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Or ....... just get TH-cam Premium. Dang...."Be financially responsible, but also fling five bucks a month into the wind to avoid ads on ONE channel, when you could give $15 a month to eradicate them from EVERY channel. Hmmmmmmmm.... It's a head-scratcher.
Now why would I want to do that? Pay money for an extended version of the video when most Americans can't buy food or pay rent. Nice!! Get that money, honey. But not from me.
Influencer is just a snazzier way of saying salesperson. Like the door to door salespeople of the past, but the new door is your screen and you're always home and they're always there.
I’m totally off of IG and TikTok, which has done wonders for my mental health and de-influencing, but I’m still here on TH-cam so I guess it never really ends.
So true. However, I've learnt to curate my YT feed too. I make sure I avoid clicking on those posts I know will mess up my feed and aggressively unsubscribe when i KNOW i should. I've gained so much knowledge on YT and could definitely not get rid of it (yay Financial diet!!) So it really can end...albeit marginally. I still have control.
Same. I have IG only for work (I make candles) but I don’t tend to spend any time on it. Thankfully if I do poke around it from time to time it’s only amazing handcrafted things and cute dogs (curated feeds can be great sometimes). I chose not to download TikTok because when it became popular I knew it would be too addictive and I’m so glad I made that choice.
My boss’s wife is a minor social influencer(150k followers). She’s always doing organization videos, travel, and most notably how to videos on purchasing condos, renovating, and becoming a landlord to multiple houses. What she doesn’t say is that her husband brings home 20 million dollars a year that allows her to screw up big time and STILL have a safety net to fall back on. What a sham.
I suspect the dirtiest little secret here is that he is happy to funnel money into her poorly run business since the losses might count as a tax break.
WOW! this is... the way the average person would NEVER EVER even be able to comprehend this! For most of "us" (regulars) ... losing money from a bad night out can derail you for months, and the world will remind you that it is a personal failure. "What are they doing? What do I keep doing wrong" such a lucrative $$ business model preying on people's desire to be comfortable really, at its root.
My wallet is tired of "buying the dream" -- even cleaning influencers entice me to buy sponges I dont need. That sponge did not clean my sink better, I did.
same here, at least I could choose to buy the tabloid or Southern Living magazine etc or know most of my friends or coworkers would typically NOT buy them.
We can still disconnect from social media. I have been trying to spend less time on them and I feel better. I like some things they provide, so I won't be abandoning them fully, but choosing better content to consume and during less time.
It’s literally changed the course of history for the worse, most notably through the widely successful misinformation, disinformation and propaganda techniques employed by Russia targeted to certain western countries on social media.
They’re in severe depression. I feel bad for them too! They have extremely high bars set for themselves and they don’t know how to evaluate that everyone has different financial dynamics. We need more awareness… a news outlet reported people are taking out loans for vacation. Crazy times we are living in.
and to imagine that it's only going to get more and more intrusive, having all this bullshit not only on their phones but in their glasses or even directly to the brain.
The world is not ran by main characters. It is kept humming along by billions of background characters. Its ok to have a simple, quiet, private life. 😅
I agree. I have a good life, in which I feel fulfilled doing my job and I have comfortable conditions. That is what I envisioned as success when I was younger.
Great Comment. I would add that you don't have to be an extreme extrovert or participate in hyper-focused extroverted behavior to live a fabulous life.
Agreed, I'm much more happy and satisfied with a small quiet life. I always think about the Kurt Vonnegut quote about walking to the store to buy an envelope versus buying a box of 100. The walk is the best part of the journey. I also don't particularly like traveling, which is a nice touch for my wallet. I love my life and my neighborhood, every day is a vacation.
I dont think you have to consider yourself a background character if youre living a simple, quiet life. I feel like that label unintentionally diminishes or casts a negative light on that kind of lifestyle and feeds into the idea that anyone living this way mean less than the people classified as "main characters"
I’m definitely bitter of influencers, especially those in my space (fitness). I get triggered seeing them film their day to day and NOT have any sense of the real world. All these “kids” (under 30) living on their own in nice apartments driving nice cars and filming their activewear hauls and documenting their brand trips to HQ etc. I truly thought I could do it too because I saw so many of them doing it…fast forward 4 years and it’s the worst financial hardship I have ever been in. I turn 40 this year and was feeling so defeated as an online coach. I felt less than in every way. A recruiter recently reached out to me about a job opportunity that was very well suited for me and my background before fitness (hospitality). The job has full benefits, PTO, a 401k…real sh*t I feel like I should have at my age. I accepted the position and start on Monday. It took a little while for my mind shift to pivot in a way that made it seem I wasn’t a failure for going back into corporate. Stability and a steady check are going to be very welcomed on my end. ❤
Congratulations 🎊. I have seen that too, these "younglings" (like my husband has referred to) are doing all these new exciting things. Traveling, new restaurants, new bags, skincare, and all the luxury. They seem like they have it all figured out. I end up scrambling and trying to figure out what I'm doing wrong. Like why can't I be successful and have a high-paying job? I look at the income my husband and I bring home and its "enough" but I wonder how these people afford all that luxury. I'm sadly assuming these people are racking up credit card debt. The new fake it till you make it. 😅 Well I know "comparison is the thef of joy" but we are human. ❤
Congrats! It's never too late to get yourself on the right path for yourself. So well done! and thank you sharing what many others feel too ashamed to say despite it being the reality for majority.
Congrats on the new job. This comment will likely hint at my age, but you only MAYBE get to do the above things ( unless you are a trust fund kid) when you are older, have worked for decades, have been wise with your money, and have "earned" the lifestyle. By this time, however, most people have matured enough to no longer be so concerned with appearances and material things, and have developed other priorities. Young people who are showing off their lavish ( ie, debt-fueled ) lifestyles are putting the cart before the horse.
@@Mariatrieseverything They are either racking up debt, or they are paid shills for the companies that sponsor them / gift them all the crap they are advertising on their social media. None of it is REAL.
I mean, I take lots of pictures on vacation but I have always loved both taking pictures and traveling. Sometimes I never end up posting the pictures because I feel like too much time has passed, but I still have them for the memories or my scrapbook. Filming not so much.
@@kimberlybega8271 taking pictures of the scenery of a place you have never been and likely will never return is very different than taking endless photos and videos of yourself in that scenery.
I have largely stopped posting travel photos on social media after running into an old friend who had built their perspective of my life on those international travel pics. In reality, my wife and I decided travel is our luxury expense. We drive old cars, stayed in a no frills apartment that was well within our means, and we cook most every meal. I realized that without posting how average or below average, some of our other standards of living are that it had unintentionally become a lifestyle brag post. In my mind, everyone knew how we structured our money around travel and saving for this stage of our lives. I have friends and family who make much more than us and talk about wishing they could travel, but they spend their money keeping up with the Joneses.
I have done the same thing funnily enough. It got to the point where everyone thought I had this amazing envious life going on all these amazing holidays but I was suffering with my poor mental health and it all felt so fake. And also people would say things like I am so jealous. But that never made sense to me because they always made more money than me so they had the means to travel as well. I never understood the jealousy you’re getting this tiny snapshot of my life where most other parts have gone to shit lol
I get driving a cheap and living in a cheap hotel. But whats the point of traveling if you aren't gonna try out the local food. I don't mean pig out but try the local street foods, local diners, cuisines, etc. Thats the essence of travelling.
@asadb1990 we cook most meals at home. We live it up as much as possible when we travel. Trying to cook most your meals on vacation sounds terrible lol
Same here! I don’t have social media accounts though, but if I shared my travel photos, people would definitely think we have more money than we actually do.
I forget where I heard it but it always stuck with me. "Merit based" success breaks down after a single generation. If you've ever thought about making money so your kids have a better life (very reasonably) you're recognizing that success is not based on an individuals merit alone.
Hannah Alanzo does amazing content that really pulls away the veil of social media. She’s like the Sherlock Holmes in detecting bs. So smart and honest.
Love Hannah! So happy to see her on here. She has opened up my eyes so much on mlms...I was stuck in so many for years..thanks to Hannah I use critical thinking much more
My roommate is 80k in debt and thinks changing furniture like clothes is normal. I tried explaining to her that furniture is a long term investment and at her age most people just take what they can get and live with it until they figure out a more permanent living situation. She's asked us to split furniture costs to change the living room and porch at least 6 times since we've moved in, asked me to sell my dishes so she could get new ones, *and* doesn't even know if she's going to renew the lease and is thinking about moving states. I've seen her bedroom change weekly, she's not even a content creator.
Ngl kinda sounds like bpd to me. Lmao take that with an ENORMOUS grain of salt cause I'm just a stranger on the Internet with v limited information, but the constant need for change and intense impulsivity does say to me something else is going on. maybe also just shopping addiction. Anyway sorry to hear you're in that situation. My (unsolicited) advice would be to make sure to stand your ground that you won't be splitting costs for things she's choosing to replace (or throwing your things out?! I hope she hasn't done that without your permission)
@@nolongerscaredofapples6112 it’s not lol and this is coming for someone who takes medication and has to go to multiple therapy sessions a week. We have to stop saying people are mentally ill just because they’re being influenced online and I know you said take that with a grain of salt but still bipolar disorder does not mean that she’s 20 and bad with her money she’s just a normal human on TikTok who is young and silly my cousin does this too and nothings wrong with her… dumb decisions, even back to back, doesn’t equal mentally ill. If that’s the case she’s a criminal too 😅
@@syasyaishavingfun that’s not true AT all they cannot repo SOMEONE ELSE’s thing unless she’s part owner or married to her 😅 the girl would go into debt, be taken to small claims court and fined or arrested for a month or two… if she’s just her roommate and has her own things and receipts to prove? And again, isn’t connected to her debt - they can’t repo her stuff for her roommates debt. They can even take her parents thing if they’re letting her use their credit card but … not a stranger she moved in with who brought her own things… ❤
Next we need to talk about these obsessive and expensive house renovations and constantly buying/building new homes in the influencer world. It’s like they post a new home tour every 6 months, do renovations, and then they’re moving again. 💀
I don’t understand why people move this much and words like „starter home“. Most home owners own one house and usually spend the rest of their lives in it. The process of buying, moving and renovating is draining.
I think those people are basically flippers, just a bit posher. Nate Berkus and Jeremiah Brent are a good example of high-end house flippers - in ever AD feature they talk about how the house they live is special, meant to be their forever home and the house is usually on the market in couple of months.
In Eastern Europe, we ironically call such bloggers “info-scammers”, “air sellers” or “sellers of successful success" (intentional tautology). We also use another word that I won't use because I think it's offensive to some people. But we became familiar with this phenomenon quite a long time ago, and it flourished in the midst of a pandemic. Especially funny are online courses on how to be a woman, as well as all sorts of esotericism.😂
In Vietnam, we call these "chicken-herder", because they always try to sell a course on how to get rick quick. Or lately, "background life", because they use artificial background to fake the photos,
It’s interesting you mention how these influencers come from wealthy backgrounds and that’s how they were able to get started. Several of the influencers I follow claim to have grown up poor, welfare, or nearly homeless just a few years ago. I’m starting to find that hard to believe.
Yes. That's true. It actually takes a lot to be successful in social media, more than most people realize. I did a deep dive into this subject and what I've found is people can say anything on camera. It can be hard to know what the truth is and most people just believe what is being told to them. It's unfortunate, but lying is part of the social media game for a certain percentage of people.
I think it also depends on how long ago they started eg some people who began in 2010 or so were not rich when they started but the expectations of “influencers” then were just basic TH-cam videos recorded on an iPhone or a fairly cheap camera with minimal editing. As it has evolved into a job where you display a fancier lifestyle those who are starting definitely have to have some money OR they work regular jobs but are spending a good bit of money to get started eg buy a camera and take some trips and fix up their home with the hope/intention that it will pay itself off with sponsorships
@@jae-annedanae4512 appreciate the feedback. You make a great point. I remember when TH-cam was just videos people uploaded. No monetizing nothing to sell you
@@transitionsnc thanks for sharing. I just don’t know why they can’t just tell us the truth about their background. I guess it’s like an MLM. If I candi it so can you BS.
You can easily decide based on the content of their earlier videos. If they started by a world tour blog, then yeah they rich. But if it was just a funny sketch with friends, they might have been poor just recently. My cousin is an influencer, and he got rich quite fast (the cost: intergrity and becoming a walking billboard)
I’m 35 and I’ve had Instagram since 2012 and Facebook since 2007 and it’s so sad how much social media has gone downhill since the early days. Social media was soooo wholesome back in the days and people shared real shit and minimal edited photos and curated crap. There were NO ADS on Facebook and Instagram back then! I’ve fell for the influencer crap sooo many times and now I’m in my season of SAVING my money and I get such a high of budgeting my finances and paying down my debt 😅 I fell off from Facebook and Instagram and all I care about is living my life in the present and worrying about myself.
We’re the same age and I went in both platforms the same years as you! I relate to this comment and miss the old days of social media where it wasn’t revolved around selling a lifestyle, a brand, or whatever else may have you.
Ugh yes I just commented about this! I joined Instagram when it literally just came out and it was so fun to just post things freely, but I feel like around 2016 is when things took a huge turn. That’s when Instagram models and influencers really started to take over. I miss the days when people didn’t care so much about their “feed” and “aesthetic” just post the damn picture/video!
really? bc i've heard of millennials trauma stories about all the horrible gore videos that were passed around. and the relentless bullying if you were fat, nerdy, or something like that.
@@celestialbunny Almost 100% certain they’re referring to the days on Twitter. Instagram didn’t allow much of that, but Twitter was definitely a lawless place depending on where your mutuals/algorithm took you.
I am currently in a period of my life where I cant go on holidays, travel, go out for dinner/lunch, partying, going to concerts, etc and it made wonders to me logging out of Instagram (only checking every two to three weeks more or less) (dont have tiktok)... will 100% recommend if you're going through the same or social media affects your happiness; you might not know it, but just try to log out and feel how it affects you. It is a place where you're unconsciously comparing your life with that of others, and I dont need to say yours is always worse than the people's life whose content you consume ❤
Was it a comment on your last video: "Keeping up with the Joneses has become keeping up with the Kardashians." That was a great quote from someone. Instead of keeping up with your 4 neighbors, people are now trying to keep up with these youtubers which is impossible for most people.
That’s funny (and sad) but I get it because I realized I had more of a connection to this old guy smoker with a bad cough on my nightly walk than I did to any of my Instagram ‘friends’. So I got off of IG and it made me feel better
This isn’t even true. People used to read magazines, or watch television. I think memory is reaaaaally short- cause consumerism existed before the Internet.
@@lousielouise8716 we read magazines for probably like an hour or two a day, if that and it was what- 50 pages and done. Regular person is on social media here and there all day every day and there is literally unlimited content
She’s absolutely wonderful! She showed up on my feed and her thoughtful, empathetic and fact based content immediately made me subscribe. I learned so much from her!
My husband and I got married last December. We paid a little over $300 total for the rings and paid $70 total to get married. Then for our honeymoon we stayed one night in a new casino hotel near our house, did a bit of gambling, and had pizza and burgers in the food court. I never ever buy anything that influencers are selling. I want money so I can have freedom, not so I can have “stuff.”
This is inspirational. Thank you for sharing. I've always felt like I'd totally disappoint everyone if I just had the small (and affordable) court house wedding of *my* dreams instead of some stupidly expensive party for guests.
@@nyk0l3tt3Honestly after visiting my sister's wedding I'm SO glad I did a courthouse wedding! The stress levels of a courthouse wedding was "where do we go to eat afterwards?" and not the stress of planning a whole event for tens of guests. Not to mention about 10000 dollars cheaper!
Back in the early days of influencers I didn’t realise that people were being gifted things and advertising they didn’t have to disclose and I got burned trying to keep up I was so media illiterate back then. They still get me every once in a while.
Ikr!! Also I didn't know for YEARS how much some of them get paid for advertising! One girl i followed made £20K A MONTH and she wasn't even a big well known influencer, she was a cartoon art channel!!
Travel is also a privilege of the able-bodied. As someone with many health issues I have had to cancel dozens of trips because of hospitalizations, illnesses, pain, or mobility issue.
I’m not even on any social media except TH-cam and see it in my real life. Friends and family who have jobs in similar income as me, yet own huge homes, giant SUV’s and trucks that they’re constantly leasing, 2.5 kids and are always shopping, have every countertop appliance, home Reno’s, kids in sport lessons, vacations, concerts plus student loan debt and I’m like how are they affording this?? Especially when some have spent $40k on weddings!! Must be living on credit card debt or something cuz I don’t understand it.
No but for real, it’s crazy what you see from people you know irl and constantly wondering how are they affording this? I have kinda concluded that they are either in debt and/or prioritising experience over long term investment. An example, I’m currently saving up for my own place so I can move out as a fresh graduate (My family have supported me here though not financially but in terms of making plans of smart saving) while others my age I see are constantly vacationing but still live with their parents. Obviously I don’t have the full story for every person and my guesses are just based on what I know and what they post but I understand the frustrations of seeing their curated expensive lifestyles and wondering the financial details behind it
Sometimes it's inheritance or any income they have from other sources like investment payments from before they had children , sometimes it's debt. You could ask
Not to play devils advocate, but that may not be true lol like I live in a predominantly diverse neighborhood and some people have EBT cards and some People Drive Teslas that are fully paid off and yes, I know because I speak to my neighbors… Everybody’s not living off of credit card debt because you can’t afford it. And I’m not trying to play devils advocate again but I see this a lot in the comments and it’s like just cause you can’t understand it and they have kids and they have a nice home and they’re not struggling Doesn’t mean it’s credit card debt or scamming. I’m 25 and I work in IT and I have a two bedroom apartment. I’m not living off a credit card at all. My college debt is paid off from saving my summer jobs and intern pay and I go on a vacation at least once a month with my mom and we just pay for our own expenses. 😅 I live in Weho LA. No rich parents, one is dead and the other is an accountant.
@@tonijackson3421 I think the op mentioned that the income is similar to theirs. At least for their primary source of income. That's why some speculate debt. You're right though and that's why it's best to ask the individual instead of assuming
My husband and I are late 20s/early 30s and we are ALWAYS wondering how everyone we know is going on vacation. We haven’t been able to afford one in all our time together, and we’ve been married for 9 years. 🥲
What's interesting to me is also how the line between influencing and just "normal" content creation (if that's even a thing) has blurred. I'm really into books, music (vinyl) and video games, and I've had to unfollow a ton of content creators because either actively or passively they make me want to spend money or feel bad about how little media I'm consuming in comparison.
I spend most of the year telling my 7 year old "no, you can't get (stupid trinket for about $10). We save our money so that we can do summer trips.". Her friends get CONSTANT junk from Five Below and Claire's. But she just spent 2 weeks in Europe.
I own my home too, and I finished paying it off several years ago. After growing up in a dysfunctional home and then having a bad marriage, it's the first time in my life I feel safe in my living quarters. But I don't understand why, according to social media, I'm supposed to live in a colorless home with fake plants, and books that are stacked with a vase on top, that looks like a show room in a crappy furniture store.
Hard for me because this is my friend group. They are making about triple my salary and casually saying not to text while they’re in Europe for 10 days. Meanwhile I just fought tooth and nail to camp an hour away from my house for a weekend.
@@candy2325I would think twice before cutting very successful people out of my life. Especially friends. My most successful friends have only helped me become more successful.
People try their hardest to GET into that social circle. Instead of being bitter you should try to get that nepo opportunities. If you are not married, get their brothers. If you work in B2B sales maybe sell the products to their company. If they have exclusive club maybe ask if you can go (if its free for you) to network. Network and connection is the most important thing to get rich.
Hi Chelsea, I swear we follow all the same people:) Just wanted to thank you for not using any skin perfecting filters on your videos, you look great and it's so refreshing to see a real person with real skin instead of a what I call a "blurred pancake".
Homedecor influencing is absolutely crazy to me. I am turning 34 this year, with a pretty decent job, and moved into my first apartment without roommates. I plan to stay here for a while and have been saving for years to get 'brand new' good quality furniture, dishes, etc.. I always had hand-me-downs from family or things that I bought second-hand or on sale. Decorating a home is very expensive and the idea that things are changed over in months or years instead of decades is insane.
Thank you so much for making videos like these. I wish more people would point out how fundamentally unfair it is that people from working class and underprivileged families are forced to compete against people from wealth. Even in high school I noticed the disparity, it was my first time playing tennis because my parents would never buy me gear much less lessons, and I was competing against girls who had been in private lessons since age 5 and had the top quality gear, great comfortable shoes that actually fit them, etc and I was made to feel like a failure when I wasn't as good as them. And ever since it's been the same. Nepo babies have their family pay their living expenses so they can focus in school better, go to the top colleges, get medical care they need, take unpaid internships, have a car to drive to internships, take actual vacations on breaks so they don't get burnout, and people who were living in horrific poverty were competing against them with no acknowledgement of the unfairness. It even plays into the "you're not ugly, you're just poor" thing, which is so real. Flattering haircuts, orthodontists, dermatologists, vision correction surgery, personal trainers, therapy, gyms, good diets etc cost money, let alone constant nail salons, hair treatments, fashionable clothes, nice cars... So being from money permanently gives them a leg up in every single aspect of their lives. And poor kids are made to constantly feel like failures by comparison. We're told we have equal opportunity, that things are judged on merit, but it's not that simple. Being from a poor background is just as traumatic as experiencing constant racism, sexism, etc and many poor people experience those ON TOP OF poverty. It's so vicious and disheartening. Poor kids can never fulfill their potention the way nepo babies can and I'm tired of being made to feel like a moral, personal failure because my life is on the shit side. All these influencers doing fabulous things at age 20 when they certainly did not earn it for themselves. When I was 20 I was housing insecure, could barely afford to eat, and was struggling in a college I hated with a major I hated while not having $5 to my name. Not to sound antinatalist but I really wish poor people would reconsider having children, this wasn't a kind life and all I have to show for how hard I fought are piles of trauma and years lost to poverty. Meanwhile our economic structures funnel money from the poor to the wealthy, we are constantly hit with it from every angle. Poverty is expensive! Influencers are just the cherry on the shit cake, here to mock us and make us feel lousy, lame, and ugly. I'm not even on tiktok but I still get hit with it secondhand.
I've no idea of who you are or where you live but I think it would be fair to assume you have a roof over your head and food on the table. Stop resenting what others have and start appreciating what you do have. You are not poor, you just resent others having access to the luxuries you want for yourself. You don't want justice nor fairness, you just want nice things too.
@IRLYT did you MISS when they said they were "housing insecure" i.e. homeless as well as "food insecure" which means either not having enough to est or nothing to eat. They went thru this as a child and yound adult, which means they did not have the means to change it for the most part. That has a huge impact on your ability to function st school and work, while trying to drag yourself out of the poverty your parents bore you into. I speak from experience on this matter. Just not having to work while in middle/high school bcuz your parents need help putting food on the table is a huge leg up in life. They aren't being ungrateful, they were literally WITHOUT a roof over their heads or food in their mouths while still trying to finish high school/college and work.
I would like to chime in and say, I live in" LA"; the place where alot of people are some form of an influencers and let me tell you about 85% of these so called "influencers" live at home with their parents or live off their parents. It's fake and it's just a job.. don't be influenced by anyone without doing your own research.
dude im so glad i dont have tiktok or ig, even just watching some tiktoks vicariously feels bad somehow, like its just profoundly dark and makes my skin crawl
I never created an account, I’d just browse the homepage sometimes but Tik tok gibes off such a dark energy for me. There’s something particularly unhinged and sinister about it just right beneath the surface. I know this is weird but I get that skin crawling feeling and can’t stay on it for long. Be careful what you expose your mind and spirit to!
This makes me feel less crazy because recently online aspiration content had been getting to my head. As much as I would like to disengage from internet trends, I still feel like it gets into my psyche and makes me feel inadequate. Thanks for this evidence based break down
As people, we need to take ownership over our lives. 90% of influencers are lying and it’s pretty obvious. Be inspired by what you see and then realistically see what you can incorporate into your own life. If you can’t handle social media, do like many other commenters have suggested and either clean up your feeds or get off of it for your wellbeing.
Pinterest makes me want to spend more than any social site. I create mood boards then delete the app bc I can endlessly scroll looking at the things I aspire to.
Well, that doesn't sound like a financially smart way to see Italy. I've been to Italy many times and I always follow more budget savvy advice. I've never gone on a cruise and there are really few cruises that would potentially appeal to me. I've found Rick Steves' guidebooks immensely helpful in organizing my own trips, just to name one source. It also helped that I made the decisions early on in my life that I want to be in a position where I can see the world. I'm not independently wealthy. I could fund a whole year of fulfilling travel with $10,000. It's what you want from your travel. I just want to see new things and learn as much as I can. But if that's the experience you want, then go for it. But I would appreciate it if people would just do more research before getting into debt and then complaining that all of us who have every done any kind of travel content are selling them something false.
@nikkibee187 dude, maybe chill? This person never said anything about everyone who travels selling a lie. They probably knew the trip would be pricey and it's a big trip for them which they have budgeted into their financial plan. You really need to relax lol
@@nikkibee187 I didn't say "debt." Its cost, not debt. We've been paying for this trip for six months, bit by bit. My travel savings account is now at $0 and my fun money budget has been nuked for the last three months because of all the little extras I didn't think about, but the credit card balance is going to be $0 when I head out in a few weeks.
I am glad you mentioned home and real estate. I fell/ fall into this trap. I had to stop watching HGTV and TH-cam videos about home renovations and decorating because I would continually think I had to change something in my house. I also stopped following natural hair influencers because it led to me being a product junkie, and natural hair products are not cheap.
No worse than their millennial counterparts who wanted to be actors or popstars, or Gen X who wanted to be rock gods, or Boomers who wanted to be astronauts, or executives etc etc… People can have dreams that are unrealistic, or unlikely. The Youths (tm) are not uniquely worse than their parents- even as the world around them becomes more hostile and stratified.
For some it does work. I've seen people join TH-cam and in one year they have over 1m subscribers and tons of brand deals. Some people just get lucky and I've accepted it lol. I just hope these people understand that this isn't the norm,for some it takes years to even make a little bit from TH-cam. I don't blame these kids for not wanting the traditional 9-5 it can be a very grim life at times.
You shouldn't be, our society has built that desire. It seems like the only way to reach their dreams (owning a house, going on trips, having quality food and lots of friends) is by becoming a celebrity, and the one with the lowest skills to entry are influencers. It's not surprising based on the picture these influencers paint of their lives. We've always tried to be people we don't know, everyone wanted to be a child star a few years ago and before that an entrepreneur or inventor or astronaut. These are fields where you can acquire a lot of money and gain a lot of respect. We don't change. Hey, I'm sure back in the day many people wanted to be composers or gladiators.
@@lousielouise8716 I agree but I do think this is slightly more nefarious. All your other examples need a skill/study/time to achieve where as being an influencer starts early and there is almost no barrier to anyone. Sounds like a good thing until you see the stats stack up on how many young adults are already trapped in a cycle of poor mental health, body dismorphia, debt and buy now pay later schemes the moment they turn 18 just so they can keep up with the joneses.
23:00 this is so true! I've never tried to be an influencer but I have personal social media accounts. I lived in Japan for several years due to work and I posted a lot of the same stuff I'd posted before moving there: going to local events, food I'd eaten, views from a hike, etc. Without trying, I ended up getting a TON of followers at the time and I think it's because even though it was just regular, low-budget life, it was regular life *in Japan*, and that was aspirational for people living in other countries who idealized that experience. The big wakeup for me was in college I posted a video of a super intense storm and just my family took notice, but in Japan I posted a video of a regular storm and tons of people interacted with it (I think because there were a lot of traditional roofs in the shot so you could tell it wasn't North America). For people who want to be influencers, where they live is certainly a huge privilege/leg up. Even someone in a lower income bracket in LA could hop on a bus and post 'gorgeous beach hike from Malibu' videos and get more attention than someone posting from a little town that's dozens of hours from the beach.
Chelsea, The Financial Diet is such a breath of fresh air. I absolutely NEEDED to see this video right now. Thank you for all that you do with this channel. It's helping more people than you know.
I just want to thank you for your work bc you make debt feel neutral and not something necessarily shameful. Your advice is actionable so I feel less fatalistic about my financial future. So happy I found your channel :)
omg friend can you guys address the MLM that is literally those finance or marketing pages that are like, buy our classes to learn how to make more money /promote your business
I am so glad I watched this to the end. I AM a content creator and I DO use affiliate marketing as one of my income streams. But when you got to the part about is my whole value add telling people to buy things I was able to breath. I’m in no way putting my feet up on a coffee table made of cash but I have created a job that allows me to communicate and hopefully encourage and create community. As usual those who need to hear this will never even consider what you’re saying and you’ve given ME a lot to think about especially in terms of making sure I am even MORE diligent about total transparency and disclosure. Thank you for being a well resourced and intelligent place on the internet.❤
Building wealth involves developing good habits like regularly putting money away in intervals for solid investments. Financial management is a crucial topic that most tend to shy away from, and ends up haunting them in the near future. Putting our time and effort in activities and investments that will yield a profitable return in the future is what we should be aiming for. Success depends on the actions or steps you take to achieve it. "You're not going to remember those expensive shoes you bought ten years ago, but you will remember every single morning when you look at your bank account that extra 0 in there. I promise, that's going to be way more fun to look at everyday", I pray that anyone who reads this will be successful in life too. 🙏🙏🙏
You're right, you've remind me of what someone once said "The mind is the man, the poor is in it and the rich is it too". This sentence is the secret of most successful investors. I once attended similar and ever since then been waxing strong financially, and i most tell you the truth..investment is the key that can secure your family future.
That's true, there is never any culture of wealth gathering or wealth creation to keep multiplying your finance that lacks an investment value Instead of saving money in the bank . This means, if you want to be successful you must be an investor,
Yeah there's a lot of sense in these comments but so many people will view it as not reasonable enough due to the fact that many are middle class living paycheck to paycheck
the first thing I notice about influencers is that they try to appear rich, but do very boring and unimaginative things like flying business class and showing brand handbags, all I can think of is I would do way more interesting things with that money
As I am watching this, as a full time creator, I think "how interesting it would be to hear the stories of creators that did not come from money and what obstacles they ran into" because most of my friends that are creators, me included, grew up pretty modest and were able to make this into a job to pay the rent. But yes, I couldn't sell the perfect life, because I did not have it haha.
I have definitely developed a complex after doing this for 10 years. I achieved the “influencer” status with no help whatsoever, but I constantly compared myself to those who (I now know) had financial support the whole time. My illustration career has gone down the drain with Ai (a whole other topic), but I almost feel relieved I’m going to be focusing on a membership and writing like you mentioned. I just couldn’t get behind promoting products to my followers. It feels so much more authentic to say, “hey guys, if you like what I share and say, please support me personally/financially” rather than these sneaky affiliate tactics. It has also given me more confidence in myself that I have valuable information to share and help others with, and I’m not just some walking advertisement (also like you said. My home became a Pinterest board and I basically had a mental breakdown a few years ago because of it!) Great video! I’m glad someone is talking about this!!
As a flat-owner I can't afford to have a new interior every half a year (or even every three years): The maintainance is keeping me busy. This year: I had to renew the tile joints in my bath (where the water is flowing) - I did it myself (because I don't have the money for that), I have seen that I need to renew the silicone joints in my bath on the ground, renew the fan in the bath (because there is no window and the fan is too weak - mold can therefore form). I'm paying 800 € for window nets (which schould hold for at least 10 to 30 years with maintanance). And in my house the lift was renewed (technologicaly) that cost me about 2.300 €... Never forget about the small things, like refreshing painting-work and other such things... I don't know how people can keep on top of it beside having a job, hobby, vacation, etc. 😭Well, maybe that's the secret of having a partner?🧐
I feel this. I live in Phoenix, AZ. I've spent close to $30k this year on home maintenance. My AC went out in June and wasn't repairable. Bye bye $18,500!!!
not TFD and Hannah, two I enjoy watching, in the same talking space. I frequently take days, weeks or months off socials, because it can be much seeing the highlight reels and the negativity, and both can just give me mental whiplash
I used to love TH-cam but lately I feel upset, most content creators want to sell something, there are many that don't make videos unless they get a sponsor, I get they need sponsors to make a living but they definitely don't need that all of their videos are sponsored. Shawna Ripari has interesting videos commenting about related topics.
I agree and I've seen a lot of TH-camrs admit after the fact that they don't use or recommend what they had advertised like Airup, Raid shadow legends, rocket money, etc. It frustrating because we're still being shilled products that they dont even want us to buy theyre just doing it for money. I understand getting money but i wish more were honest and truly recommended the products :/
That includes this video. The ads in the beginning are annoying. Some people pay TH-cam premium just to avoid ads and channels like this one, force them on you anyway by adding their own promotions. And it’s ironic the content is about not falling for the ads 🥴
You're getting the content for free. Creators who provide all the free content you consume deserve to be paid for their labor. If you can't stomach a 30s-1m skipable ad read that insures stable income to the creator of the content YOU want to consume for free entertainment, why use the platform? Compared to overpriced cable packages with commercials every 7 minutes of a show that you can't skip, or subscribing to overpriced streaming services that usually still have ads you can't skip.... you're getting a LOT of value from TH-cam. Sounds like you just want to consume consume consume people's work without having to pay any price for it (even the extremely low price of thirty seconds you can literally skip). Everyone deserves to be paid for their labor, regardless of it annoying you personally. It obviously doesn't bother you enough to not keep sucking up the free entertainment while simultaneously ragging on the creator anyway 🙄
THANK YOU!!! This video is SPOT ON. 95% of influencers don’t make enough money from social media to make a real full time living on that alone, so unless they have a financial safety net (parents, spouse, their own money), they have to sell products, services and memberships to supplement their income.
I travel often because I can, and I can tell you there are a lot of people traveling and I know all those people can’t truly afford it. When I couldn’t really afford it I still went on a vaca here and there, too. Find a way to do the best you can to save but also live life and have fun
I took a year off to travel about a decade ago. I loved posting pics. I haven't posted travel pictures to social media in about 4 years. It started feeling icky and boastful. Now, I take pictures and share them on Google albums with my immediate family or people who ask me if I had pics from my trip. Also, when I stopped, I had to deal with withdrawal from dopamine that likes gave me. I wasn't expecting that.
On consumerism, I find the DIY craze really hard on me socially, my extended family and friends are constantly telling me and my partner to buy a crappy house and do it up, that we can do it all ourselves and we can afford it that way. They have no idea how long diy takes, how hard it can be to learn and if like us you’ve never done it before, going out and buying all the tools and materials can be really expensive and super overwhelming. Mistakes will be made and we will have to pay again for them. The only people I know doing up an old crappy house and doing it WELL are rich kids with rich families to fall back on.
I love your programming and look forward to your shows. You speak truth and don’t mind calling out those who need to be called. Thank you for your service.
This is the video I needed to watch. Lots of valid points. Watching so many influencers traveling Business Class made me question whether that was simply for "content" or whether Social Media is truly a lucrative profession.
That's nearly 1/2 of my student loans, roughly 3 years in community college, for a wedding. They want to know why people aren't getting married or having kids! That's why nobody is getting married or having kids. It's also about 1/2 of a down payment for a cheap house in most of my state.
The comparison between MLM and influencer is so spot on, but you missed a key similarity: connection. I would never have spent that much money on make-up, but my friend was a Mary Kay rep. You are right, the ready access and the perceived openness/vulnerability of the influencers creates a parasocial relationship that is part of the influence for many. Yes, lifestyle, but also, I should buy what my pocket friend tells me because she gets me and maybe this helps my pocket friend.
I love your videos! I think another lie they sell us (especially luxury/designer influencers) is the idea that they are really buying the bags, shoes, clothes, etc. Most of the time they either keep the receipts and send the product back or claim it on tax.
Comparison is the thief of joy. Tuning into content that's uplifting and inspirational in a simple gentle slow living way has been the best thing for me. It's inspiring me to live my best life meditating upon the simple joys and blessings in life. Living a life of gratitude for what's around me and what I have is the key. Not letting the world or the internet influence us is the best way to hold onto your joy and peace in the craziness. 🎉😊❤
Class Dysphoria is probably the best description I've heard of that. It perfectly explains a lot of what's going on. I'm going to think on that one some more.
Want to see an extended, ad-free version of this video NOW? Click the "join" button to join the Society at the $4.99 or up tier and get immediate access to our director's cut: th-cam.com/video/VgxIaSQ-gR4/w-d-xo.html
It'd summer vacation and teachers and school districts are on summer vacations
Wait what are YOU doing??
Or ....... just get TH-cam Premium.
Dang...."Be financially responsible, but also fling five bucks a month into the wind to avoid ads on ONE channel, when you could give $15 a month to eradicate them from EVERY channel. Hmmmmmmmm.... It's a head-scratcher.
Now why would I want to do that? Pay money for an extended version of the video when most Americans can't buy food or pay rent. Nice!! Get that money, honey. But not from me.
Average household income is 50K and the median is 75K but the latter is skewed by the few billionaires.
Influencer is just a snazzier way of saying salesperson. Like the door to door salespeople of the past, but the new door is your screen and you're always home and they're always there.
Never heard anyone attribute it to that, great take. Everything just changes forms as time passes, e.g. radio talk shows to podcasts
And the salesperson knows all the tricks and lingo and isn’t afraid to lie for a sale
such a great point
Always. There. ALWAYS.😂
Yikes 😬
I’m totally off of IG and TikTok, which has done wonders for my mental health and de-influencing, but I’m still here on TH-cam so I guess it never really ends.
I have very limited IG usage and don’t have TikTok. I believe it has kept me sane.
I quit Insta in 2021 but I just spend that time on YT. But at least YT doesn’t make me feel terrible about myself
It feels like a burden has been lifted, doesn't it? I can't believe people do social media for fun!!!
So true. However, I've learnt to curate my YT feed too. I make sure I avoid clicking on those posts I know will mess up my feed and aggressively unsubscribe when i KNOW i should. I've gained so much knowledge on YT and could definitely not get rid of it (yay Financial diet!!) So it really can end...albeit marginally. I still have control.
Same. I have IG only for work (I make candles) but I don’t tend to spend any time on it. Thankfully if I do poke around it from time to time it’s only amazing handcrafted things and cute dogs (curated feeds can be great sometimes).
I chose not to download TikTok because when it became popular I knew it would be too addictive and I’m so glad I made that choice.
My boss’s wife is a minor social influencer(150k followers). She’s always doing organization videos, travel, and most notably how to videos on purchasing condos, renovating, and becoming a landlord to multiple houses. What she doesn’t say is that her husband brings home 20 million dollars a year that allows her to screw up big time and STILL have a safety net to fall back on. What a sham.
I suspect the dirtiest little secret here is that he is happy to funnel money into her poorly run business since the losses might count as a tax break.
WOW! this is... the way the average person would NEVER EVER even be able to comprehend this! For most of "us" (regulars) ... losing money from a bad night out can derail you for months, and the world will remind you that it is a personal failure. "What are they doing? What do I keep doing wrong" such a lucrative $$ business model preying on people's desire to be comfortable really, at its root.
Jesus-thank god I kept reading past the word “minor” LOL
@@RubyMejias-d6q LOL same. I had to read it twice to make sure
@@RubyMejias-d6q Why would you stop there to begin with?
My wallet is tired of "buying the dream" -- even cleaning influencers entice me to buy sponges I dont need. That sponge did not clean my sink better, I did.
A strong green scruber and old toothbrush are the best. 😅
Oh my god thank you for talking about this!! I got roped into cleantok and I bought wayyyy too many products that I really don’t need
@@bandana_rathoredollar tree sponges and steel wool! FTW!
It’s in the motion, not the potion
Snake oil, at this point
I miss the world before social media. I feel bad for the people who will grow up not knowing any other world.
same here, at least I could choose to buy the tabloid or Southern Living magazine etc or know most of my friends or coworkers would typically NOT buy them.
We can still disconnect from social media. I have been trying to spend less time on them and I feel better. I like some things they provide, so I won't be abandoning them fully, but choosing better content to consume and during less time.
It’s literally changed the course of history for the worse, most notably through the widely successful misinformation, disinformation and propaganda techniques employed by Russia targeted to certain western countries on social media.
They’re in severe depression. I feel bad for them too! They have extremely high bars set for themselves and they don’t know how to evaluate that everyone has different financial dynamics. We need more awareness… a news outlet reported people are taking out loans for vacation. Crazy times we are living in.
and to imagine that it's only going to get more and more intrusive, having all this bullshit not only on their phones but in their glasses or even directly to the brain.
The world is not ran by main characters. It is kept humming along by billions of background characters. Its ok to have a simple, quiet, private life. 😅
I agree. I have a good life, in which I feel fulfilled doing my job and I have comfortable conditions. That is what I envisioned as success when I was younger.
Great Comment. I would add that you don't have to be an extreme extrovert or participate in hyper-focused extroverted behavior to live a fabulous life.
Agreed, I'm much more happy and satisfied with a small quiet life. I always think about the Kurt Vonnegut quote about walking to the store to buy an envelope versus buying a box of 100. The walk is the best part of the journey.
I also don't particularly like traveling, which is a nice touch for my wallet. I love my life and my neighborhood, every day is a vacation.
😂it's the best,i try both I know😅
I dont think you have to consider yourself a background character if youre living a simple, quiet life. I feel like that label unintentionally diminishes or casts a negative light on that kind of lifestyle and feeds into the idea that anyone living this way mean less than the people classified as "main characters"
I’m definitely bitter of influencers, especially those in my space (fitness). I get triggered seeing them film their day to day and NOT have any sense of the real world. All these “kids” (under 30) living on their own in nice apartments driving nice cars and filming their activewear hauls and documenting their brand trips to HQ etc. I truly thought I could do it too because I saw so many of them doing it…fast forward 4 years and it’s the worst financial hardship I have ever been in. I turn 40 this year and was feeling so defeated as an online coach. I felt less than in every way. A recruiter recently reached out to me about a job opportunity that was very well suited for me and my background before fitness (hospitality). The job has full benefits, PTO, a 401k…real sh*t I feel like I should have at my age. I accepted the position and start on Monday.
It took a little while for my mind shift to pivot in a way that made it seem I wasn’t a failure for going back into corporate.
Stability and a steady check are going to be very welcomed on my end. ❤
Congratulations on your new job 🎉
Congratulations 🎊.
I have seen that too, these "younglings" (like my husband has referred to) are doing all these new exciting things. Traveling, new restaurants, new bags, skincare, and all the luxury. They seem like they have it all figured out. I end up scrambling and trying to figure out what I'm doing wrong. Like why can't I be successful and have a high-paying job? I look at the income my husband and I bring home and its "enough" but I wonder how these people afford all that luxury. I'm sadly assuming these people are racking up credit card debt. The new fake it till you make it. 😅
Well I know "comparison is the thef of joy" but we are human. ❤
Congrats! It's never too late to get yourself on the right path for yourself. So well done! and thank you sharing what many others feel too ashamed to say despite it being the reality for majority.
Congrats on the new job. This comment will likely hint at my age, but you only MAYBE get to do the above things ( unless you are a trust fund kid) when you are older, have worked for decades, have been wise with your money, and have "earned" the lifestyle. By this time, however, most people have matured enough to no longer be so concerned with appearances and material things, and have developed other priorities. Young people who are showing off their lavish ( ie, debt-fueled ) lifestyles are putting the cart before the horse.
@@Mariatrieseverything They are either racking up debt, or they are paid shills for the companies that sponsor them / gift them all the crap they are advertising on their social media. None of it is REAL.
Imagine taking a vacation and having to photograph and film the entire thing
Right?!?! It's like people who go to concerts and are so busy filming it that they don't even enjoy the actual event 🤦♀️
I mean, I take lots of pictures on vacation but I have always loved both taking pictures and traveling. Sometimes I never end up posting the pictures because I feel like too much time has passed, but I still have them for the memories or my scrapbook. Filming not so much.
@@kimberlybega8271 taking pictures of the scenery of a place you have never been and likely will never return is very different than taking endless photos and videos of yourself in that scenery.
I've thought about this as well. It's not really a vacation, it's work.
gosh that sounds annoying. I cant even patiently wait for people take photos of food when im at dinner.
I have largely stopped posting travel photos on social media after running into an old friend who had built their perspective of my life on those international travel pics.
In reality, my wife and I decided travel is our luxury expense. We drive old cars, stayed in a no frills apartment that was well within our means, and we cook most every meal.
I realized that without posting how average or below average, some of our other standards of living are that it had unintentionally become a lifestyle brag post. In my mind, everyone knew how we structured our money around travel and saving for this stage of our lives.
I have friends and family who make much more than us and talk about wishing they could travel, but they spend their money keeping up with the Joneses.
I have done the same thing funnily enough. It got to the point where everyone thought I had this amazing envious life going on all these amazing holidays but I was suffering with my poor mental health and it all felt so fake. And also people would say things like I am so jealous. But that never made sense to me because they always made more money than me so they had the means to travel as well. I never understood the jealousy you’re getting this tiny snapshot of my life where most other parts have gone to shit lol
I get driving a cheap and living in a cheap hotel. But whats the point of traveling if you aren't gonna try out the local food. I don't mean pig out but try the local street foods, local diners, cuisines, etc. Thats the essence of travelling.
@asadb1990 we cook most meals at home. We live it up as much as possible when we travel. Trying to cook most your meals on vacation sounds terrible lol
@alexandrews8801 oh ok i thought you were cooking on vacation as well. Then i agree with you 100% we like that as well.
Same here! I don’t have social media accounts though, but if I shared my travel photos, people would definitely think we have more money than we actually do.
I forget where I heard it but it always stuck with me. "Merit based" success breaks down after a single generation. If you've ever thought about making money so your kids have a better life (very reasonably) you're recognizing that success is not based on an individuals merit alone.
*nothing* is merit based alone. everything depends on so many factors including luck
@@makayla4292 Nobody wants to attribute their success to luck but I'd say it's a requirement on top of skill/knowledge/etc.
wow that's an interesting observation
Hannah Alanzo does amazing content that really pulls away the veil of social media. She’s like the Sherlock Holmes in detecting bs. So smart and honest.
I freaking love her! I learned so much about MLM’s through watching her videos. The cameos her cats make are always hilarious.
Love Hannah. Her influencer series has taught me so much.
It was so cool to see her here
AGREED!!! She's definitely driven me to apply critical thinking when consuming social media where it used to be mindless scrolling.
Love Hannah! So happy to see her on here. She has opened up my eyes so much on mlms...I was stuck in so many for years..thanks to Hannah I use critical thinking much more
My roommate is 80k in debt and thinks changing furniture like clothes is normal. I tried explaining to her that furniture is a long term investment and at her age most people just take what they can get and live with it until they figure out a more permanent living situation. She's asked us to split furniture costs to change the living room and porch at least 6 times since we've moved in, asked me to sell my dishes so she could get new ones, *and* doesn't even know if she's going to renew the lease and is thinking about moving states. I've seen her bedroom change weekly, she's not even a content creator.
She may have a mental disorder that needs to be checked out.
Ngl kinda sounds like bpd to me. Lmao take that with an ENORMOUS grain of salt cause I'm just a stranger on the Internet with v limited information, but the constant need for change and intense impulsivity does say to me something else is going on. maybe also just shopping addiction.
Anyway sorry to hear you're in that situation. My (unsolicited) advice would be to make sure to stand your ground that you won't be splitting costs for things she's choosing to replace (or throwing your things out?! I hope she hasn't done that without your permission)
You really should change roommate or go out and rent other room. If she's very reckless even your stuff could be repoed by the debt collecttors.
@@nolongerscaredofapples6112 it’s not lol and this is coming for someone who takes medication and has to go to multiple therapy sessions a week. We have to stop saying people are mentally ill just because they’re being influenced online and I know you said take that with a grain of salt but still bipolar disorder does not mean that she’s 20 and bad with her money she’s just a normal human on TikTok who is young and silly my cousin does this too and nothings wrong with her… dumb decisions, even back to back, doesn’t equal mentally ill. If that’s the case she’s a criminal too 😅
@@syasyaishavingfun that’s not true AT all they cannot repo SOMEONE ELSE’s thing unless she’s part owner or married to her 😅 the girl would go into debt, be taken to small claims court and fined or arrested for a month or two… if she’s just her roommate and has her own things and receipts to prove? And again, isn’t connected to her debt - they can’t repo her stuff for her roommates debt. They can even take her parents thing if they’re letting her use their credit card but … not a stranger she moved in with who brought her own things… ❤
"Comparison is the thief of joy." I say that to myself quite often!
I'd list Stay-at-Home-Parent content among the types of content you already need a certain level of financial comfortability to produce, as well.
Comfort. It's just... comfort.
A lot of them have jobs and are just lying about being sah tbf
@@KD-_- plus they are earning through social media . So it's not like they aren't working .
@@Mira-pm3ni Yeah, I just call them what they are, work from home parents.
Next we need to talk about these obsessive and expensive house renovations and constantly buying/building new homes in the influencer world. It’s like they post a new home tour every 6 months, do renovations, and then they’re moving again. 💀
I mean she did .. 😅
I don’t understand why people move this much and words like „starter home“. Most home owners own one house and usually spend the rest of their lives in it. The process of buying, moving and renovating is draining.
I think those people are basically flippers, just a bit posher. Nate Berkus and Jeremiah Brent are a good example of high-end house flippers - in ever AD feature they talk about how the house they live is special, meant to be their forever home and the house is usually on the market in couple of months.
If you think about furniture, it's made for 3 years max. and there is "fashion", too.
@@Alisse.notavaliable three years max?!? lmao
In Eastern Europe, we ironically call such bloggers “info-scammers”, “air sellers” or “sellers of successful success" (intentional tautology). We also use another word that I won't use because I think it's offensive to some people.
But we became familiar with this phenomenon quite a long time ago, and it flourished in the midst of a pandemic.
Especially funny are online courses on how to be a woman, as well as all sorts of esotericism.😂
My favourites are the courses on how to be a confident woman offered by men 😁🤦♀
In Vietnam, we call these "chicken-herder", because they always try to sell a course on how to get rick quick. Or lately, "background life", because they use artificial background to fake the photos,
Where in Eastern Europe? Or which language?
@@imawesomepersonDERPin Russia/Russian, guess the term/word is being used in many post soviet countries
@@ИринаМакарова-н1э yeah I'm Georgian so I was curious if it's just Slavic
It’s interesting you mention how these influencers come from wealthy backgrounds and that’s how they were able to get started. Several of the influencers I follow claim to have grown up poor, welfare, or nearly homeless just a few years ago. I’m starting to find that hard to believe.
Yes. That's true. It actually takes a lot to be successful in social media, more than most people realize. I did a deep dive into this subject and what I've found is people can say anything on camera. It can be hard to know what the truth is and most people just believe what is being told to them. It's unfortunate, but lying is part of the social media game for a certain percentage of people.
I think it also depends on how long ago they started eg some people who began in 2010 or so were not rich when they started but the expectations of “influencers” then were just basic TH-cam videos recorded on an iPhone or a fairly cheap camera with minimal editing. As it has evolved into a job where you display a fancier lifestyle those who are starting definitely have to have some money OR they work regular jobs but are spending a good bit of money to get started eg buy a camera and take some trips and fix up their home with the hope/intention that it will pay itself off with sponsorships
@@jae-annedanae4512 appreciate the feedback. You make a great point. I remember when TH-cam was just videos people uploaded. No monetizing nothing to sell you
@@transitionsnc thanks for sharing. I just don’t know why they can’t just tell us the truth about their background. I guess it’s like an MLM. If I candi it so can you BS.
You can easily decide based on the content of their earlier videos. If they started by a world tour blog, then yeah they rich. But if it was just a funny sketch with friends, they might have been poor just recently. My cousin is an influencer, and he got rich quite fast (the cost: intergrity and becoming a walking billboard)
I’m 35 and I’ve had Instagram since 2012 and Facebook since 2007 and it’s so sad how much social media has gone downhill since the early days. Social media was soooo wholesome back in the days and people shared real shit and minimal edited photos and curated crap. There were NO ADS on Facebook and Instagram back then! I’ve fell for the influencer crap sooo many times and now I’m in my season of SAVING my money and I get such a high of budgeting my finances and paying down my debt 😅 I fell off from Facebook and Instagram and all I care about is living my life in the present and worrying about myself.
We’re the same age and I went in both platforms the same years as you! I relate to this comment and miss the old days of social media where it wasn’t revolved around selling a lifestyle, a brand, or whatever else may have you.
When FB bought Instagram perhaps it lost its purpose.
Ugh yes I just commented about this! I joined Instagram when it literally just came out and it was so fun to just post things freely, but I feel like around 2016 is when things took a huge turn. That’s when Instagram models and influencers really started to take over.
I miss the days when people didn’t care so much about their “feed” and “aesthetic” just post the damn picture/video!
really? bc i've heard of millennials trauma stories about all the horrible gore videos that were passed around. and the relentless bullying if you were fat, nerdy, or something like that.
@@celestialbunny Almost 100% certain they’re referring to the days on Twitter. Instagram didn’t allow much of that, but Twitter was definitely a lawless place depending on where your mutuals/algorithm took you.
Social media has done a really great job of highlighting the rampant shallowness, ignorance, narcissism & other mental illnesses in most people.
None of those are mental illnesses
what mental problems do you have?
I am currently in a period of my life where I cant go on holidays, travel, go out for dinner/lunch, partying, going to concerts, etc and it made wonders to me logging out of Instagram (only checking every two to three weeks more or less) (dont have tiktok)... will 100% recommend if you're going through the same or social media affects your happiness; you might not know it, but just try to log out and feel how it affects you.
It is a place where you're unconsciously comparing your life with that of others, and I dont need to say yours is always worse than the people's life whose content you consume ❤
Was it a comment on your last video: "Keeping up with the Joneses has become keeping up with the Kardashians."
That was a great quote from someone. Instead of keeping up with your 4 neighbors, people are now trying to keep up with these youtubers which is impossible for most people.
That’s funny (and sad) but I get it because I realized I had more of a connection to this old guy smoker with a bad cough on my nightly walk than I did to any of my Instagram ‘friends’. So I got off of IG and it made me feel better
This isn’t even true. People used to read magazines, or watch television. I think memory is reaaaaally short- cause consumerism existed before the Internet.
That’s where the name of the show comes from…
@@lousielouise8716yeah, but it still wasn't THAT in our in faces as influencers are, so if anything, it's just more intense now than it was before
@@lousielouise8716 we read magazines for probably like an hour or two a day, if that and it was what- 50 pages and done. Regular person is on social media here and there all day every day and there is literally unlimited content
Hannah Alonzo is the best. I’m surprised she doesn’t have 2 million followers yet ❤
Truthful and balanced TH-camrs never get the following or credit they deserve unfortunately 😫
Her channel has seen massive growth in the past six months, I truly think she can get there sooner rather than later!
Is she related to Tiffany Ferguson?
They look like sisters!
I hope this gives her more of a boost, she is so informative and I love her content
She’s absolutely wonderful! She showed up on my feed and her thoughtful, empathetic and fact based content immediately made me subscribe. I learned so much from her!
My husband and I got married last December. We paid a little over $300 total for the rings and paid $70 total to get married. Then for our honeymoon we stayed one night in a new casino hotel near our house, did a bit of gambling, and had pizza and burgers in the food court. I never ever buy anything that influencers are selling. I want money so I can have freedom, not so I can have “stuff.”
This is inspirational. Thank you for sharing. I've always felt like I'd totally disappoint everyone if I just had the small (and affordable) court house wedding of *my* dreams instead of some stupidly expensive party for guests.
@@nyk0l3tt3Honestly after visiting my sister's wedding I'm SO glad I did a courthouse wedding! The stress levels of a courthouse wedding was "where do we go to eat afterwards?" and not the stress of planning a whole event for tens of guests. Not to mention about 10000 dollars cheaper!
I got stuck in "women spend an average of 16 minutes perfecting every selfie". Is that why I feel like I look so much worse than everyone else??? 😅😂
Yes.
Duh!😅😅😅😂
Probably. I give myself 3 tries and if it comes out like shit all three times I just say duck it.
I'm the other way around: precisely because I've spent plenty of time learning how to pose for cosplay, I look better than most people on photos xD.
That's insane for an average.
Back in the early days of influencers I didn’t realise that people were being gifted things and advertising they didn’t have to disclose and I got burned trying to keep up I was so media illiterate back then. They still get me every once in a while.
At least you know now. Many are still in the sunken place and going broke trying to keep up.
Ikr!! Also I didn't know for YEARS how much some of them get paid for advertising! One girl i followed made £20K A MONTH and she wasn't even a big well known influencer, she was a cartoon art channel!!
Travel is also a privilege of the able-bodied. As someone with many health issues I have had to cancel dozens of trips because of hospitalizations, illnesses, pain, or mobility issue.
I’m not even on any social media except TH-cam and see it in my real life. Friends and family who have jobs in similar income as me, yet own huge homes, giant SUV’s and trucks that they’re constantly leasing, 2.5 kids and are always shopping, have every countertop appliance, home Reno’s, kids in sport lessons, vacations, concerts plus student loan debt and I’m like how are they affording this?? Especially when some have spent $40k on weddings!! Must be living on credit card debt or something cuz I don’t understand it.
No but for real, it’s crazy what you see from people you know irl and constantly wondering how are they affording this? I have kinda concluded that they are either in debt and/or prioritising experience over long term investment. An example, I’m currently saving up for my own place so I can move out as a fresh graduate (My family have supported me here though not financially but in terms of making plans of smart saving) while others my age I see are constantly vacationing but still live with their parents. Obviously I don’t have the full story for every person and my guesses are just based on what I know and what they post but I understand the frustrations of seeing their curated expensive lifestyles and wondering the financial details behind it
I’ve been wondering the same thing!
Sometimes it's inheritance or any income they have from other sources like investment payments from before they had children , sometimes it's debt. You could ask
Not to play devils advocate, but that may not be true lol like I live in a predominantly diverse neighborhood and some people have EBT cards and some People Drive Teslas that are fully paid off and yes, I know because I speak to my neighbors… Everybody’s not living off of credit card debt because you can’t afford it. And I’m not trying to play devils advocate again but I see this a lot in the comments and it’s like just cause you can’t understand it and they have kids and they have a nice home and they’re not struggling Doesn’t mean it’s credit card debt or scamming. I’m 25 and I work in IT and I have a two bedroom apartment. I’m not living off a credit card at all. My college debt is paid off from saving my summer jobs and intern pay and I go on a vacation at least once a month with my mom and we just pay for our own expenses. 😅 I live in Weho LA. No rich parents, one is dead and the other is an accountant.
@@tonijackson3421 I think the op mentioned that the income is similar to theirs. At least for their primary source of income. That's why some speculate debt. You're right though and that's why it's best to ask the individual instead of assuming
It has to be said that Paris Hilton and later Kylie Jenner were the OG influencers - being a ‘social media personality’ just bc they were born wealthy
I love Hannah's despise towards MLMs lol, just binged her video about her fiasco with Melaleuca yesterday! So happy to see you two collabing ♡
That was such a wild video, I loved it!!
haha yes, when she said 'talking to an expert on MLM' i thought damn, that'd be perfect for hannah - and there she was :D
That video was crazy!
I was just discussing this with my wife the other night. Nice to know I'm not the only one asking, "How is everyone on vacation?"
My husband and I are late 20s/early 30s and we are ALWAYS wondering how everyone we know is going on vacation. We haven’t been able to afford one in all our time together, and we’ve been married for 9 years. 🥲
What's interesting to me is also how the line between influencing and just "normal" content creation (if that's even a thing) has blurred. I'm really into books, music (vinyl) and video games, and I've had to unfollow a ton of content creators because either actively or passively they make me want to spend money or feel bad about how little media I'm consuming in comparison.
I spend most of the year telling my 7 year old "no, you can't get (stupid trinket for about $10). We save our money so that we can do summer trips.". Her friends get CONSTANT junk from Five Below and Claire's. But she just spent 2 weeks in Europe.
I own my home too, and I finished paying it off several years ago. After growing up in a dysfunctional home and then having a bad marriage, it's the first time in my life I feel safe in my living quarters. But I don't understand why, according to social media, I'm supposed to live in a colorless home with fake plants, and books that are stacked with a vase on top, that looks like a show room in a crappy furniture store.
Hard for me because this is my friend group. They are making about triple my salary and casually saying not to text while they’re in Europe for 10 days. Meanwhile I just fought tooth and nail to camp an hour away from my house for a weekend.
"Casually saying" you might need to evaluate if those friendships are making more bad than good.
Please keep your options open to seeking a new social circle.
@@candy2325I would think twice before cutting very successful people out of my life. Especially friends. My most successful friends have only helped me become more successful.
People try their hardest to GET into that social circle. Instead of being bitter you should try to get that nepo opportunities. If you are not married, get their brothers. If you work in B2B sales maybe sell the products to their company. If they have exclusive club maybe ask if you can go (if its free for you) to network. Network and connection is the most important thing to get rich.
@@syasyaishavingfun yes
Omg I love Hannah Alonzo! Love to see the crossover!
Yessss I love her! Been watching for like 2.5 years now ❤
OMG yes!
Same!
Yes! Her content is so good!
Me too! This is great 😍
Hi Chelsea,
I swear we follow all the same people:) Just wanted to thank you for not using any skin perfecting filters on your videos, you look great and it's so refreshing to see a real person with real skin instead of a what I call a "blurred pancake".
Homedecor influencing is absolutely crazy to me. I am turning 34 this year, with a pretty decent job, and moved into my first apartment without roommates. I plan to stay here for a while and have been saving for years to get 'brand new' good quality furniture, dishes, etc.. I always had hand-me-downs from family or things that I bought second-hand or on sale. Decorating a home is very expensive and the idea that things are changed over in months or years instead of decades is insane.
Thank you so much for making videos like these. I wish more people would point out how fundamentally unfair it is that people from working class and underprivileged families are forced to compete against people from wealth. Even in high school I noticed the disparity, it was my first time playing tennis because my parents would never buy me gear much less lessons, and I was competing against girls who had been in private lessons since age 5 and had the top quality gear, great comfortable shoes that actually fit them, etc and I was made to feel like a failure when I wasn't as good as them. And ever since it's been the same. Nepo babies have their family pay their living expenses so they can focus in school better, go to the top colleges, get medical care they need, take unpaid internships, have a car to drive to internships, take actual vacations on breaks so they don't get burnout, and people who were living in horrific poverty were competing against them with no acknowledgement of the unfairness. It even plays into the "you're not ugly, you're just poor" thing, which is so real. Flattering haircuts, orthodontists, dermatologists, vision correction surgery, personal trainers, therapy, gyms, good diets etc cost money, let alone constant nail salons, hair treatments, fashionable clothes, nice cars...
So being from money permanently gives them a leg up in every single aspect of their lives. And poor kids are made to constantly feel like failures by comparison. We're told we have equal opportunity, that things are judged on merit, but it's not that simple. Being from a poor background is just as traumatic as experiencing constant racism, sexism, etc and many poor people experience those ON TOP OF poverty. It's so vicious and disheartening. Poor kids can never fulfill their potention the way nepo babies can and I'm tired of being made to feel like a moral, personal failure because my life is on the shit side.
All these influencers doing fabulous things at age 20 when they certainly did not earn it for themselves. When I was 20 I was housing insecure, could barely afford to eat, and was struggling in a college I hated with a major I hated while not having $5 to my name. Not to sound antinatalist but I really wish poor people would reconsider having children, this wasn't a kind life and all I have to show for how hard I fought are piles of trauma and years lost to poverty.
Meanwhile our economic structures funnel money from the poor to the wealthy, we are constantly hit with it from every angle. Poverty is expensive! Influencers are just the cherry on the shit cake, here to mock us and make us feel lousy, lame, and ugly. I'm not even on tiktok but I still get hit with it secondhand.
I've no idea of who you are or where you live but I think it would be fair to assume you have a roof over your head and food on the table. Stop resenting what others have and start appreciating what you do have. You are not poor, you just resent others having access to the luxuries you want for yourself. You don't want justice nor fairness, you just want nice things too.
@IRLYT did you MISS when they said they were "housing insecure" i.e. homeless as well as "food insecure" which means either not having enough to est or nothing to eat. They went thru this as a child and yound adult, which means they did not have the means to change it for the most part. That has a huge impact on your ability to function st school and work, while trying to drag yourself out of the poverty your parents bore you into. I speak from experience on this matter. Just not having to work while in middle/high school bcuz your parents need help putting food on the table is a huge leg up in life. They aren't being ungrateful, they were literally WITHOUT a roof over their heads or food in their mouths while still trying to finish high school/college and work.
I would like to chime in and say, I live in" LA"; the place where alot of people are some form of an influencers and let me tell you about 85% of these so called "influencers" live at home with their parents or live off their parents. It's fake and it's just a job.. don't be influenced by anyone without doing your own research.
Yep, I know one who has never lived on his own.
Exhausting. Proud to say I dont know who any of these "influencers" are. love your content and I love Hannah Alonzo!
dude im so glad i dont have tiktok or ig, even just watching some tiktoks vicariously feels bad somehow, like its just profoundly dark and makes my skin crawl
I never created an account, I’d just browse the homepage sometimes but Tik tok gibes off such a dark energy for me. There’s something particularly unhinged and sinister about it just right beneath the surface. I know this is weird but I get that skin crawling feeling and can’t stay on it for long. Be careful what you expose your mind and spirit to!
Reminds me of cigarettes or alcohol... If you're not hooked, it's clear as day how repulsive it is.
This makes me feel less crazy because recently online aspiration content had been getting to my head. As much as I would like to disengage from internet trends, I still feel like it gets into my psyche and makes me feel inadequate. Thanks for this evidence based break down
As people, we need to take ownership over our lives.
90% of influencers are lying and it’s pretty obvious.
Be inspired by what you see and then realistically see what you can incorporate into your own life.
If you can’t handle social media, do like many other commenters have suggested and either clean up your feeds or get off of it for your wellbeing.
big agree
Pinterest makes me want to spend more than any social site. I create mood boards then delete the app bc I can endlessly scroll looking at the things I aspire to.
"Wow, that vacation sounds like a great idea!" I'm at almost $10,000 for this cruise to Italy in a month. WHEW.
Well, that doesn't sound like a financially smart way to see Italy. I've been to Italy many times and I always follow more budget savvy advice. I've never gone on a cruise and there are really few cruises that would potentially appeal to me. I've found Rick Steves' guidebooks immensely helpful in organizing my own trips, just to name one source. It also helped that I made the decisions early on in my life that I want to be in a position where I can see the world. I'm not independently wealthy. I could fund a whole year of fulfilling travel with $10,000. It's what you want from your travel. I just want to see new things and learn as much as I can. But if that's the experience you want, then go for it. But I would appreciate it if people would just do more research before getting into debt and then complaining that all of us who have every done any kind of travel content are selling them something false.
@nikkibee187 dude, maybe chill? This person never said anything about everyone who travels selling a lie. They probably knew the trip would be pricey and it's a big trip for them which they have budgeted into their financial plan. You really need to relax lol
@@TrueImmortality idk I think the girl spending CAR money just to see Italy needs to chill 😂
@@nikkibee187 I didn't say "debt." Its cost, not debt. We've been paying for this trip for six months, bit by bit. My travel savings account is now at $0 and my fun money budget has been nuked for the last three months because of all the little extras I didn't think about, but the credit card balance is going to be $0 when I head out in a few weeks.
@uui219 You can't buy a decent car for 10k any more...
Hannah being your MLM expert is chefs kiss!!! She’s amazing. I love her content.
Hannah Alonzo is always great.
I am glad you mentioned home and real estate. I fell/ fall into this trap. I had to stop watching HGTV and TH-cam videos about home renovations and decorating because I would continually think I had to change something in my house. I also stopped following natural hair influencers because it led to me being a product junkie, and natural hair products are not cheap.
love hannah, she's great at dismantling the influencer and mlm bs in a super logical but kind way, always well researched!
When you look at others and wonder how they did it, just say to yourself "leverage aka loans / credits"
Correct! People are mostly broke. It's very sad😮
This was the conclusion I came to. But I thought that was just me being bitter and jealous
I sincerely worry about all the Gen Z folks whose biggest life dream is becoming a rich influencer.
No worse than their millennial counterparts who wanted to be actors or popstars, or Gen X who wanted to be rock gods, or Boomers who wanted to be astronauts, or executives etc etc… People can have dreams that are unrealistic, or unlikely. The Youths (tm) are not uniquely worse than their parents- even as the world around them becomes more hostile and stratified.
For some it does work. I've seen people join TH-cam and in one year they have over 1m subscribers and tons of brand deals. Some people just get lucky and I've accepted it lol. I just hope these people understand that this isn't the norm,for some it takes years to even make a little bit from TH-cam. I don't blame these kids for not wanting the traditional 9-5 it can be a very grim life at times.
You shouldn't be, our society has built that desire. It seems like the only way to reach their dreams (owning a house, going on trips, having quality food and lots of friends) is by becoming a celebrity, and the one with the lowest skills to entry are influencers. It's not surprising based on the picture these influencers paint of their lives. We've always tried to be people we don't know, everyone wanted to be a child star a few years ago and before that an entrepreneur or inventor or astronaut. These are fields where you can acquire a lot of money and gain a lot of respect. We don't change. Hey, I'm sure back in the day many people wanted to be composers or gladiators.
@@lousielouise8716 good point.
@@lousielouise8716 I agree but I do think this is slightly more nefarious. All your other examples need a skill/study/time to achieve where as being an influencer starts early and there is almost no barrier to anyone. Sounds like a good thing until you see the stats stack up on how many young adults are already trapped in a cycle of poor mental health, body dismorphia, debt and buy now pay later schemes the moment they turn 18 just so they can keep up with the joneses.
23:00 this is so true! I've never tried to be an influencer but I have personal social media accounts. I lived in Japan for several years due to work and I posted a lot of the same stuff I'd posted before moving there: going to local events, food I'd eaten, views from a hike, etc. Without trying, I ended up getting a TON of followers at the time and I think it's because even though it was just regular, low-budget life, it was regular life *in Japan*, and that was aspirational for people living in other countries who idealized that experience. The big wakeup for me was in college I posted a video of a super intense storm and just my family took notice, but in Japan I posted a video of a regular storm and tons of people interacted with it (I think because there were a lot of traditional roofs in the shot so you could tell it wasn't North America). For people who want to be influencers, where they live is certainly a huge privilege/leg up. Even someone in a lower income bracket in LA could hop on a bus and post 'gorgeous beach hike from Malibu' videos and get more attention than someone posting from a little town that's dozens of hours from the beach.
Chelsea, The Financial Diet is such a breath of fresh air. I absolutely NEEDED to see this video right now. Thank you for all that you do with this channel. It's helping more people than you know.
I also needed to see this.
I just want to thank you for your work bc you make debt feel neutral and not something necessarily shameful. Your advice is actionable so I feel less fatalistic about my financial future. So happy I found your channel :)
omg friend can you guys address the MLM that is literally those finance or marketing pages that are like, buy our classes to learn how to make more money /promote your business
I love how the answer fits in the thumbnail. Thumbs up for that
I am so glad I watched this to the end. I AM a content creator and I DO use affiliate marketing as one of my income streams. But when you got to the part about is my whole value add telling people to buy things I was able to breath. I’m in no way putting my feet up on a coffee table made of cash but I have created a job that allows me to communicate and hopefully encourage and create community. As usual those who need to hear this will never even consider what you’re saying and you’ve given ME a lot to think about especially in terms of making sure I am even MORE diligent about total transparency and disclosure. Thank you for being a well resourced and intelligent place on the internet.❤
Building wealth involves developing good habits like regularly putting money away in intervals for solid investments. Financial management is a crucial topic that most tend to shy away from, and ends up haunting them in the near future. Putting our time and effort in activities and investments that will yield a profitable return in the future is what we should be aiming for. Success depends on the actions or steps you take to achieve it. "You're not going to remember those expensive shoes you bought ten years ago, but you will remember every single morning when you look at your bank account that extra 0 in there. I promise, that's going to be way more fun to look at everyday", I pray that anyone who reads this will be successful in life too. 🙏🙏🙏
You're right, you've remind me of what someone once said "The mind is the man, the poor is in it and the rich is it too". This sentence is the secret of most successful investors. I once attended similar and ever since then been waxing strong financially, and i most tell you the truth..investment is the key that can secure your family future.
That's true, there is never any culture of wealth gathering or wealth creation to keep multiplying your finance that lacks an investment value Instead of saving money in the bank . This means, if you want to be successful you must be an investor,
you're correct but most people don't want to explore that. Budgeting and financial knowledge is something that needs more conversations
exactly! That's my major concern and what kind of profitable business or investment can someone do with the current rise in economic downturn
Yeah there's a lot of sense in these comments but so many people will view it as not reasonable enough due to the fact that many are middle class living paycheck to paycheck
So excited that you did a collab with Hannah Alonzo. She's been one of my new favorites to watch, especially her influencer series!
Chelsea and Hannah are truly my 2 favorite TH-camrs at the moment
Same !! I found them around the same time and to see this collab right now even though they’re been on TH-cam for a while is mind blowing to me
the first thing I notice about influencers is that they try to appear rich, but do very boring and unimaginative things like flying business class and showing brand handbags, all I can think of is I would do way more interesting things with that money
Great to see Hannah!
SO EXCITED to see Hannah Alonzo on this episode! Her sensible, compassionate, “voice of reason” content is the kind of influence I truly appreciate.
I still don't understand why I should care about the social media of a bunch of people I don't know. Maybe celebrities I like I guess??
still dont know why anyone would care about social medias or celebrities. influencers are just internet celebrities
Same. Just like entertainers and show's socials or astronomy ones
I deleted Instagram a month ago and couldn’t be happier!
Same
There are social media celebrities now.
As I am watching this, as a full time creator, I think "how interesting it would be to hear the stories of creators that did not come from money and what obstacles they ran into" because most of my friends that are creators, me included, grew up pretty modest and were able to make this into a job to pay the rent. But yes, I couldn't sell the perfect life, because I did not have it haha.
You DID have a perfect life.
You couldn't sell it, because people want escapism.
So happy to see Hannah on your channel! I've been bingeing her content AND yours for the last few months and I'm obsessed 😅
I have definitely developed a complex after doing this for 10 years. I achieved the “influencer” status with no help whatsoever, but I constantly compared myself to those who (I now know) had financial support the whole time. My illustration career has gone down the drain with Ai (a whole other topic), but I almost feel relieved I’m going to be focusing on a membership and writing like you mentioned. I just couldn’t get behind promoting products to my followers. It feels so much more authentic to say, “hey guys, if you like what I share and say, please support me personally/financially” rather than these sneaky affiliate tactics. It has also given me more confidence in myself that I have valuable information to share and help others with, and I’m not just some walking advertisement (also like you said. My home became a Pinterest board and I basically had a mental breakdown a few years ago because of it!) Great video! I’m glad someone is talking about this!!
As a flat-owner I can't afford to have a new interior every half a year (or even every three years): The maintainance is keeping me busy. This year: I had to renew the tile joints in my bath (where the water is flowing) - I did it myself (because I don't have the money for that), I have seen that I need to renew the silicone joints in my bath on the ground, renew the fan in the bath (because there is no window and the fan is too weak - mold can therefore form). I'm paying 800 € for window nets (which schould hold for at least 10 to 30 years with maintanance). And in my house the lift was renewed (technologicaly) that cost me about 2.300 €... Never forget about the small things, like refreshing painting-work and other such things... I don't know how people can keep on top of it beside having a job, hobby, vacation, etc. 😭Well, maybe that's the secret of having a partner?🧐
I feel this. I live in Phoenix, AZ. I've spent close to $30k this year on home maintenance. My AC went out in June and wasn't repairable. Bye bye $18,500!!!
not TFD and Hannah, two I enjoy watching, in the same talking space.
I frequently take days, weeks or months off socials, because it can be much seeing the highlight reels and the negativity, and both can just give me mental whiplash
I knew it was Hannah right away just by her voice. I usually listen to both her and TFD while I clean. Cool to see the crossover!
I used to love TH-cam but lately I feel upset, most content creators want to sell something, there are many that don't make videos unless they get a sponsor, I get they need sponsors to make a living but they definitely don't need that all of their videos are sponsored. Shawna Ripari has interesting videos commenting about related topics.
I agree and I've seen a lot of TH-camrs admit after the fact that they don't use or recommend what they had advertised like Airup, Raid shadow legends, rocket money, etc. It frustrating because we're still being shilled products that they dont even want us to buy theyre just doing it for money. I understand getting money but i wish more were honest and truly recommended the products :/
Yes, love Shawna's commentary videos!
Pssst there are apps you can use to skip the sponsored bits
That includes this video. The ads in the beginning are annoying. Some people pay TH-cam premium just to avoid ads and channels like this one, force them on you anyway by adding their own promotions. And it’s ironic the content is about not falling for the ads 🥴
You're getting the content for free. Creators who provide all the free content you consume deserve to be paid for their labor. If you can't stomach a 30s-1m skipable ad read that insures stable income to the creator of the content YOU want to consume for free entertainment, why use the platform? Compared to overpriced cable packages with commercials every 7 minutes of a show that you can't skip, or subscribing to overpriced streaming services that usually still have ads you can't skip.... you're getting a LOT of value from TH-cam. Sounds like you just want to consume consume consume people's work without having to pay any price for it (even the extremely low price of thirty seconds you can literally skip). Everyone deserves to be paid for their labor, regardless of it annoying you personally. It obviously doesn't bother you enough to not keep sucking up the free entertainment while simultaneously ragging on the creator anyway 🙄
LOVED seeing Hannah Alonzo chime in on this! I love her channel and the work she does on anti-mlms! Great video as always Chelsea and TFD
THANK YOU!!! This video is SPOT ON. 95% of influencers don’t make enough money from social media to make a real full time living on that alone, so unless they have a financial safety net (parents, spouse, their own money), they have to sell products, services and memberships to supplement their income.
I highly recommend Hannah Alonzo’s channel! Such a treat to see her pop up on another favorite content creator’s video.
Love Hannah Alonzo! Her "Influencer Insanity" series is amazing and so necessary!
I travel often because I can, and I can tell you there are a lot of people traveling and I know all those people can’t truly afford it. When I couldn’t really afford it I still went on a vaca here and there, too. Find a way to do the best you can to save but also live life and have fun
I took a year off to travel about a decade ago. I loved posting pics. I haven't posted travel pictures to social media in about 4 years. It started feeling icky and boastful. Now, I take pictures and share them on Google albums with my immediate family or people who ask me if I had pics from my trip. Also, when I stopped, I had to deal with withdrawal from dopamine that likes gave me. I wasn't expecting that.
On consumerism, I find the DIY craze really hard on me socially, my extended family and friends are constantly telling me and my partner to buy a crappy house and do it up, that we can do it all ourselves and we can afford it that way. They have no idea how long diy takes, how hard it can be to learn and if like us you’ve never done it before, going out and buying all the tools and materials can be really expensive and super overwhelming. Mistakes will be made and we will have to pay again for them. The only people I know doing up an old crappy house and doing it WELL are rich kids with rich families to fall back on.
Ahhh I love Hannah, so glad you were able to collaborate
I always have this question in my mind when I spend time on social media. Thank you for dissecting this question.
Hannah! So nice to see her here, I’m a big fan!
OMG Love to see Hannah here!
hannah alonzo is for me, the best mlm and influencer expert. i love listening to her ❤ 8:02
I love your programming and look forward to your shows. You speak truth and don’t mind calling out those who need to be called. Thank you for your service.
The Hannah crossover!!! ❤
This is the video I needed to watch. Lots of valid points.
Watching so many influencers traveling Business Class made me question whether that was simply for "content" or whether Social Media is truly a lucrative profession.
That's nearly 1/2 of my student loans, roughly 3 years in community college, for a wedding. They want to know why people aren't getting married or having kids! That's why nobody is getting married or having kids. It's also about 1/2 of a down payment for a cheap house in most of my state.
The comparison between MLM and influencer is so spot on, but you missed a key similarity: connection. I would never have spent that much money on make-up, but my friend was a Mary Kay rep. You are right, the ready access and the perceived openness/vulnerability of the influencers creates a parasocial relationship that is part of the influence for many. Yes, lifestyle, but also, I should buy what my pocket friend tells me because she gets me and maybe this helps my pocket friend.
Woohoo, Hahnah Alonzo! She's got so much insight, mixed with compassion and humour!
I love your videos! I think another lie they sell us (especially luxury/designer influencers) is the idea that they are really buying the bags, shoes, clothes, etc. Most of the time they either keep the receipts and send the product back or claim it on tax.
A Chelsea and Hannah collab, best thing ive seen in a long time 🎉
Ive been a follower for years, but I think this is one of my favorite videos of yours, Chelsea!
Love the @HannahAlonzo cameos!!
Really appreciated the deep dive info and the guests you brought in were great.
Omg so cool to see Hannah on the channel!
Comparison is the thief of joy. Tuning into content that's uplifting and inspirational in a simple gentle slow living way has been the best thing for me. It's inspiring me to live my best life meditating upon the simple joys and blessings in life. Living a life of gratitude for what's around me and what I have is the key. Not letting the world or the internet influence us is the best way to hold onto your joy and peace in the craziness. 🎉😊❤
2.8 on a 30 yr mortgage is CRAZY good
Class Dysphoria is probably the best description I've heard of that. It perfectly explains a lot of what's going on. I'm going to think on that one some more.
I'm so happy to see Hannah in this video!!