[imagesource:here]

Don’t be put off by the gimmicky-sounding term because being a “genuinfluencer” is serious business.

Coined by trend forecasting company WGSN, it describes social media personalities who use their platforms for more than just product peddling.

The highly informed Gen-Zers and the setup of platforms like TikTok, which allow more authentic voices to be heard over the hubbub of social media, is changing the game for influencers.

Now, education, information, and transparency are lauded over inspirational fashion, beauty, or lifestyle content that is purely trying to sell something.

The Guardian reports how there’s been a slight change in mindset since the likes of Donald Trump and the Kardashian/Jenner clan have somewhat disappeared from the public eye (Keeping Up With the Kardashians recently aired its final episode).

They refer to the above as the “era of showboating excess and aspirational product placement”:

“Being too ‘aspirational’ is seen as almost repellent now by many generation-Zers, who favour platforms such as TikTok because of this,” says trend forecaster Geraldine Wharry, who has written about the changes in a new report.

Her research, which forecasts how influencers and brands will transform over the next few years, predicts the death of concepts such as opacity and online performatives.

“Influencers are expected to be more authentic now, more than ever,” says Wharry. “Transparency is also required. Influencers can easily come under fire if they use the wrong historical term or show any behaviour seen (at odds with the) highly informed Gen-Zers.”

The “genuinfluencers to watch” according to a recent Vogue Business article are Munroe Bergdorf, a model and activist who discusses racial injustice and LGBTQ+ rights:

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Munroe ✨ (@munroebergdorf)

Plus, Frankie Bridge, a mother who speaks openly about her depression:

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Frankie Bridge (@frankiebridge)

There’s also Chelsea Kauai, who often talks about sustainability and animal welfare as part of her content:

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Chelsea Y.✨🌊 Adventure Travel (@chelseakauai)

A call for more clarity about corporate relationships also arrived in 2017 when the Federal Trade Commission published suggested guidelines as to how influencers should conduct themselves online.

But it was really the COVID-19 pandemic that made more people heed this call to action.

With many stuck at home thinking about what matter most, like mental health and the climate crisis, influencing had to cater to new needs.

Alessandro Bogliari, co-founder of The Influencer Marketing Factory, elaborates:

“Instead of watching stories of celebrities who were saying: ‘We’re all in this together,’ from their mansions, people wanted to (see) people going through the same difficult times.”

“Because of the pandemic, there has been a big shift from ‘worshipping’ celebs to trying to have a more ‘normal’ connection with influencers who were struggling as well.”

Since the influencer game has morphed into something more grounded, “genuinfluencers” have tapped into the cultural conversations about important topics, giving their followers the information they desire.

Taking a stand and inspiring meaningful action is in, and brands/influencers that ignore this may one day fall by the wayside.

[source:guardian]