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Some influencers themselves cannot cope with the pressure placed on them by brands

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In my opinion, influencers are not being used responsibly because even if they sell products online, for the brand, those products might not be suitable for people under age. This definitely has a great impact over people, mentally and in every aspect of their lives.
According to research, " For companies, this means free advertising to potential consumers, clients, employees, and investors. However, companies also risk losing control of their image and could face the possibility that negative blog posts may drive away potential business".

Read more at: https://phys.org/news/2012-01-positive-effects-negative-blogs.html#jCp

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Brands are being responsible if they abide by the ASA's guidelines.

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We have launched a new guide to help social influencers stick to the rules by making clear when their posts are ads. The Influencer's Guide has been developed in collaboration with the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA).

The Influencer's Guide is an online resource that aims to help all parties involved in influencer marketing to follow the rules. It includes:

What the rules are

What the ASA considers to be an ad

How to make clear ads are ads

What the CMA's requirements are

What happens if someone makes a complaint about a post to the ASA

The Influencer's Guide also includes a flowchart to help users quickly work out whether a post needs to make clear that it's an ad.

Influencer marketing has evolved alongside the rise of social media and mobile technology into an increasingly popular advertising tool. Brands engage with people who are popular on social networks such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to discuss, photograph and/or recommend a product.

When a brand rewards an influencer with a payment, free gift, or other perk, any resulting posts become subject to consumer protection law. When a brand also has control over the content, they become subject to the UK Advertising Code as well.

Consumers must always be aware when they are being advertised to, and both brands and influencers have a responsibility to ensure the content makes that reality clear upfront. Failure to disclose a commercial relationship leaves both parties at risk of action from the ASA.

We've banned a number of influencer posts for failing to make clear they were ads. Over the last few years posts from Louise Thompson, Millie Macintosh, and Marnie Simpson have been subject to ASA action. Earlier this year, we launched a project looking into the labelling of online ads to make sure the ASA's standards are in the right place.

The CMA recently launched an investigation into whether influencers are properly declaring when they have been paid, or otherwise rewarded, to endorse goods or services. The CMA enforces consumer protection legislation which prohibits unfair commercial practices.

Shahriar Coupal, Director of the Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP) said:
"Responsible influencer marketing involves being upfront and clear with the audience, so people are not confused or misled and know when they're being advertised to. The relationship between influencers and their followers relies on trust and authenticity, so transparency is in the interests of all parties. "If celebrities or influencers are posting about a product on social media, they must make it clear if they've been paid to promote it, or have been gifted, loaned a product or thanked in some other way by a brand. No one should be left thinking that a Tweet or Instagram post is just the person's opinion when it's not. "We've already launched an investigation into concerns that social media stars are not properly labelling their posts, and we hope this guidance will help all influencers stay on the right side of consumer law." This guide on the standards will help influencers and brands stick to the rules by being upfront with their followers."
George Lusty, the CMA's Senior Director for Consumer Protection said:

Download the Influencer's Guide now.

More on

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Advertising Standards Authority | Committee of Advertising Practice

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New guidance launched for social influencers

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We have launched a new guide to help social influencers stick to the rules by making clear when their posts are ads. The Influencer's Guide has been developed in collaboration with the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA). The Influencer's Guide is an online resource that aims to help all parties involved in influencer marketing to follow the rules.

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In my opinion the younger generations of are easily influenced to the affluent lifestyles and possessions due to the mainstream of influencers promoting them. They become entranced to the point they believe they are capable of handling the constant change of trends when really they're not. It becomes an unhealthy obsession.

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According to the RSPH's report (2017) 'Status of Mind', social media can an effective way for people to express their own identity. One way of self-expression could be by connecting to brands/social influencers who people most identify with.

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There are many pitfalls in terms of the ASA's authority, one being that it is nearly impossible to regulate every influencer/ influencing company.

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it is evident that online influencers can negatively impact the younger generation as it can be mentally damaging scrolling through feeds of almost perfect lifestyles that many young people cannot afford. this can lead to people comparing themselves to social media influencers.

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Influencers although may have millions of followers via their social platforms in my opinion need to remind their fans on all platforms that they are 'JUST LIKE US NORMAL PEOPLE'. Thereby making their fans more aware that they do not have to try so hard to become something their not or buy all products that the influencers are promoting as the individual does not need them.

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Current trends regarding 'body positive' images and healthy mindfulness/eating could be seen as a filter for some irresponsible use of influencing as the public's ethics and values are changing.
https://www.talkingretail.com/news/industry-news/uk-shoppers-increasingly-buying-healthy-food-finds-report-03-10-2017/

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The ethical brands choose to pick influencers who side with their brand vision or who are of legal age in order to promote their products. It is not the brands fault that the social media page allows people to create accounts from the age of 13 and that the page could be visited by anyone. Even if the influencer would allow only a certain age group to visit in different countries the age ban varies. Furthermore, it is hard to know even if the person who is visiting the page is of the age one has provided in the application, there is many fake accounts in the web.

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Online influences can easily influence social media users, especially younger users, to follow their trends, products they promote, etc. Online brands are not focused on how there brand/product may affect users, all they are concerned about is increasing their brand as a whole. This can also be the same for the influences as a majority of them will accept a brand deal, and forget about the consequences it may have on their audience/followers. In some cases online brands may even contact influences to promote their product, even though the product may have no relevance to the actual influences. The main reason why they do this is because the influences have thousands or even millions of followers which they see as though their product will be seen by a large majority of social media users.

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Behind the Scenes of Instagram’s Million-Dollar Influencer Brand Deals

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What do Danielle Bernstein of WeWoreWhat, Bryan Yambao of Bryanboy and Julie Sariñana of Sincerely, Jules have in common? Behind their groundbreaking influence and six-figure brand deals is top agent Jennifer Powell.

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Evidence to support this is being increasingly found in academic research, such as this study into the impact of fitness images on women's body image.

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The Impact of Different Forms of #fitspiration Imagery on Body Image, Mood, and Self-Objectification among Young Women - Sex Roles

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The present study experimentally examined the impact of different forms of inspirational fitness images (“fitspiration”) on women’s body image. Australian female participants (n = 152, 17–30 years-old; M age = 21.55, SD = 3.94) were randomly assigned to view fitspiration media which depicted the body in a functional (performing exercise) or non-functional (posed) way, with or without accompanying appearance-focused text. There were no main effects of image type or text presence for body satisfaction, mood, or state self-objectification. However, state body satisfaction decreased and negative mood increased over time following exposure to the fitspiration images. Trait self-objectification moderated the impact of image type and text on state body satisfaction, such that viewing functional images presented with appearance-focused text resulted in poorer body satisfaction for women with higher trait self-objectification, but not for those with lower self-objectification. The findings demonstrate that irrespective of focus or presence of text, exposure to fitspiration images decreases body satisfaction and increases negative mood, highlighting the potential negative consequences of engaging with fitspiration media.

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to my understanding many social media influencers do not make it clear that they are advertising for a brand they are getting paid for

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Celebrity and peer images have been found to have a negative impact on mood and body dissatisfaction.

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The influence on the young is not well regulate

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The influence on the young is not well regulate

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Whilst there are rules and vague laws around how messages are put forward, there appears to be very little done to clamp down on those flaunting them both intentionally or unintentionally. This may be that the social media sites are global, many of the brands are have a global reach but the rules and laws are country, or (in USA) State specific making it complex and easy to escape any prosecution.

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Brand on the Net vs the Traditional advertising

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Brand on the Net vs the Traditional advertising

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There is no doubt that using social media has an exceptional advantage in the reach of a young audience. However, in traditional advertising brands use artistic and creative ways advertise whilst following a set of rules and laws that are heavily regulated. Advertising on social media has is an industry that is growing rapidly and it is very difficult for the law to keep up which leaves either the influenced to make their own ill informed judgement on products. Or for the influencer to make moral and ethical calls on whether to promote something or not.

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Do the Brand influencers really know what they are selling?

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Do the Brand influencers really know what they are selling?

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There were numerous instances in that panorama video alone where the word "thought" pops up e.g. I thought it was an e-commerce site.
These influencers stand to make a lot of money promoting a brand, and as a result do very little research in to the brand or what harm, if any, it may have on there followers.

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Influencers are not used responsibly by brands because, most of the time, they are promoting harmful products to a certain group of people (e.g. gambling sites to children). They should know what their fanbase is made of and should promote products which are beneficial to that audience

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This shows an insight into blogging and how people tune in to watch you tubers daily activities.

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Rise of The Superstar Vloggers (Vlogging Documentary) | Real Stories

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The quote below shows how much time on average somebody spends on social media everyday...

' Much of the change can be credited to the rise of social media. Global internet users spend roughly 135 minutes, on average, surfing social media networks daily. '

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Media consumption has changed drastically in recent years. Much of the change can be credited to the rise of social media. Global internet users spend roughly 135 minutes, on average, surfing social media networks daily. This has prompted brands to utilize that time and screen space to promote their services on social media.

Let's be honest, the internet has changed the way brands go about their marketing campaigns. Traditional advertisements just don't generate the sales they used to. Influencer marketing, on the other hand, does.

Social influencers have created a following for themselves in their niche, by doing things their own way. They've become a voice of reason and trust and they're able to cut through the noise of commercials and connect with consumers. Their way of doing things is unique to themselves yet universal in its appeal.

Let's take a look at the impact working with social media influencers can have on your brand:

1. Engage your Target Audiences

By being their true selves, influencers are able to engage their audiences through authentic storytelling. Influencers have gotten to the positions they are in by being honest and often humorous with their content. This is why their audiences look to them for inspiration and recommendations.

One of the biggest benefits of influencers is that they tell an authentic story about your brand. And we're not talking about simply engaging your existing audience. Social media influencers can also help you penetrate circles you'd find difficult to otherwise. For example, as a startup or small business, chances are that not a lot of people have heard about you. Which is why they may be reluctant to try your products.

Partnering with micro-influencers will help you create a buzz about your products or services. That's exactly what Sperry did when they partnered with 100 different micro-influencers. They identified fans who were already sharing high-quality photos of their products and invited them to raise the roof.

2. Establish Credibility

A great way to establish some street cred is to work with prominent influencers from your niche. By speaking on your behalf, they verify your credibility among the demographics you're targeting. 42% of online customers find recommendations from people they know influential. Considering this, it's critical your brand establishes some credibility among audiences to help drive sales.

The best way to help you do that is to collaborate with influencers who are already using and loving your products and services. Get in touch with them, and have them publish content such as product reviews on social media. 23% of shoppers are typically influenced by reviews and recommendations on social media.

Trust takes a long time to establish. And that's exactly what influencers have. They've already invested time to earn consumers' trust and loyalty. As a brand, there's no better way for you gain that same trust than to have those influencers vouch for you.

Let's look at YouTube sensation, The Deal Guy, to help establish this point. An Amazon affiliate, he frequently promotes, reviews, and recommends their products through his videos.

3. Improve Search Rankings

The one thing that all website owners want is a good search engine ranking. According to a Google Executive, the top two factors used for rankings are content and the links pointing to your site. Both of which your influencers can help you with.

To put it simply - the quality, freshness, authenticity, and relevance of your content play a significant role in your search rankings.

A great example of this is the social media takeover campaign Luke Evans did for Disney. Disney wanted to promote Beauty and the Beast. Luke took over the brand's Instagram account and regularly posted photos from the movie premiere.

When links to your website are shared by reputable and credible sites, search engines will rank you higher. Partnering with influencers will help build organic and high-value backlinks for your site and landing pages.

But this is a moot point unless you don't find and work with the right influencers. It's here that tools such as Grin can help you. Besides helping you find the right people (based on metrics like outreach and engagement), Grin can help you manage your campaigns as well.
Image via Grin
4. Better Leads and Conversions

Good influencers always have a niche, on the basis of which they create content. Considering them to be experts in their niche, their followers put their trust in the influencer's recommendations. By working with the right people, you can improve brand awareness in relevant markets.

This way you're reaching out to the people who are more likely to be interested in your products and services. You can get in touch with influencers from your industry, and send them free samples of your products. Asking them to try them out and post reviews about them. Be sure to tell them the benefits of your products so that they can share them with their followers.

Influencer marketing doesn't just generate better, more relevant leads. It also has the potential to improve your conversion rates. To give consumers that extra nudge to make a purchase, you can have your influencers provide them with a unique discount code or coupon.

Daniel Wellington, the Swedish watch company illustrates this well. As part of their campaigns, the send free watches to select influencers on Instagram. All influencers had to do was post a picture of the watch, and use the hashtag #danielwellington. They even offered a 15% discount on their watches with special discount codes.

Social media influencers have helped the company grow from a small startup into an established brand. In the screenshot below, you can see Kath, from "she.turns.pages," promoting the brand on Instagram.

5. High Return on Investment

Yet another impact social media influencers have on your business is improving your return on investment. First off, social influencer marketing is relatively inexpensive in comparison to traditional paid media. In fact, a study by Bloglovin' found that most Instagram micro-influencers charge less than $250 for a brand post

And Statista reported that for every dollar spent on influencer marketing, it returns $11.69. Apart from the obvious monetary returns, influencer marketing also has high returns when it comes to earned media value. Much of this can be attributed to factors like sharing and publicity.

Influencer marketing is especially great for startups or small businesses with tight marketing budgets. Not only can it help you save your marketing dollars, it can also help you connect more intimately and authentically with your target audience.

Take Jacob True, the travel-blogger, who's brilliant photos easily fetch up to 1000 likes.

Conclusion

Decades ago, companies would pay for ads on radio programs. In exchange, they'd get a few promotional words aired on the radio. Marketing has come a long way since then. The landscape may have changed dramatically, but there are opportunities aplenty for those looking in the right places.

Influencer marketing can deliver impressive results and help you grow your brand. This list of of different ways social media influencers can impact your brand can help you decide whether it's right for you. If you think there are are other ways in which influencers can benefit your business, please leave a comment below.

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How Social Media Influencers Can Actually Impact Your Brand's Success - GRIN - Influencer Marketing Software

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Media consumption has changed drastically in recent years. Much of the change can be credited to the rise of social media. Global internet users spend roughly 135 minutes, on average, surfing social media networks daily. This has prompted brands to utilize that time and screen space to promote their services on social media.

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'TV may affect the brain, but Influencer Marketing affects the heart'

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'TV may affect the brain, but Influencer Marketing affects the heart'

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Influencer marketing is being used by brands as a way to fit in with consumers' lives and is an exciting way to bring a brand to life.

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Opinion: Social media content drove stronger brand perception shifts

Marketing and advertising have evolved in many ways over the past decade, particularly with the ways we consume media, most notably social media.

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TV May Affect the Brain, But Influencer Marketing Affects the Heart

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Opinion: Social media content drove stronger brand perception shifts Marketing and advertising have evolved in many ways over the past decade, particularly with the ways we consume media, most notably social media.

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Most of the time, celebrities are being highly paid to promote products that are effect the human body. For example, last year Kim Kardashian was caught promoting lollipop suppressants which are used to prevent the any hunger and cravings, ultimately starving any individual who uses them. With having approximately 128 million followers on Instagram, alot of young people aspire or use her as a role model. Therefore, products like this which they are agreeing to promote are sending out a negative, and can be dangerous, message into society.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/kim-kardashian-lollipops-appetite-suppressant-diet-flat-tummy-co-outrage-a8353831.html

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In marketing,  endorsement plays a  significant role  in achieving a  company's good reputation  and  business  goals.  In  recent  years, social  media  influencers  have established themselves as potential endorsers by generating a range of buzzwords as compared to other marketing strategies (i.e., celebrity endorsement), and are deemed to be  the most  cost-efficient and -effective marketing  trends  (Harrison 2017; Patel 2016;  Talaverna  2015).

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I personally trust that the guidelines put in place by the social media sites as well as the governing bodies are secure enough for brands to be able to claim their innocence when dealing with any potential controversies involving influencers. I believe if there are ever any issues with the way in which the relationships between influencers and brands are showcased (as long as what is being done is within guidelines), these issues need to directed towards the platforms.

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Can be used for good and can reach many followers

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Can be used for good and can reach many followers

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In the case of the young lady that suffered anorexia, she felt it necessary to push back on the brand protecting her many followers from a potentially risky product.

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Personally I think online influencers aren't being used responsibly. Younger generations are easily influenced on social media and often try to pursue the lifestyles influencers claim to live. Brands have an idea of the certain audiences influencers have and therefore target people they think will be most interested in, not worrying how these certain products may affect followers. Some products may be falsely represented and prove to be dangerous, without the influencers knowledge.
Despite this, influencers have a choice over what they advertise and should also hold some accountability over the impacts they may cause

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In the darkly comical Ingrid Goes West, a small-budget indie-flick that flew under the radar of many moviegoers last year, a young woman by the name of Ingrid becomes morbidly obsessed by Instagram-famous blogger Taylor.

Ingrid becomes infatuated by Taylor's seemingly perfect life and starts mimicking her every move. Taylor posts a picture of her breakfast at her favorite bagel place, Ingrid stops by for lunch the same day. Taylor quotes a passage from her favorite book, Ingrid orders it online right away.

While the events depicted in the film might be a little over-exaggerated for cinematic purposes, they are, in fact, closer to reality than you might think.

Promoting products via social media influencers can be categorized as a form of subconscious marketing. For ages, brands and advertisers have been seeking to shape consumers' thoughts, attitudes, and behavior, without us even being aware of it. (Sounds interesting? Read more about it here!)

It makes you wonder, who are these so-called "influencers," and why is this hidden form of online advertising becoming increasingly more prevalent in online marketing? And, more importantly, how can this trend be explained through psychology?

In case you missed just how popular social media influencers have become, take a look the staggering numbers reported in a recent study.

The term "influencer marketing" increased by 325% in Google searches over 2017. Making this the fastest-growing online acquisition method of the year.

This trend is likely to continue in the future, as roughly two-thirds of marketing departments are looking to increase their budget for influencer marketing over the next year. Marketers are expected to invest an average budget of $25,000 to $50,000 into multifaceted influencer campaigns this year.

Generally, their money is well spent. For each dollar spent on influencer marketing, marketers see an average of $7.65 in earned media value returned.

The biggest platform for influencer marketing can be found on Instagram. Last year saw a whopping 12.9 million brand sponsored influencer posts. And that number is estimated to double in 2018, creating an estimated market size of nearly $1.7 billion.

Understandably, brands are lining up to be associated with popular social media personas. As a matter of fact, this high demand created a whole industry of its own, with intermediary agencies popping up left and right to serve as matchmakers between companies and their desired influencers.

While the numbers may speak for themselves, that still leaves us with our main question: who exactly are these people?

Well, basically, everyday people like you and me. They're people who have a passion and aren't afraid to tell the world about it. Whether that be cooking, fashion, comedy, or gaming, the possibilities are endless.

And by posting about their passion on social media, influencers have gained immense internet popularity, allowing them to shape and influence audience opinions on matters through blog posts, videos, pictures, tweets, and so on.

The idea behind this promotion method is that by relaying a message to a handful of influencers, they will promote it to their immense networks. Creating a quick and effective approach to reaching a wide audience.

It's not hard to imagine how this makes influencers the ideal marketing tool for companies. They already have a large following at their disposal, which can be easily tapped into by sending out a message endorsed by a popular figure whose opinion they actually want to hear.

In return, influencers profit from participating in these campaigns, either by being paid to post or talk about products, or being provided with free promotional materials.

So far, we have established who influencers are and how they are on the rise in the field of online marketing. But you may still question why. What makes them so attractive for online marketers? What makes their opinion so powerful?

It's no secret that consumer behavior is closely related to cognitive biases: for instance, check out a few examples we've discussed earlier. The way in which consumers are affected by influencer marketing is no exception to this rule.

In order to explain its effectiveness, we can find all our answers in the field of psychology. Because when it comes down to it, basing one's behavior on that of another is nothing new.

Credibility and social proof

Studies have shown that the credibility of a peer endorser depends on the factors of trustworthiness, expertise, attractiveness, and similarity. Taking the first two into account, we can note that the degree of influence a person possesses depends on his degree of perceived power.

According to French and Raven's (1960) framework of power bases, one of the key elements to perceived power lies in expertise. A blogger that focuses on one particular subject, let's say cooking, will be perceived to have more authority when it comes to a particular brand of food (as opposed to a technology or sport blogger).

This authoritative position is further strengthened by a game of sheer numbers: a large number of followers, shares, and likes will provide viewers with a form of social proof. The notion that others value the opinion of an influencer, and adhere to their judgments, assures viewers that doing so is okay. If the majority is doing something, they must be right.

Attractiveness

Then there's the matter of attractiveness. This is a strategy that marketers have already been using for ages - I'm sure you can think of numerous examples of advertisements featuring some handsome Hollywood actor recommending a certain luxury product.

As humans are susceptible to attractiveness bias, we subconsciously attribute attractive or charismatic people with many other qualities simply because they are good looking. Furthermore, this could lead to positive associations between the person and the brand as well. These opinions influence the subconscious of the viewer, potentially priming them when faced with a product-related decision.

Relatability and the millennial crowd

But, what really sets social media influencers apart from other types of endorsers is their relatability. Despite having a large popularity and internet following, influencers are still perceived as mostly normal, down-to-earth people.

They post about their everyday life, stay connected with their followers, and are able to interact directly with them. Plus, they often share the same age group, demographics, interests, and behaviors of their target audience.

This ties in closely to social identity theory, the part of psychology that deals with how people view themselves as belonging to a group of similar individuals, and basing part of their personal identity on their membership to said group. Naturally, the opinions of members of the same group are worth more to people than those of a different group.

More importantly, most influencers belong to the younger age group of millennials, a demographic that is notoriously difficult to reach for marketers. They're a group that places strong value on forming their own identity, one of the most important parts of growing up.

To do so, teens often look up to role models to shape their own behavior. Having a role model that is relatable and easy to identify with makes it all the more likely that teens will copy their behavior.

Although everything I've covered so far may all sound perfect in theory, it's important to keep in mind that people are not stupid. We generally have a good sense in knowing when we are being deceived or when a message is not sincere. Also, simply being popular does not always imply a person is more influential.

With this in mind, there are a few tips and potential pitfalls to keep in mind when choosing to promote your brand via an influencer marketing strategy.

Authenticity is key

Ever heard of the TARES test? It's a set of five principles that serve as a guideline for persuasive communication. The A stands for authenticity, which can be explained in many different ways, but is arguably the most important criterion that has to be met in an influencer campaign.

Does the influencer match the values of your brand? Would he/she use your product in everyday life? Is it something he/she wholeheartedly believes in, and would recommend to his own friends and family? Taking your time to select the right influencer that is the perfect fit for your brand will make the message much more believable.

It's okay to be transparent

Let's not beat around the bush here: influencer marketing has always been met with a certain air of sneakiness. You can't really blame the public for thinking this way, as going around paying people to promote your stuff online without making it clear that they're advertising verges closely on the edge of deception.

Trying to hide this has a tendency to misinform the public and could to some serious harm to the perception of your brand. Rather than playing coy about it, laying all your cards out on the table is the better way to go. Like all good relationships, interaction between a brand and its customers is based on trust.

In order to establish trust, transparency is key. A recent article in Forbes states that particularly the millennial crowd seeks out transparency in a brand, which also happens to be the number one factor that promotes brand loyalty. Young people are well enough informed to know that influencer marketing exists. Adding a simple #ad or #sponsored hashtag to a sponsored post will prevent the audience from feeling deceived and will likely reduce any feelings of animosity towards the brand.

Know how to use influencer marketing

By now, we've learned that influencers are a great method to connect to harder to reach demographics and spread brand awareness. But that doesn't make it a magic tool that will work for each situation.

For example, when it comes to social media promotion, there's always the issue of user passivity. To be truly influential online, not only do you have to be popular, but you have to be able to get others involved in spreading your message. And while most users of social media are perfectly fine with scrolling through, liking, and consuming content, engaging users to interact with your content is not always easy - no matter who's promoting it.

In other words, if you're looking to spark an ongoing conversation about a new product in the hopes of going viral, you might be better off pursuing different methods. Don't fixate yourself with the number of likes or followers of your desired influencer alone.

For an effective influencer campaign, choose quality over quantity. One influencer may have a bigger audience than the other, but the one that is a better fit to the specific target audience you're trying to reach will ultimately help you further.

Moving forward, keep the following points in mind to ensure your next influencer campaign is successful.

Using social media influencers as a marketing tactic is a popular and effective method to reach a large audience and increase brand awareness.

Credibility, attractiveness, and relatability are among the key indicators of an influencer's ability to influence. And they can be explained by psychological concepts like social proof, attractiveness bias, and social identity theory.

Influencer marketing campaigns are especially useful to connect with the millennial crowd.

Don't jump into this trend haphazardly - take your time to find an influencer that matches your brand, is able to deliver an authentic message to the specific target group you're trying to reach, and be upfront about it.

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Under the Influence: The Power of Social Media Influencers

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In the darkly comical Ingrid Goes West, a small-budget indie-flick that flew under the radar of many moviegoers last year, a young woman by the name of Ingrid becomes morbidly obsessed by Instagram-famous blogger Taylor. Ingrid becomes infatuated by Taylor's seemingly perfect life and starts mimicking her every move.

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https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1600/0*SoSTj39LqHwAwVwB.png

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There is a lack of transparency that not only should influencers be responsible for, but brands too. When influencers are promoting products they are perceived as the 'source expertise' which consumers use to judge the credibility of the message (Eastin (2001) cited in Xiao, M et al (2018)). When influencers are not transparent with promotions and posts, this can lead to consumers making wrong decisions and perceiving the influencers as wrongly trustworthy. 

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There is a lack of transparency that not only should influencers be responsible for, but brands too. When influencers are promoting products they are perceived as the 'source expertise' which consumers use to judge the credibility of the message (Eastin (2001) cited in Xiao, M et al (2018)). When influencers are not transparent with promotions and posts, this can lead to consumers making wrong decisions and perceiving the influencers as wrongly trustworthy. 

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Nandagari and Philips (2018) found in their research that ' the work  of an influencer is positive and that they do have an impact on the followers, as the followers sees that the influencer is a  credible source and thus are willing to  try out the products  reviewed and endorsed.'

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The influencer build a trust relationship with their followers, the are like some friends that permit people to take a look into their lives. Social media makes products more real. This isn’t a medium that will go away. Thorough influencers you have a direct instant contact with a target audience. Influencer must provide absolute transparency about being paid for advertising. Influencers must be really focuses on not promoting dangerous or fake products especially when they have children and teenagers as target audience. Especially young girls are influenced by fashion and lifestyle influencers to conform to a specific perfect image.  ’The research largely suggests that greater social media use is associated with body-related concerns. For example, one study found that more frequent viewing of ‘fitspiration’ images on Instagram was correlated with greater body image dissatisfaction among young women.’(Polygeia, 2018)

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Some scholars appear to view Social media influencers as competing, possibly hostile voices (Gorry & Westbrook, 2009),

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Some scholars appear to view Social media influencers as competing, possibly hostile voices (Gorry & Westbrook, 2009),

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Creates opportunity for a social media influencer to promote awareness of a brand/ forge alliance with the brand.

Technologies have been developed to identify and track the influencers relevant to a brand. Factors taken into consideration: number of daily hits on a blog, number of times a post is shared, or number of followers.  (Freber, et. al, 2010)

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Creates opportunity for a social media influencer to promote awareness of a brand/ forge alliance with the brand.

Technologies have been developed to identify and track the influencers relevant to a brand. Factors taken into consideration: number of daily hits on a blog, number of times a post is shared, or number of followers.  (Freber, et. al, 2010)

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Tass