‘This is garbage’: Step aside, influencers — we’re now in the era of de-influencing

In the early days of the pandemic, Diana Wiebe spent a lot of time scrolling through Instagram and TikTok — and she started to notice something.

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Discussion Questions:

1. What is influencer marketing?
2. What is a brand?
3. Why is trust and credibility important to a brand?
4. How has influencer marketing helped brands to boost sales of their products and services?
5. Have you made a purchase decision based on something reviewed by an influencer online or on social media? How might that represent an example of influencer marketing?
6. Why do you think the number of followers that an influencer has might be important to a business or brand?
7. As a consumer, should you trust an influencer if you know a business or brand pays them to advertise their products and services? Why or why not?
8. What is de-influencing as it relates to marketing?
9. Why is this happening on social media right now?
10. How might that impact how businesses and brands promote products and services through social media in the future?