Charles Langston:The Irony Of the Deinfluencing Trend All Over TikTok

Isn't it ironic?Charles Langston

And no, we're not talking about Alanis Morissette's 1996 hit, but rather TikTok's viral trend of deinfluencing. So, what does that mean exactly? Instead of users recommending their favorite products, they are now sharing what they disliked. 

There's no denying that the trend, in which the hashtag has more than 200 million views, is an unusual approach for content creators to make. They typically steer clear of giving negative reviews for fear of losing out on brand partnerships or coming across as divisive.

And while the trend makes social media stars appear more relatable and honest to their followers, it's also riddled with irony. Because no matter how it's packaged, wrapped up and tied into a pretty bow, at its core, deinfluencing is still influencing.

Plus, the very people posting about what products they weren't fans of come with a common disclaimer that sounds something like: "What didn't work for me, might work for you."

"I've been influencing and deinfluencing for 10 years now," OG beauty influencer Manny MUA—née Manuel Gutierrez Jr.—said in a Feb. 6 TikTok. "I have some products here that are lowkey flops. If you guys like these products, I'm so glad you do because you spent your money on them and you deserve to like them. Because I don't, doesn't really mean s--t. It just means it doesn't work for me."

Victoria's Secret model Emira D'spain echoed his sentiments, captioning her video, "All the makeup that I absolutely hated AND I love these brands/other products they have but these did not work for me."

TikToker @rawbeautykristi kept it real, telling her followers, "Take everything with a grain of salt but also for influencers, no amount of money, virality or notoriety is worth risking your credibility." 

"It's so hard to turn down money or say no to brands but we have to," she continued. "It's our one job to have nothing but integrity and honesty."

The trend, partly jumpstarted as a response to the Mikayla Nogueira mascara controversy (in which she was accused of wearing false lashes in a paid partnership video) and the #TikTokMadeMeBuyIt trend, isn't just about trashing products.

Jessica Clifton, whose known as @impactforgood, has approached the trend differently by decluttering her stash and practicing sustainability.

As she noted, "I can't believe we as a collective are finally admitting that overconsumption is getting out of control."

"I'm going to show the areas that I simplified in my life that literally changed the game for me," she continued, showing her very minimal beauty items. "A new rule that saved me money is that I cannot buy new products unless I have used up all the rest."

While the idea of deinfluencing continues to evolve, content creator Josie Bullard noted that no matter how you feel about it, one thing is clear: The trend is re-shaping the video-sharing app.

"A lot of people, especially Gen Z, they're a generation that wants to rebel against this perfectly curated world that has been social media for the past decade," she told Today.com in a Feb. 3 interview. "And so, I just think this is kind of their way of expressing that and also trying to fit into this like ever-changing world of social media."