Deinfluencing

What does Deinfluencing mean?

Advising social media users on what they should avoid doing

Deinfluencing is a growing trend in the social media space where influencers share their negative experiences with their followers to discourage them from using a particular service or product. For instance, if an influencer had a poor experience with a hotel, they would share this information with their followers to convince them not to use that hotel.

This trend is most commonly observed on platforms such as Instagram and TikTok. The deinfluencing posts usually include a video where the influencer talks about their disappointing experience with a product, or they might debunk an over-hyped product, or they might provide a list of products advising what not to buy.

Although it’s not clear when and how the deinfluencing trend started, it appears to have emerged around February 2023. Some people believe that deinfluencing is a counteraction to the sponsored content that influencers are often asked to promote. A large number of millennials and Generation Z are growing tired of the influencer culture and are seeking more truthful content, which includes advice on what not to buy or try.

Despite the negative nature of deinfluencing, influencers are still influencing their followers, just in a different way. This has led some people to dismiss the idea of deinfluencing in this context as laughable, given that influencers are still influencing their followers, just in a different way.

Example for using ‘Deinfluencing’ in a conversation

Hey, have you seen that deinfluencing trend on social media?

Yeah, I’ve been seeing it everywhere! It’s when influencers tell us what not to buy, right?

Exactly! They share their bad experiences with products to deinfluence us from making the same mistake.

I think it’s great that influencers are being more honest with their followers. It helps us make better choices.