The world of social media is a growing trend as new generations join the Internet constantly. Brands aware of this power, especially among younger audiences, have launched what is known as influencer marketing.
The Social Media Benchmark Report 2021 states that 53% of the world population uses social media, with two million using them daily. The influencer Report by Morning Consult shows that around 72% of young people follow at least some influencers and that 50% of Millennials trust an influencer more than they do with celebrities.
According to MediaKix data, 91% of young people between the ages of 16 and 24 say that influencers are their purchase motivation.
But what is behind that purchase motivation? Social media influencers get paid for advertising, and as such, they must follow some rules.
The Advertising Standards Authority enforced The CAP Code, a guide that applies to most forms of influencer marketing. This full guide explains that influencers should mention in their Instagram posts or stories whenever they are advertising an item, if it is a paid collaboration or if the item is gifted using the corresponding hashtags (Ad, Advert, Advertising, Advertisement, Advertisement Feature).
Additionally, influencers are banned from using beauty filters when promoting beauty products if those filters are likely to give a false impression of the product result.
Tamsyn Beale has been an influencer for over a year now. In the middle of the pandemic, she started sharing her day to day and has gained over 6k followers.
“As influencers, we are looked upon from sometimes younger members of the public and adding beauty filters causes unrealistic expectations in young women that we should avoid.” Tamsyn says.
During the national lockdown, Arianna Biliorsi started sharing her online purchases through TikTok and Instagram. “I’ve always had this passion for fashion. I thought, nobody is going to see me wearing these clothes, so I need to share them in some way. And that is how it all started”, she says.
With 7k on Instagram and over 10k on TikTok, this 22-year-old Italian girl studies Chinese simultaneously as she is a fashion influencer.
“I think that it is very important to have regulations and to be careful with what we share. With the pandemic, people only show themselves with social media. For teenagers, this concept of perfect beauty is pressuring them. We need to be more real and to use fewer beauty filters.”, she says.
"If there are existing regulations, every influencer must follow them. Being an influencer is a job, so you should follow the rules applicable to it. The last thing you could do is to lie to the people who follow you, who therefore trust what you recommend and share.”, Arianna adds.
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