Whether TikTokker Mikayla Nogueira was wearing false eyelashes may not have been a question that crossed the minds of the average FM reader.
A better question over “mascaragate” would be whether so-called influencers can be trusted.
Nogueira, who has 14-million followers on TikTok, did a paid-for post in February to promote L’Oréal mascara. By the end she appeared to be wearing false eyelashes. Social media users did a frame-by-frame analysis, then a wave of indignation erupted online.
“When I see influencers deceiving the people that trust them, I think it’s sad and it doesn’t portray them in a good light,” another beauty TikTokker, who goes by the handle @fatherrlex, told BuzzFeed.
“They push these expensive products onto people who might not have the funds to buy a $55 product. But they push them so hard that these people think they need it, they buy it, and they hate it.”
Mascaragate is considered a tipping point in “de-influencing”, where influencers are seen for what they are: people paid to say things about products.
Influencing is a profitable form of marketing that was worth $16.4bn in 2022, says Omar Fares of the Ted Rogers School of Retail Management at Toronto Metropolitan University.
“Influencing can also be disingenuous. Influencers often end up promoting products they don’t believe in, or that don’t align with their follower base,” Fares writes in The Conversation.
In response to paid placements, the “de-influencing trend is shaking up this model”, he writes. This “trend involves influencers discouraging their followers from buying overpriced or ineffective products” and reflects a “growing desire for authenticity online”.
The #deinfluencing hashtag on TikTok had 742.7-million views this week. “The trend has quickly gained momentum. There are a few reasons for its growing popularity, including a desire for authenticity, social media burnout and a shift in values,” according to Fares.
Commentators have been waiting years for the influencer bubble to burst, and the fact that product reviews are paid for has finally filtered through to most social media users.
I was fed up with a lot of large influencers posting ‘honest reviews’ when I knew the videos were scripted
— TikTokker @fatherrlex
TikTokker @fatherrlex says there is a problem with disingenuous beauty reviews. “I was fed up with a lot of large influencers posting ‘honest reviews’ when I knew the videos were scripted,” she told BuzzFeed.
“I have come across a decent amount of brands wanting to work with me who send me pre-written scripts of everything they want me to say about the product(s).”
Another TikTokker, @katiehub.org, says: “Just because you put pretty packaging over garbage doesn’t mean it’s not still garbage.”
Fares says a large number of consumers are “exposed to idealised lifestyles” that often compel them “to imitate or adapt to these lifestyles, leading to burnout and potential mental health challenges in the long run”.
Facebook whistle-blower Frances Haugen revealed that Instagram’s own research found the picture-sharing site had a negative effect on teenage girls’ mental health. But Instagram still “prioritises growth over safety”, she said.
Luckily, says Fares, a “growing demand for authentic and unfiltered content online” has also given rise to so-called micro-influencers with between 10,000 and 100,000 followers.
“In response to the desire for authenticity, de-influencers prioritise genuine content and real engagement over the meticulously curated content and commercial partnerships that are common in traditional influencer culture,” writes Fares.
Cathrine Jansson-Boyd, writing in Psychology Today, says “authenticity is often a key component in marketing strategy” because about 70% of US consumers reportedly spend more with authentic brands.
“However, authenticity is not easily achievable as consumers are cynical about the sincerity of brands. In fact, it has been reported that as many as 80% of consumers find it difficult to trust brands,” she says.
De-influencing is good for consumers and influencers, says Fares, because it encourages influencers “to step away from the constant pressure of maintaining a perfect image and supporting better mental health”.
This reversal of a trend where people punt products because they are paid to do so should reset an important part of social media: trust. Brands being more authentic is a good start.
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