[imagesource: Matt Winkelmeyer / Getty Images for Coachella]

As aspirational as Coachella once seemed, those on the sidelines are becoming increasingly fatigued looking at the countless influencers being paid to perform fun and farm content.

The music festival started out as a dream for many, with headline acts from some of the coolest names in the music business.

But now, it’s become so commercialised that it’s basically a giant Instagram content playground for brands to pump their stuff through social media.

This year’s headline acts included Billie Eilish, Harry Styles, Megan Thee Stallion, Swedish House Mafia, and The Weeknd.

We reported on the highlights but at the end of the day, the skimpy and outlandish outfits seem to have been what most of the attendees were focused on:

 

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Let’s take a look at some hot takes from BuzzFeed News:

“A lot of people have pointed out that this is the first Coachella where TikTok exists,” said Jasmine Melody, a 26-year-old influencer who has attended multiple Coachellas, including last weekend.

“Through Instagram, you’re getting a very 2D look at what Coachella is. You’re seeing the outfits, and that’s it. Now that people have platforms like TikTok that are video-based and candid — the vibe of TikTok is very, like, ‘today sucked,’ and people connect over it — it’s a big part of what’s going on.”

Beauty creator Naomi Mahdesian made a TikTok saying she had zero FOMO for Coachella because it turned into “mainly an influencer work event created to farm content”.

Fashion forecaster and writer Mandy Lee also added to the Coachella is a flop discussion:

@oldloserinbrooklyn My quick analysis on the shift of Coachella culture/fashion #coachella #analysis #fashion #revolve #coachella2022 ♬ You – Petit Biscuit

She spoke with BuzzFeed News about the marketing aspect:

…she emphasized that while there are surely those who still attend for the high-profile lineup, the glimmer around Coachella has become increasingly about brands churning out digital marketing, using free perks as a way to entice influencers to post for their companies in massive quantities without actually paying them.

“Your attendance is a transaction for your content,” said Lee. The phrase “let’s connect after Coachella” even spawned an insular T-shirt meme among influencers.

Even though around 150 music acts played across seven stages, most of the social media content remained centred around the 23 sponsors (including Adidas, Revolve, and H&M), as well as other events and brand activations.

There was a Venmo swing ride and the big Revolve party, which some have likened to “capitalism inception”:

Revolve Fest, a mini Coachella stacked with performers, picturesque backdrops and trendy gifting suites, all in an effort to churn out as much ​“organic” content as possible, commodifying fun using thousands of celebrities, influencers and plus ones, otherwise known as content farming.

While BuzzFeed News called Coachella out for being in its “flop era”, The Face wonders if “Coachella has transformed from music festival to content festival with music in the background”:

Adrienne Reau, a 26-year-old full-time content creator (@ageorama on TikTok, where she has 495k followers) who attended Coachella and Revolve Fest, was responsible for three Instagram in-feed posts, seven TikTok videos and 40 Instagram stories across her various brand deals and work obligations over one weekend.

Here’s one of her videos:

@ageorama coachella recap 🎡🌵 #coachella #coachellafashion #coachella2022 ♬ original sound – veggibeats

Mahdesian again:

“I don’t know, everyone looked the same,” she said. “The commercialism and the marketing killed the authenticity part of it for me. I don’t even think I’ve seen content about the music. It felt like one of those museums where you only go to get selfies, rather than a music festival.”

Although, she also recognises that the “negativity gets more hype and more eyeballs” compared to the positive reviews.

Plenty of attendees go there to check out the music and have a genuinely good time with friends, but when all the content online is from influencers doing their influencing thing, the perception gets skewed.

Selling the perception of fun isn’t genuine fun.

[sources:buzzfeednews&theface]