Rise of the anti-influencer influencer

Caption: Screenshot from YouTube Video titled INFLUENCER-19

“Sometimes we want escapism and light content, but a lot of us can’t stand to watch creators that seem to live in their own bubble, especially during this time when so many traumatic, painful things are happening” —Tiffany Ferguson, Youtuber.

Bursting this bubble is the anti-influencer influencer. A personality who has chosen to use their platform to call out inappropriate actions and urge for accountability of individuals in their space.

Several of today’s young influencers operate in an unregulated environment. Some can be problematic at the best of times and have chosen to be their most inconsiderate selves during the worst of times; escaping lockdowns, partying and travelling during a pandemic!

Many platforms don’t hold influencers to a set of ethical standards that guide how they influence young impressionable audiences — now, many YouTube creators are taking it upon themselves to call out their behaviour.

It could be argued that the ant-influencer influencer feeds into the cycle of drama that many online personalities typically become involved in, but with so many individuals having their world turned upside down during a pandemic the tables have surely been turning, with viewers wanting to see individuals posting content with more self-awareness and accountability.

D’Angelo Wallace, with over 4 million views on his video titled INFLUCER-19, talks very eloquently for OVER AN HOUR about all the inappropriate behaviour of several big-name influencers during the pandemic. The video was published on 1 February 2021.

Captions: Comments on Youtuber D’angelo Wallace’s video titled ‘Influencer-19.’

OG Youtuber Tyler Oakley has over 220,000 views on his video titled ‘dear influencers partying during the pandemic…’

Another video titled ‘Let’s Talk About Influencer Entitlement and Accountability’ has over 260,000 views and there’s so many others to mention.

Experts and YouTubers agree that big-name influencers will emerge from the pandemic unscathed due to their loyal audiences, however influencers in the lower tiers could be hardest hit if they have been acting unaware and poorly.

What does this mean for aspiring influencers?

Aspiring influencers should learn from this. Stay humble and try and bring something different to the table. The world always needs more authenticity and kindness. The pandemic has had the world questioning what good celebrities and out of touch influencers are to us all.

Zoe Jarousek