The Crisis of Excess

At some point in life, most of us have probably heard advice from a grandparent not to buy too much, and to give things a second chance if they break. Considering the economic and social conditions in Poland 50–70 years ago, such behavior made absolute sense. Limited product availability, legal and commercial restrictions, and the overall lifestyle of people at the time fostered these beliefs. Historians often talk about the crisis of scarcity, something that Generation Y and Z barely remember, while modern teenagers might read this and look at me with confusion.

Today, we talk about a crisis of excess, but not just in terms of the sheer number of available products, the lack of trade barriers, or ever-shorter production and delivery times. When I speak of the crisis of excess, I mean the overwhelming number of stimuli filled with messages like BUY, TRY, NOW, CHEAPER! The excess of communication has become a modern threat. It’s estimated that each of us is exposed to about 100,000 words daily from external mass media sources.

That’s why today, I want to discuss how we’ve reached a point where this excess is starting to „spill over.” And it’s happening in a place I least expected—in the world of influencers.

The Potential of the Influencer Market

According to Nielsen Media Research, the global influencer marketing market was valued at $15 billion in 2022. Forecasts from Research and Markets predict that by 2028, the global market will reach a staggering $84.9 billion. The number of new faces and niches that creators successfully occupy is growing at a rapid pace. Of course, nothing lasts forever—not everyone can maintain their level and attention from their audience for years. This is why the development of this market is so intense and flexible; absolutely anyone has a chance to emerge with their content and value. One of my favorite examples of a niche success is the Skin Coach!

The Power of Social Media Sales

A few months ago on our blog, I wrote about the great potential influencer marketing has in terms of online sales, specifically through the social commerce trend—online sales driven by emotional, fast-paced streams where the creator conveys key values to the target audience, drops a link, and often successfully closes the sale in real-time. According to SocialPress, among adult members of Generation Z, 92% admit that influencers have a significant impact on their purchasing decisions. It’s estimated that by 2025, Gen Z will be responsible for 62% of global spending on social media. We all know how influencers’ opinions have contributed to the growth of online shopping, but also how they can lead to unnecessary purchases. For the first time in history, companies collaborating with influencers have chosen TikTok over Instagram more often for these purposes. The hashtag #TikTokMadeMeBuyIt is incredibly popular—users share the products they bought thanks to influencer recommendations. How many of these purchases were unnecessary or driven by an emotional connection with the creator whose authority convinced them to buy? We’ll never know.

De-Influencing – What’s It About?

The de-influencing trend emerged around the same time as the MascaraGate scandal. One influencer, while promoting an eyelash product, wore false lashes in a promotional video—misleading her audience. The deception was exposed, leading to a scandal for both the brand and the influencer. Many people began doubting the authenticity of various campaigns—a phenomenon that’s not new, but now it has gained more traction.

De-influencers are still influencers, but with a mission-driven approach to purchases—much like the grandmother I mentioned in the first paragraph. These creators employ several strategies:

• Recommending cheaper alternatives, promoting budget brands over premium ones,
• Encouraging smaller and less frequent purchases,
• Creating content aimed at helping people save money, such as how to dress stylishly on a budget or how to travel cheaply,
• The more radical de-influencers simply discourage buying from certain brands or criticize products that are suddenly trending and everyone seems to want—sometimes just for the sake of it.

In simple terms, de-influencers promote cutting back on excess and consumerism in favor of minimalism and saving. Videos tagged with #deinfluencing have already amassed over 200 million views on TikTok.

De-influencers call out aggressive advertising and hidden promotions, encouraging us to reflect on whether purchasing something that’s trending online is truly necessary. Some say de-influencers are a response to the current times—times of economic slowdown and a push to limit spending on unnecessary goods. De-influencers aim to help us, as always, choose the best products from a sea of options, but this time based on different values.

The Next Step Towards Fair Play in Social Media

The role of de-influencers seems significant. I’d even venture to say that they might support the trend of improving the quality of advertising practices on social media. In 2022, the Polish Office of Competition and Consumer Protection (UOKiK) issued a 40-page document outlining recommendations for proper (and legal) labeling of advertisements in social media. This document was created out of a strong need to combat misleading ads, hidden promotions, and ethically questionable practices. Through their activity, de-influencers could be a supporting element for UOKiK. For instance, if a creator promotes a product that is misleading or just another unnecessary gadget for the masses, and it slips through UOKiK’s guidelines, the de-influencer, with their message of „think before you buy, wait, don’t rush,” becomes another layer of verification for the legitimacy of the ad. Although the trend was only named recently, I feel like I’ve known many de-influencers for a long time. Essentially, anyone who protects me from unnecessary spending is a de-influencer in my book.

What’s Next?

It’s hard to predict the development of the relationship between de-influencers and brands. De-influencers often recommend cheaper alternatives over more expensive ones, which presents an opportunity for budget brands to be noticed and endorsed by this group of creators. Instead of an expensive night cream, a de-influencer might suggest a cheaper, lesser-known brand of similar quality—something previously known only to a select few.

This trend sends a strong signal from de-influencers to brands: creators are watching closely. It’s as if they’re saying, “Hey brands! We see you. If your message, quality, or authenticity isn’t real, we’ll tell everyone!” This will greatly influence how brands choose influencers in the future.

Consumerism, of course, won’t disappear, but it might become more conscious. I also see this as an opportunity for brands that are confident in the quality of their products and aren’t afraid of being scrutinized by de-influencers. Conscious consumerism also signals tougher times for brands that rely on inflated, unsubstantiated value.