In recent years, influencer marketing has presented itself as a viable career path for many. The success of the Influencer profession largely comes from the relatability of the individual, their engagement with the audience, and algorithms. While social media influencers may seem like a new phenomenon, they are effectively taking the place of once popular lifestyle magazines from the nineties and early 2000s. Rather than going to In Touch Weekly, Better Homes & Garden, or Cosmopolitan magazine to garner the newest trends in fashion, beauty and/or home improvement, the average social media user can see their favorite influencer demonstrate products.
When it comes to authenticity, the audience wants to know that the products being pushed upon them are quality and not just a cash grab opportunity. In recent years, there has been a crackdown on social media advertising after several celebrities failed to disclose their working relationships. Kim Kardashian's $1.26 million Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) fine is one notable example of a social media influencer getting their hand slapped for “unfair or deceptive acts or practices” (Lustigman et. al, 2022). Influencers that have been called out for misrepresenting the products or failing to disclose working relationships with certain companies have certainly tainted the profession.
While I don't personally follow any lifestyle influencers, my boyfriend is a content creator on YouTube with sponsored advertisements. I can speak to the fact that he actually likes the products he talks about and has turned down integration opportunities in the past if they did not fit his brand. Using his channel (Roanoke Gaming) as an example, he covers movies, video games, and other media from a scientific angle after years of working at the Center for Disease Control (CDC) as a biologist. He has had integrations with earbud/headphone, mattress, meal kit, and facial hair grooming companies in the past, and I can vouch for the fact that he actually uses the products in real life when the cameras are off. People gravitate towards his pages because they enjoy his brand of humor, and he has an ability to make science and learning a fun experience. While headphones and meal kits may not seem like they'd mesh with his channel description, people can see that he likes to exercise which is when he wears the headphones, and he often advocates for eating clean, which is where the meal kits have come in handy for him personally.
Resource
Lustigman, A., Spina, M., Gold, R. (2022). Kim Kardashian to pay $1.26 Million towards “Unlawful Touting” SEC Charges. OSHLAN. Retrieved from https://www.olshanlaw.com/Advertising-Law-Blog/kim-kardashian-to-pay-1-26-million-towards-unlawful