubled by the freezer packs that they say are recyclable, but require several steps and specialty recycling to deal with (I ended up putting them in the garbage 🫤) If we are all doing the best we can, that's all we can ask of ourselves.
Great comment. I live in a food desert (more than an hour away from fresh produce) and would benefit from a service like that. I live too rurally for deliveries (mail doesn’t even come here, have to have a PO Box). But these services are helpful to some of the population. People who don’t have access issues I don’t think benefit as much from meal prep services. It’s a waste of money if the market is right down the block and you have no barriers to shopping there.
Hello Fresh sent me poisoned fish that put people like me with low kidney function in critical care for weeks. They initially denied it leading to increased victims. They didn't contact me about the recall I just happened to see it in the news. Luckily I ate another meal the first 2 nights or I would have been one of those victims 🤬
I haven’t finished the video completely so I’m not sure if you touched on this. For me, I am more turned off by brands that are constantly sending PR. Some brands that come to mind are Nomad Cosmetics and Alter Ego, and it seems like EVERYONE who gets the PR raves about their formula, but the reviews from those who buy are pretty hit and miss 🤷🏼♀️
It's nice when reviews are actually coming from paying customers like that, because they normally are less favorable than from people who got PR. What has been really bugging me about reviews lately are how much of them are done by people who received the products for free. Last night I was on Sephora looking at a new product that seemed pricey for what it was....over 100 reviews and solid 5 stars. I could not find a single review from someone who actually paid for the product! They clearly want to keep getting free things...not to mention that literally anything seems way better when it's free.
Yeah these brands know how to use bias to their advantage for sure. It's not even that people receiving the products are lying, similar to what she says in her video, excitement colours people's reviews. I watched a food theory video about Feastables and they did a great job of explaining the different types of bias and how they were being voted better than Hershey's. The use of PR for positive brand reviews for meh products is really insidious.
I am absolutely looking forward to the temu video. The minimalist/decluttering movement seems very disingenuous to me. It's a money grab since there is a shift away from looking like you have money. Also, they also start with a "buy this" promotion. Great video, thank you
I feel like "decluttering" has become nothing but fodder for new content. There is very little content online about how to get to a point where you don't need to do regular "de-cluttering"...but no one seems to want to address shopping habits as the primary issue, here. I think that a lot of people are sadly getting rid of things for the main purpose of making room to bring in more stuff they have no true use for.
Hard agree with this video! I've noticed creators will say they want to be more sustainable & not buy as much but then create videos saying 'I will test it and see if it's worth it'. But they're buying loads?! The math ain't mathing here...
I've been watching fashion vidoes to get an idea of my " style" after I started a new job. I need to dress "smart casual ". I'm still trying to work out how they can possibly call "Lily Silk" ( and so many are pumping this brand of clothing), cruelty free and sustainable? It's silk, how do they think silk is made? Spoiler alert, it involves silk worms.
i am shocked how many influencers take sponsorships with lily silk. You cannot make silk ethically as you pointed out. I know not everyone cares about the ethics of silk but the fact the company claims that just makes it super dubious. They did reach out to me 2 years ago for sponsored content and I entered into a VERY brief discussion with them. They were horrible to work with and shut that down very quickly.
@@shawnaripariI think too many influencers get too easily impressed w any "fancy" appearing brands that sell more expensive items. Getting free items and collaborating w brands like that makes them feel more "worthy" and I'm not sure they even think about anything more besides that
Hannah Louise Poston is a great example of a beauty influencer that talks about over consumerism, having fewer nicer things and the mental health aspects of shopping excessively
I like HLP too, but I actually noticed when I watched her videos I was “influenced” to buy a lot of things I didn’t actually need. Her videos are sponsored and she spends a lot of time talking about products and very little time actually talking about over consumption. I still like her work, and some videos are much better than others, but I have to be VERY careful when I watch her channel to remember that I don’t need to buy something just because she loves it or recommends it.
@@Squishbiscuits yeah, she's a beauty influencer first, it's just the mentality behind the shopping that is different in my opinion. I think I have a certain distance on being influenced because I don't live in the US, so as much as like something most of the time there's no way for me to buy it or it's absurdly expensive in my country so it's a non issue for me, but I can see how it is different for someone that can actually be influenced by her recommendations
I love love love this. Last year I really tried using up eye shadows, as I like using it with my fingers and it won’t live forever like that. I realized I’ll probably be able to finish 2 eye shadows a year. But I have over one hundred. Other creators try about 100 palettes a year. Not even starting with clothing or perfectly fine electronics… this is not normal and should not be normalized.
I went through the exact same feeling a few years ago with about 20-ish palettes. It dawned on me that if theoretically I never bought a new eyeshadow palette and none of my eyeshadows expired so they're still useable no matter how hold, it would take me DECADES to finish all my shadows. It's too much and I wasn't buying to use up my stuff
Thank you for talking about how creators use their job to justify overconsumerism!!! And how they therefore push it onto their viewers. We need more of this brought to light! 🙌
I heard the “don’t need to grocery shop” argument but in reality you still need to go to the supermarket to get laundry detergent, toilet paper, salt etc. So in the end you might as well get your vegetables there and prep meal (clean, peel, cut) on Sunday. That’s exactly what I heard from people who used HelloFresh for a while and cancelled their subscription. It’s so expensive, like 50$ a week and it doesn’t even cover all your meals, so you’ll still need to grocery shops for the rest, and you better not skip a meal because the ingredients pill up and go bad quite fast. Now that I’m thinking about it, it might even be cheaper to order takeout.
😅I'm so glad you're saying all this!! I'm always so frustrated if influencers complain how they have to do all this which is basically: influencing /manipulating their viewers to buy stuff they don't need and maybe they can't afford, providing anything but truly honest advice and accumulating future trash. NO you don't need to make money of people who think you're their friend or friendly aunt! You could have a shitty job like so many other people 😂or a great high paying corporate job that is still much tougher to do. Or be a doctor, nurse or first responder who save lifes. You do this because you know it's a rather comfortable job to have and we all ignore that it's purely based on being a salesman or woman. I'm saying influencer as not all content creators fall in this category of "facilitating purchasing decisions".
GIRL this annoys me like nothing else. I don't have a problem with content creator as a job but when the girlies are influencers and their main job is influencing purchasing decisions and then act like they have no choice but to do this shit. Come on. I cannot 😂
This one influencer was saying the other day that she doesn't like to share big successes with her viewers and even family because she fears of being judged for certain things & services she can afford now with being successful on YT. Although I got her point, and think it's absolutely fine that she hires help for cleaning her house now - no shame in that, earning these high amounts of money by just taking sponsorships and reciting talking points that were given to her by brands, is indeed a questionable way of making money. She and so many others are basically using their viewer's trust to perform gigs as company spokespersons in the sponsored portions of their videos. Because that's what sponsorships are: spokesperson gigs/plain ads. There is no critical thinking, no actual reviewing of products or services, no pointing out of pros as well as, and most importantly cons. And there are always so many discrepancies to their usual way of living. They seem concious of the environment, their expenses, the way they shop (down to earth and likable), but in their sponsorships they promote super expensive, luxury shit that no one needs, can afford and they themselves wouldn't even have considered if it weren't for the sponsorship. And gotta love the delusional fan girlies who say "but they work so hard, they need to make money too"... yes Lisa, they need to make money, but not several Ks of money, no, they don't. That screams bias, trustworthiness out the window.
Anyone over 5K on tik tok is eligible for $$, and then money talks, not the truth… unfortunately RUclips is getting the same way… everything is sponsored, everything is great and amazing product wise, etc etc.. it’s old, they look silly, and I hope more people waking up to not shadow their buying choices to anything any “influencer “ says.
Better help always surprise me, like how do you not do your research on the brand? And usually people point it out in the comments and some creators STILL work with them again
Excellent video. It's hard to make someone understand something when their income relies on them not understanding it. Mindless consumerism by "influencers" is about ad & sponsorship revenue, nothing more. Ethics doesn't come in to it sadly.
1. Sponcered products are the new 'as seen on TV' products. 2. When I see a Temu video it reminds me of when Wish had a hold on influencers. Just becasue Temu doesn't charge shipping like Wish did does not mean it has products any different then was on Wish. I don't understand why people don't understand that.
I never really trusted sponsored videos. You can't ignore the fact that it's mainly about getting free stuff and/or making money from the free stuff. There is no way your average influencer spends the time to meditate and develop the ability to give unbiased reviews. Not because they are bad people BUT simply because they are people. It would be difficult for anyone as there are many ways conscious and subconscious in which getting free stuff and money influences us to be positively inclined, feeling positive or favourable or grateful etc depends on your personality, your upbringing, your world view. In short all of us are considerably less rational, more emotional and more easily influenced than we prefer to admit
well, here's the thing: while some of these videos are good and well researched, most of "trying overly sponsored products" is just another version of a video essay that's born to tell the "truth" behind something. can you get views by posting "the best and worst meal kits reviewed"? maybe, but you'll likely get way more if you go "debunking hello fresh! why influencers are lying to you!". as a concept, it can work, but it can also come from a place of not like other girls-ing to place oneself as the ultimate good creator against all the other liars. one of them, a particularly hyped influencer, has made it her whole career out of hot takes about things other people like. sure, she does get a a bit into cost, social impact akd whatnot, but her whole thing is shitting on popular things to set herself apart. at some point i had to block her so that youtube would stop suggesting content tbh, because this girl spending thousands of dollars to prove how different she is pissed me off
I think there is a way to to make the 'trying overly sponsored products' that is like a video essay, and to do it well. I think someone like Swell Entertainment could (or might have?) done something like that. But, this is generally not what happens when these videos are made. It's usually low effort, low thought with general statements like this is nice, tasty, etc. I think you also raise a good point that creator's who end up making their entire careers shitting on things can become extremely negative. Or, viewers can eventually get to the place of thinking "do they ever like anything?!" BUT, there is so much middle between the thoughtless purchases, constant or frequent hauls, minimal critical thinking and roasting every brand and person out there for not being sustainable, ethical etc. We do need some commentary and roasting but perhaps not 100% either.
@@shawnaripari agreed! it is always a balance of being curious and being wasteful with the justification of making content, same as being careful with purchases and influence x being a dick about anything and everything people like (some minimalism folks do that, it's infuriating) i guess ragebait unfortunately sells and a lot of people don't care if they're spending money and resources as long as they're getting the most reactions. which is a whole other concern with RUclips culture in itself tbh
I don’t think the average person has credit card debt simply because of overconsumption. I think life is currently unaffordable for many. I think it can be true that influencers are influencing more spending but I also think it is cultural and political At some point there needs to be a shift from blaming influencers to more policies to curb the brands promoting this consumerism.
I absolutely agree that for many credit card debt happens because life is so unaffordable. I also agree that many changes will NOT happen unless policy is instituted. The way fast fashion operates will not change on its own without legislation because corporations will continue to do what is most profitable. Yes, part of this is culture as well, and influencer culture is culture. It's part of what encourages people to buy beyond their means. In my opinion both things need to change, this is not an either or scenario.
@@shawnaripari I only speak as a user and viewer. I get regular influencers and uninfluencers but they all seem fairly separate from the political people / influencers At one point I noticed an uptick in finance content. Individuals or couples would sit down with a financial advisor and discuss their personal spending habits. Although they may have started with good intentions they ended up being entertainment and the comments would be incredibly judgmental of people. I removed that content from my feed because I didn’t like the negativity. I feel like that’s an example of how a good thing without balance ends up manipulated as cheesy or entertainment
Re: emissions: it’s come out about the genocide in Gaza that Israel has put out the same amount of co2 as the lowest polluting 20 countries in a year. I think that factory farming is gross and leads to a lot of problems and yet I think we have been made to believe that consumer/constituent goods and consumption are the biggest problem. Consumerism and individualism are huge problems, yes, but our governments are polluting at a level that consumers are unable to contend with when it comes to war, conflict, etc.
One of my rules for myself is I NEVER watch a video where the creator bought anything from Temu. Anyone who ignores the impact of that kind of purchase is not worth my time. I wish creators whose channel is based on consumerism could switch to something more sustainable.
I feel the same. If i see someone talking about stuff bought on temu, i get like irrationally angry and scroll past 😂
I think we should all realize that influencers who make very product-based content are never people to model our own purchasing habits after. I've noticed this particularly in beauty themed videos, but the creator always has an overwhelmingly huge amount of products. Most of them even do "de-clutter" videos! They literally are inundated with stuff that they have no use for or don't even really want. They also tend to use the word "de-clutter" when they really are simply throwing away most of it due to the items being too old to use or for hygiene reasons. It's just not something to strive for and modeling spending habits off of what influencers have either bought or gotten for free will leave you broke as a joke and totally wasteful.
Edit: I should have watched longer before commenting, you say just as much in the video! I'd really love a video on the buy/de-clutter cycle. I've noticed some influencers whose primary content is on de-cluttering and minimalism who greatly encourage and push people to get rid of way more than they normally would. They give guidelines for what to declutter that blow my mind, they literally want people to get rid of things they use and value, all while never addressing the elephant in the room...shopping habits.
If you make people throw away stuff they like you guarantee they will buy something to replace it. Sounds perfect for companies 😂
Watching this while cooking my hello fresh box made me think. I always felt like they were greenwashing but I also live far away from the nearest grocery store and don’t have a car, struggle with my mental health etc. for me it’s a compromise but once I move closer to a grocery store I would order less
You bring up great nuance here!
It sounds like hello fresh is providing a service that actually meets a genuine need in your life (accessible food), which is great! In my (internet stranger) opinion, that’s the best case scenario for this kind of service and totally different from influencers suddenly deciding that meal kits are the only possible way to accomplish making dinner, even if they were doing just fine before and the only thing that’s changed is the influx of meal kit delivery service marketing.
Hello Fresh is far from the most problematic company out there. And there are several positives such as possibly ZERO food waste (at the consumer level). I tried it for a time and was most troubled by the freezer packs that they say are recyclable, but require several steps and specialty recycling to deal with (I ended up putting them in the garbage 🫤) If we are all doing the best we can, that's all we can ask of ourselves.
Great comment. I live in a food desert (more than an hour away from fresh produce) and would benefit from a service like that. I live too rurally for deliveries (mail doesn’t even come here, have to have a PO Box). But these services are helpful to some of the population. People who don’t have access issues I don’t think benefit as much from meal prep services. It’s a waste of money if the market is right down the block and you have no barriers to shopping there.
Hello Fresh sent me poisoned fish that put people like me with low kidney function in critical care for weeks. They initially denied it leading to increased victims. They didn't contact me about the recall I just happened to see it in the news. Luckily I ate another meal the first 2 nights or I would have been one of those victims 🤬
I haven’t finished the video completely so I’m not sure if you touched on this. For me, I am more turned off by brands that are constantly sending PR. Some brands that come to mind are Nomad Cosmetics and Alter Ego, and it seems like EVERYONE who gets the PR raves about their formula, but the reviews from those who buy are pretty hit and miss 🤷🏼♀️
It's nice when reviews are actually coming from paying customers like that, because they normally are less favorable than from people who got PR. What has been really bugging me about reviews lately are how much of them are done by people who received the products for free. Last night I was on Sephora looking at a new product that seemed pricey for what it was....over 100 reviews and solid 5 stars. I could not find a single review from someone who actually paid for the product! They clearly want to keep getting free things...not to mention that literally anything seems way better when it's free.
That's the case for all the hype indie brands too
Yeah these brands know how to use bias to their advantage for sure. It's not even that people receiving the products are lying, similar to what she says in her video, excitement colours people's reviews. I watched a food theory video about Feastables and they did a great job of explaining the different types of bias and how they were being voted better than Hershey's. The use of PR for positive brand reviews for meh products is really insidious.
I agree that hearing from paying customers does hold extra weight, especially when those paying customers aren't influencers.
I don't talk about PR in this video, but you're right that receiving PR does/can sway reviews.
I am absolutely looking forward to the temu video. The minimalist/decluttering movement seems very disingenuous to me. It's a money grab since there is a shift away from looking like you have money. Also, they also start with a "buy this" promotion. Great video, thank you
I feel like "decluttering" has become nothing but fodder for new content. There is very little content online about how to get to a point where you don't need to do regular "de-cluttering"...but no one seems to want to address shopping habits as the primary issue, here. I think that a lot of people are sadly getting rid of things for the main purpose of making room to bring in more stuff they have no true use for.
So on point about Temu. When I see an influencer (or anyone else) buying from them they immediately lost my respect.
Hard agree with this video! I've noticed creators will say they want to be more sustainable & not buy as much but then create videos saying 'I will test it and see if it's worth it'. But they're buying loads?! The math ain't mathing here...
I think the fancy word for dumb decisions is "girl math" which is both hilarious and insulting
I've been watching fashion vidoes to get an idea of my " style" after I started a new job. I need to dress "smart casual ". I'm still trying to work out how they can possibly call "Lily Silk" ( and so many are pumping this brand of clothing), cruelty free and sustainable? It's silk, how do they think silk is made? Spoiler alert, it involves silk worms.
i am shocked how many influencers take sponsorships with lily silk. You cannot make silk ethically as you pointed out. I know not everyone cares about the ethics of silk but the fact the company claims that just makes it super dubious. They did reach out to me 2 years ago for sponsored content and I entered into a VERY brief discussion with them. They were horrible to work with and shut that down very quickly.
@@shawnaripariI think too many influencers get too easily impressed w any "fancy" appearing brands that sell more expensive items. Getting free items and collaborating w brands like that makes them feel more "worthy" and I'm not sure they even think about anything more besides that
there is peace silk. unless you're a vegan who is against using animal products even when animals aren't harmed, it is possible to buy ethical silk.
Hannah Louise Poston is a great example of a beauty influencer that talks about over consumerism, having fewer nicer things and the mental health aspects of shopping excessively
I like HLP too, but I actually noticed when I watched her videos I was “influenced” to buy a lot of things I didn’t actually need. Her videos are sponsored and she spends a lot of time talking about products and very little time actually talking about over consumption. I still like her work, and some videos are much better than others, but I have to be VERY careful when I watch her channel to remember that I don’t need to buy something just because she loves it or recommends it.
@@Squishbiscuits yeah, she's a beauty influencer first, it's just the mentality behind the shopping that is different in my opinion. I think I have a certain distance on being influenced because I don't live in the US, so as much as like something most of the time there's no way for me to buy it or it's absurdly expensive in my country so it's a non issue for me, but I can see how it is different for someone that can actually be influenced by her recommendations
I love love love this.
Last year I really tried using up eye shadows, as I like using it with my fingers and it won’t live forever like that. I realized I’ll probably be able to finish 2 eye shadows a year.
But I have over one hundred. Other creators try about 100 palettes a year.
Not even starting with clothing or perfectly fine electronics… this is not normal and should not be normalized.
I went through the exact same feeling a few years ago with about 20-ish palettes. It dawned on me that if theoretically I never bought a new eyeshadow palette and none of my eyeshadows expired so they're still useable no matter how hold, it would take me DECADES to finish all my shadows. It's too much and I wasn't buying to use up my stuff
some of these influencers act like their single mothers working 3 jobs and desperate for cash, meanwhile they’re probably making like 40k a month
But their supporters will tell you they work harder than anyone else and deserve it...
yussss more anti temu (and anti consumerist content) like this!
I truly love this video and I wish there were more creators like you !
Thank you for talking about how creators use their job to justify overconsumerism!!! And how they therefore push it onto their viewers. We need more of this brought to light! 🙌
Ana Luisa is one of the overly sponsored companies. Sorry... I said what I said 😂.
I heard the “don’t need to grocery shop” argument but in reality you still need to go to the supermarket to get laundry detergent, toilet paper, salt etc. So in the end you might as well get your vegetables there and prep meal (clean, peel, cut) on Sunday. That’s exactly what I heard from people who used HelloFresh for a while and cancelled their subscription. It’s so expensive, like 50$ a week and it doesn’t even cover all your meals, so you’ll still need to grocery shops for the rest, and you better not skip a meal because the ingredients pill up and go bad quite fast. Now that I’m thinking about it, it might even be cheaper to order takeout.
😅I'm so glad you're saying all this!! I'm always so frustrated if influencers complain how they have to do all this which is basically: influencing /manipulating their viewers to buy stuff they don't need and maybe they can't afford, providing anything but truly honest advice and accumulating future trash. NO you don't need to make money of people who think you're their friend or friendly aunt! You could have a shitty job like so many other people 😂or a great high paying corporate job that is still much tougher to do. Or be a doctor, nurse or first responder who save lifes. You do this because you know it's a rather comfortable job to have and we all ignore that it's purely based on being a salesman or woman. I'm saying influencer as not all content creators fall in this category of "facilitating purchasing decisions".
GIRL this annoys me like nothing else. I don't have a problem with content creator as a job but when the girlies are influencers and their main job is influencing purchasing decisions and then act like they have no choice but to do this shit. Come on. I cannot 😂
Not everyone can keep normal jobs.
@@faustina9328there's dozens of professions out there. No one needs to make videos selling crap to people
This one influencer was saying the other day that she doesn't like to share big successes with her viewers and even family because she fears of being judged for certain things & services she can afford now with being successful on YT. Although I got her point, and think it's absolutely fine that she hires help for cleaning her house now - no shame in that, earning these high amounts of money by just taking sponsorships and reciting talking points that were given to her by brands, is indeed a questionable way of making money.
She and so many others are basically using their viewer's trust to perform gigs as company spokespersons in the sponsored portions of their videos. Because that's what sponsorships are: spokesperson gigs/plain ads. There is no critical thinking, no actual reviewing of products or services, no pointing out of pros as well as, and most importantly cons.
And there are always so many discrepancies to their usual way of living. They seem concious of the environment, their expenses, the way they shop (down to earth and likable), but in their sponsorships they promote super expensive, luxury shit that no one needs, can afford and they themselves wouldn't even have considered if it weren't for the sponsorship.
And gotta love the delusional fan girlies who say "but they work so hard, they need to make money too"... yes Lisa, they need to make money, but not several Ks of money, no, they don't. That screams bias, trustworthiness out the window.
Anyone over 5K on tik tok is eligible for $$, and then money talks, not the truth… unfortunately RUclips is getting the same way… everything is sponsored, everything is great and amazing product wise, etc etc.. it’s old, they look silly, and I hope more people waking up to not shadow their buying choices to anything any “influencer “ says.
YT was this way before Tiktok... It's nothing new at all
Better help always surprise me, like how do you not do your research on the brand? And usually people point it out in the comments and some creators STILL work with them again
Excellent video. It's hard to make someone understand something when their income relies on them not understanding it. Mindless consumerism by "influencers" is about ad & sponsorship revenue, nothing more. Ethics doesn't come in to it sadly.
1. Sponcered products are the new 'as seen on TV' products.
2. When I see a Temu video it reminds me of when Wish had a hold on influencers. Just becasue Temu doesn't charge shipping like Wish did does not mean it has products any different then was on Wish. I don't understand why people don't understand that.
I never really trusted sponsored videos. You can't ignore the fact that it's mainly about getting free stuff and/or making money from the free stuff. There is no way your average influencer spends the time to meditate and develop the ability to give unbiased reviews. Not because they are bad people BUT simply because they are people. It would be difficult for anyone as there are many ways conscious and subconscious in which getting free stuff and money influences us to be positively inclined, feeling positive or favourable or grateful etc depends on your personality, your upbringing, your world view. In short all of us are considerably less rational, more emotional and more easily influenced than we prefer to admit
I can’t stand when an “influencers” page is all ads. I don’t trust a single product they promote. Emily Fauver is the WORST when it comes to this.
Never mind that in the end some of these brands end up getting free advertising which for them is even cheaper than paying for advertising.
well, here's the thing: while some of these videos are good and well researched, most of "trying overly sponsored products" is just another version of a video essay that's born to tell the "truth" behind something. can you get views by posting "the best and worst meal kits reviewed"? maybe, but you'll likely get way more if you go "debunking hello fresh! why influencers are lying to you!". as a concept, it can work, but it can also come from a place of not like other girls-ing to place oneself as the ultimate good creator against all the other liars.
one of them, a particularly hyped influencer, has made it her whole career out of hot takes about things other people like. sure, she does get a a bit into cost, social impact akd whatnot, but her whole thing is shitting on popular things to set herself apart. at some point i had to block her so that youtube would stop suggesting content tbh, because this girl spending thousands of dollars to prove how different she is pissed me off
I think there is a way to to make the 'trying overly sponsored products' that is like a video essay, and to do it well. I think someone like Swell Entertainment could (or might have?) done something like that. But, this is generally not what happens when these videos are made. It's usually low effort, low thought with general statements like this is nice, tasty, etc.
I think you also raise a good point that creator's who end up making their entire careers shitting on things can become extremely negative. Or, viewers can eventually get to the place of thinking "do they ever like anything?!" BUT, there is so much middle between the thoughtless purchases, constant or frequent hauls, minimal critical thinking and roasting every brand and person out there for not being sustainable, ethical etc. We do need some commentary and roasting but perhaps not 100% either.
@@shawnaripari agreed! it is always a balance of being curious and being wasteful with the justification of making content, same as being careful with purchases and influence x being a dick about anything and everything people like (some minimalism folks do that, it's infuriating)
i guess ragebait unfortunately sells and a lot of people don't care if they're spending money and resources as long as they're getting the most reactions. which is a whole other concern with RUclips culture in itself tbh
I don’t think the average person has credit card debt simply because of overconsumption. I think life is currently unaffordable for many.
I think it can be true that influencers are influencing more spending but I also think it is cultural and political
At some point there needs to be a shift from blaming influencers to more policies to curb the brands promoting this consumerism.
I absolutely agree that for many credit card debt happens because life is so unaffordable.
I also agree that many changes will NOT happen unless policy is instituted. The way fast fashion operates will not change on its own without legislation because corporations will continue to do what is most profitable. Yes, part of this is culture as well, and influencer culture is culture. It's part of what encourages people to buy beyond their means. In my opinion both things need to change, this is not an either or scenario.
@@shawnaripari I only speak as a user and viewer. I get regular influencers and uninfluencers but they all seem fairly separate from the political people / influencers
At one point I noticed an uptick in finance content. Individuals or couples would sit down with a financial advisor and discuss their personal spending habits. Although they may have started with good intentions they ended up being entertainment and the comments would be incredibly judgmental of people. I removed that content from my feed because I didn’t like the negativity. I feel like that’s an example of how a good thing without balance ends up manipulated as cheesy or entertainment
I use hello fresh sometimes but I only get it when it's half the price 😁 and only for this specific week and than waiting again for the same price
Your nails look amazing 😻
Re: emissions: it’s come out about the genocide in Gaza that Israel has put out the same amount of co2 as the lowest polluting 20 countries in a year. I think that factory farming is gross and leads to a lot of problems and yet I think we have been made to believe that consumer/constituent goods and consumption are the biggest problem. Consumerism and individualism are huge problems, yes, but our governments are polluting at a level that consumers are unable to contend with when it comes to war, conflict, etc.
Do you have a cat or is someone eating chips? 😅 12:30 ish
It's a cat, and they sat on the mic at 14:40 lol