As social media has become a major part of many lives, new words have been introduced. One is “influencer.” I find it annoying, but it’s more honest than most labels.
We’ve probably had influencers as long as we’ve had civilization. A 2024 article in the Telegraph (UK) claimed Roman gladiators were among the first. New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art has a cup from Roman times featuring four gladiators fighting, along with their names. Early merch?
Then society added salespeople charged with advocating and selling products or services offered by companies. Later, public relations and the more recent term, marketing communications, came along, where companies hired people or third parties to extol their virtues. In some cases, the job was to hide or obfuscate things that went wrong.
Today, we have influencers. My reason for addressing this topic is a new study from Backslash, the “cultural intelligence unit” of Omnicom. The study is called “Becoming Uninfluenced: How Mass Influence Lost Its Power and What’s Next.” It’s not an easy read thanks to the overly hip graphics and word salads. If I were in a hipper demo, it might make more sense. Unfortunately, I’ve never been “hip,” so it might still look strange to me if I were 25.
Inside the Backslash Study
The study claims to be “a combination of deep cultural analysis, expert interviews, and a proprietary study of over 700 respondents in the U.S. and U.K.” Let’s dig in.
One side note in the report clearly signals the decline of Western civilization. It’s a link to an article in The Independent (UK) by a professor at the University of Wisconsin-Stout. Dr. Matthew Simoneau studies career and technical education, and he’s examined the influence of social media on children’s career choices.
Over 60% of the middle and high school students he interviewed from 2021-24 in Wisconsin and Norway said they wanted a career as a social media influencer or one based on what they saw online. Examples included pro soccer player, musician, or actor. In interviews with children as young as 7, responses were similar. Kids think influencers “get lots of money” and they “want to be famous.”
A Bubble That Is Bursting
Global influencer marketing spend was over $32 billion in 2025, but Backslash says this is a bubble that is bursting. Two other studies were cited. One claimed 60% of viewers actively scroll past any post with a paid partnership tag. Another global study said 67% of people find influencers “really annoying.”
Backslash found similar results. One question in its study asked for respondents’ first assumption when something goes viral. A plurality (42%) said “a brand or company engineered it,” and 33% chose “bots or fake engagement boosted it.” Only 25% said, “people genuinely love it.”
Taste Paranoia and the “Uninfluence” Trend
Backslash offered some new concepts to describe the problem.
“Taste Paranoia” is defined as the growing anxiety that your preferences are no longer entirely your own, but the product of algorithmic recommendations and engineered influence.
“Aspiration is being turned upside down.” When asked, “Which feels more aspirational right now?”, 62% answered, “being hard to influence.” The remainder responded, “being an influencer.”
The “uninfluence” trend means moving from mass to niche. When asked, “What makes someone interesting today?”, 48% said, “having highly specific taste.” The least popular answer was “having a large online following.” And what makes a brand culturally relevant today? Over half chose “having a distinct point of view or unique taste.” The least chosen answer was “Mass popularity,” at 22%.
Back to the Future for Radio and TV
Backslash is in the influencer business, so you shouldn’t be surprised that its suggestions involve repositioning influencer marketing. The new model is “Relevance = concentrated credibility.” Put another way, the report says, “The next generation of influencers won’t look like influencers.”
Here’s what they see for the future:
- The further from the feed, the greater the trust
- Things that feel genuinely discovered are now most desirable
- Stop manufacturing culture. Build places for it to happen naturally.
Where do radio and linear TV fit in with all this? One hint was a quote attributed to Maggie Hilliard, Omnicom’s President and Integrated Client Lead for McDonald’s. “We’ve already started to see a little bit more interest in out-of-home advertising, which is the most back-to-the-future type of advertising there is.”
Yes, billboards predate Marconi and Farnsworth. But if influencer marketing isn’t cutting it, perhaps broadcast radio and TV are a good option. Back to the future if you want results!
A Personal Note From WWHR
On a personal note, many readers know that I work with a great bunch of students at Western Kentucky University’s college station, WWHR-FM. Our crew won an award for best college radio overall digital presence at the recent 2026 Kentucky Broadcasters Association awards ceremony in Louisville. Revolution 91.7 was also a finalist for best college radio program. Congratulations to Rachel Comella, Ian Lewis, Sofia Dimercurio, Malia Miles, Mary Shawhan, Caden Lindsey, Eli Martin, Nate Brady, Vaden Kumar, Charity Broadus, and others. It’s the station’s first KBA award in at least five years, and I couldn’t be prouder of our crew.
One thing I teach them is to always promote the station, so I’m taking my own advice. Please download our app. Search “WWHR” for iOS or Android and give us some TSL! We’re on the iHeart platform as well.
Let’s meet again next week.
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