Instagram influencer culture and sponsorships

One more name to be added to the ‘job’ section are influencers. Influencers today are a rage on Instagram. Being an influencer is considered as a full-time job. The term influencer literally stands for- a person or thing that influences another. 

Influencer marketing is a new form of marketing that brands have adopted. It is considered as a hybrid of traditional and modern marketing means. 

During the pandemic, when the world was at a standstill, Instagram and the influencers weren’t! Promotions kept on happening. As the number of Instagram users increased, the influencers had more work to do. These influencers have been an asset for brands to give out information about COVID-19 as well as promoting different products that came along with it. 

From promoting sanitizers to giving away a vacuum cleaner, these influencers have done it all during the pandemic. With Television shows being shut, Instagram usage of the people increased. Brands made most of this opportunity and roped in influencers for promoting their products.  Influencers like Komal Pandey, Kusha Kapila and Bhuvan Bam have been the brands’ favorites when it comes to sponsorships. 

But there is a certain section of people who disregard influencers and the products they promote. Sponsored content by influencers has faced a lot of backlash as to them spreading false information and misleading their audience. 

While a few influencers openly talk about the sponsorships they do, some on the other hand do not disclose all the details. This misleads their followers and lead to false claims being promoted. The blind following that these influencers have, promoting things leads to the products being sold at an unimaginable rate. 

The influencers are regularly accused of promoting a fancy lifestyle that regular people cannot cope up with. This makes a middle-class person feel inferior. 

The pandemic has been a game changer for influencers as they have gotten a much bigger opportunity to be seen in public and paid sponsorships only add to their following.