Influencer Marketing Changes Consumer Culture

 written by 10226 Jin Young

In November 2023, Starbucks and Stanley released their holiday collaboration line, leading to a frenzy of customers’ physical conflicts and violent harassment between customers. The Stanley Quencher literally skyrocketed from a common tumbler to the most coveted birthday gift.

Then what caused Stanley’s rapid rise in popularity?

The answer lies in the term that has become more prevalent and intricate in contemporary society: influencer marketing. The Stanley Quencher is one of the current examples of influencer-driven marketing.

Power of Influencer Marketing

According to a Sprout Social survey in 2023, more than 80% of marketers agree that influencers are essential to their overall social media strategy.

Influencer Marketing Hub revealed that 93% of influencers are willing to contract partnerships with brands that have potential values. 63% of consumers are likely to buy products from an influencer they follow and trust.

This cyclical relationship has led to a new era of consuming culture. However, none of this would have been possible without the rise of a certain special relationship.

Parasocial Relationship Persuasion

Parasocial relationships are non-reciprocal connections in which the audience feels engaged with media figures, in this case, the influencers.

PubMed Central researched how parasocial engagement impacts audience evaluation of products and purchase intentions through social media.

When you watch influencers’ content or reach out through likes and comments, it’s highly likely to feel related to them. This seems especially true when influencers seem to have similar personalities and lifestyles to yours or those whose identities align with yours.

Emerald Insight revealed parasocial relationships have also been found to positively influence evaluation towards a brand endorsed by an influencer; since followers tend to admire influencers’ aesthetics or the general lifestyle they post online, they want to imitate their purchases.

Not only promoting sponsored brands, but parasocial relationships are also beneficial when influencers launch their own brands as they benefit from their popularity and trust.

Forbes magazine noted that influencers are waking up to the power of directly monetizing their audience, using knowledge collected over the years to move up the value chain and launch their own ventures.

However, negative aspects also exist, stemming from common but unhealthy virtues.

FOMO Encouraging Over Consumption

FOMO, the fear of missing out, is triggered by the fear that you are missing out on the exciting things others are experiencing.

In terms of influencer marketing, FOMO urges consumers to purchase certain commodities not considering their practical use or price.

FOMO especially affects teenagers since they are more vulnerable to the influencer marketing process.

In February, American Psychological Association Chief Officer Mitch Prinstein, Ph.D., commented, “Most youths crave for social rewards, such as visibility, attention and positive feedback from peers.”

This psychological phenomenon causes teens to feel validated by their peers, leading them to desire easily recognizable trendy items to serve as status symbols.

Jessica DeFino, creator of The Unpublishable, noted that being cooped up during the pandemic era, teens have been spending increased amounts of time on social media. This is especially spending more time on the content by influencers exposing brands promoting beauty and skincare products.

Supported by sophisticated algorithms that continuously show related products sponsored by influencers, the Sephora Kid emerged in early 2024. Highly influenced by social media, Sephora Kids tend to shop for products that are not necessary or appropriate for their age and skin.

The skincare brand Drunk Elephant was popular among teens through influencer marketing. Their products are known for containing chemical exfoliants, including retinol and acids, which are more appropriate for adult skin.

Attitudes Toward Influencer Marketing

Sahil Chopra, CEO and Founder of iCubesWire addressed how to deal with the negative side of influencer marketing and that those aspects should serve as a wake-up call for the influencer marketing industry.

Chopra also noted, “It’s essential for influencers and brands to understand the importance of authenticity in order to foster a loyal and trusting audience.”

Prominent economists anticipate that influencer marketing is unlikely to dwindle or stop impacting consumers with the continual growth of social media.

Even though it is completely natural to be affected by influencer marketing, having trust in one’s own decisions and not being overly dependent on influencers and their promotions shouldn’t be neglected, as Forbes magazine noted.

In the new breeze of consumer culture, we need to learn how to fly in it, not be swept away by it.