Social media influences everything we do, from the way we talk, to what we watch and buy. Oftentimes, people find comfort creators: influencers they go to consistently for advice and entertainment. This level of connection easily captures attention and keeps users coming back for more. When creators begin to build a platform and become a comfort creator for viewers, they often gain partnerships and ads with certain brands.
Influencer Katie Fang’s skincare routine has gone viral, leading to collaborations with Glow Recipe and The Ordinary, featuring her face on product labels to boost sales. Similarly, Demetra Dias fashion has made its way into countless closets, leading to partnerships with brands like Hollister and Aeropostale.
Diya Sharma ‘28 keeps up with Demetra Dias, and has been influenced by her a few times.
“She put me on to gold hinge workout shorts and the Abercrombie white pants from the men’s section,” Sharma said. ”Every time I look at her page, I always see her with the biggest smile and the cutest outfits. I feel so influenced by her.”
While there are some genuine influencers that promote products for their fans, many social media stars advertise products for profit rather than honesty, blurring the line between real opinions and paid deals. Are those specific weight-loss supplements TikTok users promote as reliable as they say? Are those hair products advertised on Instagram actually good?
Eliana Pearce ‘28 had a bad experience with a content creator advertising a camera on TikTok. The influencer made it seem like the camera took good pictures and was a low-cost alternative to expensive models. But when it arrived, the camera quality was terrible and looked cheap, she said.
“The TikTok user definitely prioritized the money the brand was giving her rather than the truth,” Pearce said.
Influencers thrive on building relationships that feel personal. When fans feel close to creators, they’re more likely to buy what they recommend. This emotional connection creates trust, but it also allows influencers to turn that trust into profit through brand deals. Even when they don’t truly love a product, the paycheck can make it easy to say they do.
Fifty-seven percent of Gen Zers have been influenced to purchase a product that was advertised by a creator, but nearly half later said they didn’t think the influencer genuinely used the product themselves. As this culture grows, so does the sense of confusion among consumers.
Diana Betz, a psychology professor at Loyola University Maryland, explains the psychological implications behind social media users being persuaded by content creators.
“I think [influencers] are capitalizing on that ‘parasocial’ relationship, where we feel like this is a friend—someone we like, someone who is ‘like us’—who is telling us about an effective product, and so we are persuaded to buy it,” Betz said.
Platforms like TikTok and Instagram have also made it easier than ever for anyone to become an influencer overnight. But with that accessibility comes pressure: the more followers someone gains, the more brands spike up with offers. Suddenly, creators who once shared genuine content find themselves curating every post around sponsorships.
Take Alix Earle, who started social media by sharing ‘get ready with me’ videos in her college dorm. Now, her feed includes brand mentions from Tarte and L’Oréal. Another is Emma Chamberlain, who built her platform on awkward and fun vlogs but now partners for luxury fashion brands like Cartier and Louis Vuitton. The line between personal expression and profit has become almost impossible to see.
Marc Felsen, a marketing professor at Loyola, touches on the difference between real and paid marketing.
“An influencer’s recommendations can be perceived as honest and authentic when they disclose their paid brand relationships and when there is a good fit between the brand and the influencer. When the brand fit seems forced or ingenuine, then it can be perceived more as just a paid advertisement” said Felsen.
With it being difficult to tell when influencers are being genuine, it’s important to look for clues in their videos that reveal whether they’re truly authentic with the brand.
Jason Zhang, another marketing professor at Loyola, provides recommendations for social media users coming across influencer advertisements.
“It helps to look for clues such as #ad or #sponsored tags and to notice how often a creator promotes products,” Zhang said. “If every post features a brand or looks overly polished, it is likely part of a paid partnership.”
At the end of the day, followers need to question the motivation behind what they are seeing online. A creator’s excitement might be real or it could be rehearsed. So, next time your favorite creator calls something ‘life-changing’, think before you click ‘add to cart’. Genuine recommendations don’t need a paycheck, they just need honesty.
