How Recessions Kill Flex Culture.
Flex culture is at its peak when markets are stable - when there’s some level of “attainable aspiration”, when life is just that little less suck-ish.
If you were lucky, you’d might have found yourself thinking in the past “Hey, I’ve got an OK job, I can pay my bills - maybe someday I’ll drive a Ferrari like that influencer, too.”
But what happens when a recession looms, we develop an anti-capitalist mindset, there’s a cost of living crisis, a global pandemic and you’re struggling to pay your bills? You’re not aspiring to own a Mayfair Townhouse anymore, you’re just waking up hoping you can put your heating on and feed your family.
We caught up with our Social Strategist, Dani, to ask her opinion on what this means for the lifestyle influencer? "Well, it’s over - but only if you’re still flexing."
What Did We Learn From The Great Recession?
The distaste for those who can’t relate to the everyday hardships grows larger when a recession approaches. An excerpt from a 2008 vanity fair article reads;
“With nothing but grim economic forecasts clouding the horizon, it appears that tastemakers from all different realms of popular culture are scrambling to adjust to rapidly shifting attitudes towards wealth and luxury. Film producers are searching for scripts that reflect the current anti-capitalist sentiment; television networks are beginning to program reality shows whose main characters are philanthropists"
In 2008 it was the fall of the first real influencer - Paris Hilton, in 2022 it’s the fall of The Kardashians, as their latest season tanks on ratings and citing in most reviews as “unrealistic, too curated and not relatable”
Some People Just Don’t Want To Work These Days.
How many times have we heard influencers say “I work hard for what I get, and if you did too - you’d be just like me”
There’s no denying, being a full time content creator is a form of hard work - but the light has been shone and the truth has been told.
To be a lifestyle influencer (most of the time) comes from a place of privilege, and this must be acknowledged. We cannot compare influencer work to the work of an average working person, and as for your potential audience, they don’t want to hear it either.
Staying Humble To Stay Relevant
Transparency is the key to relevancy. From years of photoshopping, lying and false dreams, audiences are fed up. Influencers and content creators need to start having those difficult conversations with their audiences that they once would have shied away from. These conversations are about finances, how you really got your start in the industry, the reality of content creation and the privilege of living life as a lifestyle influencer.
Ultimately, audiences wants to feel validated. They don’t want to live on false hope and dreams when the economy and their real life surroundings are telling them otherwise.
So, should you still use lifestyle influencers in brand campaigns?
100%. Lifestyle Influencers are going nowhere and they are an imperative part of any strong social campaign, however you should make careful considerations when choosing an influencer partner.
We only work with influencers who we believe are going to be authentic, not only in branded partnerships but are authentic with their fans too.