How Influencers Ruined The Internet

Video Description

#influencers #overconsumption #consumerism In this video, I break down how influencers ruined the internet. From the raw, weird chaos of 2000s message boards and LiveJournal blogs to the pink-washed algorithm hellscape we live in now. We’ve gone from subcultures to Sephora hauls, from fandoms to filters, from DIY weirdos to Amazon storefront clones. I talk about the rise of influencer culture, the corporatization and commodification of selfhood, and how TikTok aesthetics like "that girl," clean girl, old money, and coastal granddaughter are just soft power tools of late-stage capitalism. I get into how aesthetic labor, hyper-feminized branding, and performative luxury are keeping people broke, burnt out, and distracted from real issues like wage theft, global inequality, and gentrification. Sources: Viral Bride Wears No Makeup on Her Wedding Day Controversy https://www.newsweek.com/bride-walks-down-aisle-without-makeup-tiktok-2054323 Privatization of the Internet https://www.nytimes.com/1994/10/24/business/us-begins-privatizing-internet-s-operations.html The Privatized Internet Failed Us https://jacobin.com/2022/06/internet-privatization-profit-centralization-democracy Waste Colonialism https://carbonliteracy.com/climate-change-fashion-waste-colonialism The “Dot Com” Crash https://www.goldmansachs.com/our-firm/history/moments/2000-dot-com-bubble Follow me on my socials: https://instagram.com/ashleyaviola https://x.com/ashleyaviola Join my Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/AshleyAViola *Disclaimer: Information presented in this video is my opinion and mine alone. Business inquiries: [email protected] Keywords for the algo influencer culture, overconsumption culture, TikTok aesthetics, clean girl aesthetic, that girl trend, old money aesthetic, vanilla girl aesthetic, GRWM videos, Sephora hauls, Amazon storefronts, aesthetic capitalism, social, Ashton Hall banana face, banana face fitness influencer, beauty standards TikTok, digital gentrification, Instagram face, TikTok influencers, viral influencer backlash, “that girl” routine, aesthetic girl TikTok, TikTok luxury culture, femininity coach TikTok, influencer aesthetic, lifestyle influencer aesthetic, makeup-free wedding backlash, TikTok influencer drama, de-influencing, Stanley cup obsession, Sephora VIB sale, matcha GRWM TikTok, hyperfemininity online, skinfluencers, influencer burnout, TikTok aesthetic trends 2025