Influencers Are Lying to You About Their Lifestyle – EP 448

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News flash! Influencers are not telling you the whole truth on social media. It’s not malicious, but it isn’t all perfect either. Whether you’re someone who is just here for the title, or you’re someone who easily gets influenced, you’ll get what you came for. In this episode, Jen and Jill discuss why influencers are doing this, how to identify it, and what action steps to take about it.

Influencers don't have perfect routines, homes, fridges, cooking, etc. They are selling entertainment.

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How Influencers Capitalize on Feeling of Inadequacy

This content by Hannah Alonzo explores how influencers have overly romanticized overconsumption and debunks its effects on us internally.

What Jen + Jill have to say:

Jen introduces Hannah Alonzo, a YouTube content creator who creates a series about how influencers drain disposable incomes and increase our impulse spending by capitalizing on our sense of inadequacy to sell solutions to fabricated problems.

Jill delves into the first episode, which debunks aspects of influencer culture that we should be aware of. More than just raising awareness, Hannah aims to identify what these influences might stir within us. While appreciating their contents for satisfaction is one thing, being influenced to the point of impulse spending can have negative consequences for our finances.

Making a Living out of a Lifestyle

This content by Hannah Alonzo exposes how influencers often fabricate or exaggerate their lives for followers and brand deals, showing the difference between their ideal contents and reality.

What Jen + Jill have to say:

Jen delves into the fourth episode of Hannah Alonzo’s series, exploring how she presents evidence that influencers are stringing stories to create a whole narrative. Not necessarily to push impulse spending but rather to make us want to live like them.

However, it’s essential to recognize that these influencers are making a living through their content, whether through brand deals or sponsorships. What we can control is our response to the media we consume. Jill advises us to appreciate beauty and satisfaction while acknowledging that it’s not real life. The content is curated for social media consumption, enabling creators to earn money from the products they showcase.

Ways to Not Fall for Influencer Marketing

This article by Anjali Maurya discusses why influencers are doing these contents and why we should not fall into their traps to consumerism.

What Jen  + Jill have to say:

Jen and Jill remind us that influencer perfection is a carefully crafted illusion, mainly because of brand deals, sponsorships, and the need for engagement. Essentially, this is a job they are marketing, and it works because it fosters human connection. However, what they present is more of a performance than a genuine display of life. While there are many ways to support them, it shouldn’t come at the expense of your savings.

Therefore, Jen suggests doing a 90-day transaction inventory to spot your spending patterns—just track your impulse buys and see which influencers are influencing you. Jill adds that gratitude journaling is a great practice, too. Simply jot down one thing you’re grateful for each day and notice how it shifts your mindset.

What’s a popular trend everyone seems to love but you just don’t get the hype?

Jill just doesn’t get the POV trends. Jen cringes the most at the trend where people talk to themselves; she once tried it and immediately felt the ick.

Bill of The Week

Thank you Natalie for sharing about your ‘non- bill’—having paid off your student loans! 

Thanks so Much for Listening!

Thanks so much for listening. We love love love reading your kind reviews and we especially loved this one from:

✰✰✰✰✰
My favorite weekly podcast!

Frugal Friends Podcast should be part of everyone’s weekly routine! My husband and I try to live below our means and love learning more about frugality and investing, so this podcast is perfect for us. There is an episode for everyone because Jen and Jill are so diverse in what they talk about and who they have on the show. Please keep up the great work, you ladies are awesome!

If you want to check out our monthly challenge community head to frugalfriendspodcast.com/club to see what challenge we have coming up next.

Keep leaving us reviews on iTunes or Stitcher, and sending the screenshot to reviews@frugalfriendspodcast.com. And don’t forget to share your favorite quote from the episode by using the hashtag #FrugalFriendsNote. 😉

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