Bad influencers

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They smile with whitened teeth and filtered skin, selling lifestyles they don’t live and values they don’t hold. They dance, unbox, hashtag, and humblebrag. And we, scrolling, tired, and craving something real, drink it all in like sugar water. Welcome to the age of bad influencers.

They don’t sell products. They sell personas. Manufactured lives designed to be envied, not lived. You don’t follow them, you follow the fantasy. The beach body. The perfect couple. The effortless success. And for a moment, your own life feels like a glitch in the algorithm. Less shiny. Less valid.

But beneath the gloss lies something hollow. These curated feeds aren’t nourishment; they’re noise. Fast dopamine. Low effort. High distraction. They teach us to value attention over intention, aesthetics over authenticity, reaction over reflection. We’re influenced, not inspired.

And worse? These bad influencers aren’t just online. They shape culture. They redefine beauty, success, and meaning with every sponsored post and brainless reel. They flatten complexity into slogans, turn wisdom into clickbait, and mask shallowness as relatability.

But the real tragedy? It works. Because emptiness, when dressed well, still gathers a crowd.

So where does that leave us?

It’s time to unfollow the hollow. To stop confusing visibility with value. Influence should be earned, not bought. It should elevate, not sedate. The best influencers aren’t always trending, they’re often too busy building something real to post about it.

Be wary of who you let shape your thoughts. Not every voice deserves your ear. Not every feed deserves your attention.

Influence is power. And power without substance is just noise.

If this resonated with you, you might love a free short course worksheet, please email me for a list of topics to choose from, thank you.

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