The Future. Talking people out of buying new products may be the hottest new trend. De-influencing videos, which took off roughly 16 months ago after a makeup influencer was caught faking the effect of a product, have racked up hundreds of millions of views and are now having a real economic impact. If the trend continues at the same pace, expect several social media-focused DTC brands to close up shop.

Anti-ambassadorsA Harris Poll/Credit Karma survey of 2,042 US adults found that 69% of social media users say they have chosen not to buy products on TikTok, Instagram, or any other platforms.

  • 32% said they haven’t because they don’t trust the influencers hawking the product.

  • 28% said they didn’t believe the products to be “authentic” or “functional.”

  • 26% said the sheer volume of products being influenced has created an environment of “overconsumption.”

The kicker is that these stated reasons are exactly what de-influencers are sharing. Not wanting to overconsume is especially popular with Gen Z, 88% of whom say they’ve been de-influenced. 38% say that wanting to lower their consumption, whether for financial or sustainability reasons, is their main reason for opting not to buy stuff.

That’s not to say a lot of people aren’t buying stuff off social platforms — 38% of Americans did so over the past year. However, those respondents say that they may opt not to this year.

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