As you scroll through social media, chances are you'll come across an influencer pushing certain items. But a trend called deinfluencing is making people think twice before hitting purchase.
"Like half the products I use, I feel like I heard about them on social media," one consumer said.
According to a report from Sprout Social, a social media management and analytics platform, 86% of consumers make a purchase inspired by an influencer at least once a year, making it one of the most effective forms of advertising.
But the arrival of deinfluencers has given consumers more to think about. Deinfluencers are content creators who tell their followers what not to buy, instead of encouraging them to consume.
"If there are a lot of negative reviews about something, then I will probably not be as inclined to buy it," another consumer said.
Kate Ashford, a lead wealth writer at NerdWallet, said deinfluencers have gotten people to stop impulse shopping.
"You don't need a new bathing suit every season or a 12-step skincare routine. You can wear last year's coat this year and that's perfectly fine," Ashford said.
That shift in thinking has helped people with their budgets.
"Think about if you were able to resist $50 to $100 of impulse social media purchases every month. That's $600 to $1,200 by the end of the year," Ashford said.
Ashford also outlined other ways to cut down on online spending. She recommends removing your credit card number from your online wallet and only making purchases on a desktop computer, where you can set guardrails that make it more difficult to complete an online order.
She also suggests getting ahead of your social media algorithm.
"You can stop interacting with the shopping content, you can stop liking it, you can even hit not interested on that content," Ashford said.
For some consumers, the approach is already working.
"Yes, honestly yes, because I'm easily influenced," one shopper said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
