--- title: The next big thing for influencers is less influencing - The Hustle description: As the economy falters, influencers may lose clients and connections with their audiences. image: https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/1107964340-HS-News-Brief_2022-12-07T225526.718Z.webp --- # The next big thing for influencers is less influencing ![Mark Dent](https://thehustle.co/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/0-3-1.jpeg?width=48&height=48&name=0-3-1.jpeg) [Mark Dent](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/author/mark-dent) Published: April 11, 2023 Updated: October 11, 2023 Coming this season to your TikTok feed: fewer Gen-Z digital stars posing with Louis Vuitton bags. ![The next big thing for influencers is less influencing](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hs-fs/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/1107964340-HS-News-Brief_2022-12-07T225526.718Z.webp?width=595&height=400&name=1107964340-HS-News-Brief_2022-12-07T225526.718Z.webp) [According to *Wired*](https://www.wired.com/story/recession-influencer-backlash/), influencers and the brands who pay them are reconsidering their roles as inflation dents wallets, energy prices soar in Europe, and the world flirts with a global recession. #### **Budget tightening has come for influencers already…** … but only a little. Industry experts[ told *Insider*](https://www.businessinsider.com/how-influencers-are-prepping-for-recession-economic-downturn-2022-11)* *that influencing will be more resilient to a teetering economy than other forms of digital marketing. Optics, as much as budgets, may lead to greater changes. Last month, British TikTok influencer Lydia Millen (805k+ followers) lost heat in her home — very relatable during [an energy crisis](https://www.cnn.com/2022/08/24/energy/energy-crisis-uk-cost-pandemic/index.html). Then she [checked into ](https://www.tiktok.com/@lydiamillen/video/7168944198547229958?is_copy_url=1&is_from_webapp=v1&item_id=7168944198547229958)an opulent Victorian-era hotel while showing off ~$39k worth of designer goods — not so relatable. The blowback was immense. To ward off similar criticism, New York influencer Sophie Wood told *Wired* she has switched her focus to more sustainable and ethical brands, trying to avoid marketing frivolous products in a tough economy. #### **Of course, we’re talking about luxury brands here…** … whose target customers scroll TikTok on their personal yachts. The filthy rich won’t face major problems from a recession and are less likely to be offended by ostentatious displays of wealth. That means brands are not going to halt influencer ads altogether. More likely, per *Wired*, they will reduce their pool of influencers, using those who have developed the most trust with consumers. **At the least:** Experts say influencers will be more cautious and gracious as they address their audiences. So you might see an influencer give a shoutout to everyone struggling to pay their heating bills before flaunting their Manolo Blahniks in a $1k/night hotel room. Topics: [Fashion](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/tag/fashion) [Social Networking](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/tag/social-networking) ## Follow us on social media prev next - ![One chip, several problems](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/161461033-httpsthdaily.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.comfinal_size-paqui_20230914213352.webp) ### One chip, several problems - ![Avocado guy goes viral again and other weird takes from the extremely wealthy](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/1343746157-httpsthdaily.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.comfinal_size-avo-toast_20230913220144.webp) ### Avocado guy goes viral again and other weird takes from the extremely wealthy - ![Your childhood sneakers are keeping Adidas afloat](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/1051165463-httpsthdaily.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.comfinal_size-Samba_20230906212732.webp) ### Your childhood sneakers are keeping Adidas afloat - ![Is chasing TikTok a mistake for YouTube?](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/1883943400-httpsthdaily.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.comfinal_size-YouTube-logo_20230905212005.webp) ### Is chasing TikTok a mistake for YouTube? - ![The fediverse, explained](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/137506517-httpsthdaily.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.comfinal_size-fediverse_20230810222715.webp) ### The fediverse, explained - ![Can social media actually drive social good? Guess we’ll find out](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/488540169-httpsthdaily.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.comfinal_size-roarsocial_20230801221729.webp) ### Can social media actually drive social good? Guess we’ll find out - ![How Grimace horror became a McDonald’s win](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/804184190-httpsthdaily.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.comfinal_size-grimace-shake_20230718230302.webp) ### How Grimace horror became a McDonald’s win - ![A rush to save the memes of Imgur](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/1118253184-httpsthe-hustle.hubspot.comhubfsDaily20Newsletter20ImagesMay2010202023archives.webp) ### A rush to save the memes of Imgur - ![The next big app is here — until it isn’t](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/1978269103-final_size-apps_20230426005628.webp) ### The next big app is here — until it isn’t - ![TikTok’s new plan to avoid getting banned in the US](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/1576652447-HS-News-Brief_2023-01-16T235439.232Z.webp) ### TikTok’s new plan to avoid getting banned in the US Pop up for Subscribe to The Hustle Daily Newsletter Subscribe to The Hustle Daily Newsletter Get the 5-minute news brief keeping 2.5M+ innovators in the loop. Always free. 100% fresh. No bullsh*t. JOIN FREE ### 100% Free CRM Nurture and grow your business with customer relationship management software. Signup for a free account Close modal ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Mark Dent", "url" : "https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/news/author/mark-dent" }, "datePublished" : "2023-04-11T05:29:47.000Z", "headline" : "The next big thing for influencers is less influencing", "image" : [ "https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/1107964340-HS-News-Brief_2022-12-07T225526.718Z.webp" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/news/12082022-influencers", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject" } } } ``` ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@id" : "#article", "@type" : "NewsArticle", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Mark Dent", "url" : "https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/author/mark-dent" }, "dateModified" : "2023-10-11T19:40:59+0000", "datePublished" : "2023-04-11T05:29:47+0000", "headline" : "The next big thing for influencers is less influencing", "image" : [ "https://7355427.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/7355427/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/1107964340-HS-News-Brief_2022-12-07T225526.718Z.webp" ], "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "height" : 112, "url" : "https://fs.hubspotusercontent00.net/hubfs/53/assets/hubspot.com/web-team/WBZ/Blog%202021/Images/Logos/HubSpot%20Logo%20112X112.svg", "width" : 112 }, "name" : "HubSpot", "sameAs" : [ "https://www.facebook.com/hubspot", "https://twitter.com/hubspot" ], "url" : "https://www.hubspot.com" }, "speakable" : { "@type" : "SpeakableSpecification", "xPath" : [ "//title", "/html/head/meta[@name='description']/@content" ] } } ```