Are We In An Influencer Recession?

The year is 2016. Your social media rotation consists of Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. 

 Influencers weren't even called "influencers” or “KOL” yet. They were either “vloggers”, “hijabistas”, “foodies”, or simply “beauty gurus”. You followed them because you trust their recommendations, and you find them entertaining!

Image credit: Bustle & Jamie Page

Fast-forward ten years, influencers exist within their own hierarchy, ranging from nano to macro creators. A growing list of platforms are competing for our attention, including TikTok, RedNote and Threads.

Short-form video is now the default. You’ve got 30 seconds to keep your viewers' attention. And a million followers? Doesn’t mean a thing if your engagement rate is low. That disconnect is exactly what's fueling the talk of a "recession."

So what went wrong?

The “Recession” In Question

Back then, influencer marketing was pretty straightforward. Brands sent out PR boxes or paid for a review, and in return, engagement would skyrocket overnight.

The creator pool was smaller, and content was arguably way less polished. But that was the charm of it: it felt personal, like your internet best friend just happened to share what they loved.

Today, everything turns into a full scripted production. GRWMs, "daily life" snippets, hauls, bite-sized dramas laced with product placements, disguised as a facade of authenticity masking behind consumerism. 

Image credit: WWD

Sure, this opens a whole portal of creativity, but it also widens a frustrating gap: brands are spending big and getting smaller returns, proof that money alone doesn't guarantee promising numbers. Here’s why:

The Disconnect 

→ Content Overload 

The market is saturated, and there’s so much content overlap that it’s becoming harder for audiences to digest everything, let alone care about it.

→ The Copy-Paste Era

Before, every creator had their own voice and personality. Now, everyone seems to be running the same script. When every review starts sounding the same, it stops feeling like a recommendation and starts feeling like a casting call.

→ Audience Know When They’re Being Sold To

They can spot a paid partnership within three seconds, and once they do, the trust is already gone.

→ Anti-marketing Approach

Brands are flipping the script. Instead of pushing on UGCs and hard sell, some are doing the opposite: letting reverse psychology do the talking. 

Take Hinge, for example. Their message is pretty bold: this is an app you’re meant to delete once you find someone. They did not shy away from turning the end goal into a selling point. And that’s a powerful way to build trust.

Charli XCX also saw the shift coming, pointing to a growing appetite for content that feels “more intimate, personal..” and “...one-on-one”.

The Cultural Shift

Today, brands are moving beyond reach and numbers towards real connection through:

→ Micro-creators /Affiliates

Small creators have proven that engagement beats reach. A smaller, more trusting audience can often convert better than millions of passive followers.

→ Experiential Events

Brand trips or pop-ups give creators something real to document because the experience itself becomes the content.

Image credit: @sarxh.lim on Instagram

→ Founder-led Content

Who knows the brand better than the person who built it? 

Founders possess the power to narrate the story in a way that feels more personal, credible, and unapologetically them.

Suddenly, you’re in the front-row seat at the table, witnessing the brand journey in real time.

The Final Verdict

Let's be real: this is more of a trust recession rather than an influencer recession.

Audiences aren't entirely saying goodbye to their favourite local niche influencers, they’re simply saying au revoir to being sold. 

The takeaway for brands?