Influencer Fatigue Is Real

Remember the good old days when asking your sister for advice was your go-to solution for resolving a clothing crisis? Or when you’d retreat to your besties for help on crafting the perfect response to that guy you’re talking to? 

Sigh.

I miss those days when the ones who knew me best helped me navigate the trenches of my adolescence. In all honesty, I cannot recall the last time I asked a friend for their opinion on what to wear for a night out. Come to think of it, when was the last time I asked myself? 

Admittedly, I have been afflicted by the “doomscrolling” epidemic. I like to tell myself that it helps me unwind, but we all know that’s not true. With each swipe of my thumb, I grow more and more anxious as unsolicited opinions and pieces of advice are shoved down my throat. Artificially chipper voices scream at me through my phone, “FIVE THINGS I FIND INCREDIBLY CHIC” or “THREE THINGS GUYS DO WHEN THEY’RE INTERESTED IN YOU.” And truthfully, I listen. Currently, my advice comes from twentysomething-year-old strangers on the internet who must know exactly what they’re talking about, right?!

At a formative period where independence and personal growth are the most admirable assets, it’s becoming more and more impractical to be your own person. Why has my identity morphed into someone I never really wanted to be? Am I truly so gullible?

When and why did we stop honoring the opinions of ourselves and the ones we trust the most? Maybe it’s a broader community of anonymity that we crave. Perhaps we simply yearn for the idle approval of our virtual comrades. Maybe we even feel like we need someone else to tell us what to do; to dictate what we wear, how we speak, what to eat, who we talk to, etc. Why, though? I’m not here to answer this question, because frankly, I don’t know. What I do know, or what I can assume, is that we are all exhausted. 

All that being said, I am on a slow and steady path of undoing this information overload. I invite you to join me, because even if you haven’t noticed, it’s gotten so loud. The next time you’re not sure which top to wear to the bar, please don’t consult with an unqualified influencer who knows nothing about you. Not quite sure how to respond to his text? Try deliberating with your girlfriends. Even better, try deliberating with yourself. This next era is called “Taking Back What’s Yours: YOU!”

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