How did you feel about my in-video "links" and personal examples demonstration here? Was it a successful way to "self-promote" without being icky, or do you think there's an even better way? Or maybe it was it a non-issue because there was nothing to "buy" here? Would love to hear your thoughts as always 😁
I liked that, because I wouldn't have found your second channel otherwise. I'm an amateur violist and I always love listening to really good viola music!
I've found it so refreshing on your channel not to have products or ads continually pushed into my eyeballs, which has made me realise how rare your genuine, no-buy-friendly approach actually is. Thank you!
Loyal viewer here! I think you are right on about the influencer situation and the annoyance level of paid for ads, and sponsored videos. Are they all sellouts? I'm cynical, so I'll say yes,
Haha I can agree, and I guess I've finally reached the point of not being mad at the "sellouts" because they're just catering to money and popularity, and ultimately I can step away/protect my time more...but, it's definitely an "I'm not mad, just disappointed" situation
Recently your videos have been pushed to my by the algorithm and I have been going on a deep dive. I have been into minimalism for a long time but this is a whole new take on the subject. Love your content, analysis, and thought provoking ideas! Personally I ignore links and ads whenever possible, and guilty of skipping thru integrated ads when I can. I have purchased similar products to what some creators recommend/advertise, but I don’t think I have directly purchased something from links. I did buy a Quip toothbrush using someone’s code after hearing ads for years…. it ended up being garbage and I returned it. Lesson learned!
Aw thank you! The flow of ideas and thought is not slowing down over here 😅, and in fact I'm going to touch on minimalism as related to the idea of conscious consumerism soon. It's interesting as well because I didn't understand a lot of "minimalist" ideas or advice fully until starting the "no buy" year, but now I'm starting to realize what the point of minimalism is. (I watched that content for a long time too!) Even though my goal wasn't and still isn't to "have fewer things" it may be naturally heading that way.
I discovered your channel a couple weeks ago and it was perfect timing since I'm doing a no-buy July (although I may keep it going for longer)! I'm finally caught up on your whole journey and I appreciate you documenting it so much. When I'm watching your videos, and I see influencers I've followed and their new videos pop up in the sidebar/recommended, I am so disinclined to even click on them now. I already know they're going to be trying to sell me something, and your channel really brought to light just how annoying that is. You are a great example of what this platform should be - genuine, thoughtful, long format content that makes me think deeper.
I came for no-buy motivation (as I try to stay true to my resolution) and got so much more. Thank you so much❤. I totally agree that the ads of the influencer are MUCH more appealing. If I chose to watch a video serving tipps for better health, fitness ... - I chose to believe in the tips and the person serving them - and the next moment they talk about the greens powder in the same setting💔.
Well thank you for sticking around for the "so much more" - I likewise just started with no-buy updates, and then realized that there's more to this picture of compulsive buying that's become so normalized in today's society!
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on influencers! I have noticed a change in several minimalism/decluttering content creators output to reflect frequent sponsorships and affiliate links due to "swapping out" of products. If it works for them personally, wonderful! I have unsubscribed from several of those channels and that works wonderfully for me. 💜
Here in the UK, whenever there is a show that is going to feature a lot of products, we get a P symbol come in the screen to alert us for "product placement". I don’t tend to pay attention to the ads too much, fast forwarding them when possible is bliss! Thank you Alexa, for sharing your thoughts on my request about Influencer businesses 😊 I'm definitely a loyal viewer ❤
That's so cool that there IS a mandatory acknowledgement for shows in the UK! I also fast forward through ads if I'm not actively doing something else (I often listen to videos while doing daily household tasks, so if I'm stuck with the dishes or something I can't always skip!) . Thank you for your comment about the subject, I really appreciate it! (I hope you're not offended that I don't shout out individual people's comments in videos, I just never know if people would prefer to be "featured" for their thoughts or not - and figure it's safer not to be direct!)
I'm not offended at all! Rather chuffed that you remembered my comment and that you were able to share your thoughts about it on a video. Keep up the great work you are doing for all of us ❤😊
Re: tv show stopping for an ad, the korean dramas I watch regularly feature sponsored products, going as far as incorporating them into a 5 second montage. It’s almost like a dedicated ad break with no meaningful story occurring. Ex. the character reminisces about a bonding session with a mentor in the past, who shows her how to apply moisturizer.
Wow no way! I want to start watching Korean dramas to try and help me finally learn Korean (I'm half Korean and I'm super embarrassed that I don't speak🥲) so that's great to know in advance of diving in, thank you!
Another great video. I remember your channel over the thousand and quickly reaching 2000 subscribers :) Very glad more watchers are finding your channel ☺ I just want to say: I appreciate your authenticity.
I understand that people need to make money but I do struggle with the influencer job. This channel is so good and have good meta-analysis of your own content. I appreciate that 😊
Great video! There’s a channel I watch that does cleaning. She often talks about products and tools she uses for various things and she’ll say “everything I use is linked in my bio and I receive a small commission if you buy it.” (From Amazon or their own website/etc) I don’t mind that level of sales because I went there knowing it would occur and sometimes I’m looking for products. What is bothersome are channels who “lead by lifestyle” or are shady about kickbacks for product placement.
Yes! I think as long as it's disclosed each time, it's not "wrong" to use the system to one's advantage if it really organically fits in, like in the cleaning example where products ARE used and necessary to get the job done, and are acquired from somewhere. So, why not share in that case. It may be slightly different if they receive dozens of different cleaning products in PR for free or get sold sponsored ads for products they wouldn't use otherwise, and that influences what they promote...but if someone's actually doing the cleaning in video you can probably tell whether the product will work for you and you can SEE them actually using it. I suppose also as long as one doesn't have a "cleaning product shopping problem" like I did with clothes etc. 😂
I now have a veritable trove of lovely music to explore! I ( maybe stupidly??) did not know about this other channel area! Such a multi talented person!
Now hang on, I DON'T know about "music minus one"! Time to do some googling... but yeah it's a very small, scattered, and dormant channel at the moment, but I will be back!
3:45 In-show ads were fairly common in the early days of television. I remember watching Burns & Allen (in the 1970s on PBS). They were sponsored by Carnation Evaporated Milk, which came in cans. (It was quite popular in the "ice box" days because it didn't need to be refrigerated or delivered daily.) At least once in the middle of the Burns & Allen sit com, their "neighbor" (announcers Bill Goodwin and later Harry Von Zell) would show up overdressed in beautiful business suits for the sole purpose of telling George or Gracie how wonderful Carnation milk was. George (perpetually fatigued by the crazy people around him) and Gracie (a dingy confused naif of monumental proportions -- and perfect comedic timing) would riff off this obvious sales pitch at the expense of the "neighbor," who kept a straight face the entire time. One of the funniest instances was when the neighbor showed up with a beautiful bouquet of carnations for Gracie. Before he got through his milk spiel, Gracie took the flowers from him, turned and stashed them in the refrigerator and said, "I'm a little busy now. We'll milk them later." The "ads" were meta AF and at least as funny as the rest of the show, so nobody minded.
That's so interesting! I do see examples of "ads" that are almost enjoyable even here on RU-vid, I've heard other comments mention "Map Men" and there's another creator "WheezyWaiter" whose ads always use a bunch of puns and wordplay, he's obviously not scripted by the company, and I don't mind those as much either since at least some personality and cleverness is still on display during the"ad read".
I think there’s a delicate line between “content creator” and “influencer” and not every toes that line well… I don’t mind when someone has a chance to support their creation/art with ads-lord knows that so many artists cannot afford to pursue their art because it costs so much to live. Being able to create for a living has largely been for the already well-off and I appreciate that it’s been democratized to an extent. If someone creates content that I enjoy, I’m happy to watch an ad here and there so that they have the time and resources to make the thing I like watching (some of my favorites: Ariel Bisset, Rachel Maksy). What I DONT like, however, are creators who *only* sell products. These people/platforms that only share “here’s what I bought/was sent, and here’s why you need it.” I will say some people that start in one camp can trend towards the second, putting ads in every single one of their videos, and that’s always disappointing. But at the end of the day, I feel like the onus is on me, the consumer, to be wise enough not to buy everything sold to me. Obviously, that’s easier said than done, since we’re all here 😅
Agreed! I just filmed one last video on this subject (for next week probably) basically saying exactly that - comparing influencers vs. content creators and how they often become a hybrid, but when that happens it's up to us to decide whether the value is still there in watching/trying to dodge the ads!
4:37 wowza! That is exactly what they used to do in early radio and tv! “And now a word from our sponsor…” or on tv “gee Lucy your teeth are so shiny! That’s because I use Pearl Drops tooth polish!”(holds up product and winks to camera)
Oh man I didn't realize! So there IS actually a framework from older TV for the "sponsored content" on media today! 👀 wow, thank you for letting me know! My own tv-watching window is limited!
I am not a shopper but... I bought beanie babies and I have a collection of shot glasses and glass insulators! I am pretty contrarian and do not normally enjoy doing what I'm asked to do. 😎. But I do buy my brands due only to laziness. 😕 Just goes to show that your channel appeals to all types!
I think Paige from Farmhouse Venacular did a good job of being a deliberate Influencer without always selling stuff. She had her own courses and a few sponsors but it never felt inauthentic…but in the end she didn’t want to have her young family’s life in the public domain so stopped posting. So maybe it’s not possible 🤷♀️
The full time “influencer” in the productivity field is the most obnoxious to me personally. Have since purged almost all subscriptions that have sponsorship ads within the videos.
this was/is one of my reasons for unfollowing channels like Use Less with Signe or whatever her name is. Use less my butt! From jewelry to the eternal Everlane push, it began to feel insincere even if that was not the goal of Signa in the beginning when starting her channel. Same with dearly bethany. And many like channels.
I used to follow those channels too and also no longer do. In the case of style as well I've had some more revelations that I'm working on sharing (probably over a week-long series) because part of it is the fact that they get paid to promote brands and products that they may or may not ACTUALLY like, so how is that "personal style" anymore...and agreed, it's certainly not in line with "using less" at all! ...and then, for me the lines between "admiring" and "emulating" got a bit blurred. Like with Dearly Bethany - her "style needs" and preferences are pretty opposite to mine, I am NOT petite and don't like to be that polished or wear that much jewelry. Yet I still watched for a long time and was "influenced" sometimes by certain things she showed repeatedly. I finally learned that "style advice" channels are never going to say "this advice isn't really for you" but rather "you can adapt this for you" without really being able to show that in a practical way. I know that's kind of a tangential reply but here we are 🤣
I’ve been wondering lately whether the Canadian influencers maybe aren’t required to post the “Includes a paid promotion” sign at the beginning of their sponsored videos…🤔 Or, is it even an FTC requirement at all? I always want to know up front if a video is sponsored without having to open their description box.
Same, and I don't feel like I ever see this "paid promotion" sign on either US or Canadian influencers. Whether it's an official requirement or not I think enough people are ignoring it that it's absolutely impossible to manage or enforce 🤨
My understanding of the FTC guidelines is that if a creator has reasonable knowledge their content is in front of American viewers their guidelines apply. However, the only incentive of following the guidelines in most cases is a desire to "do the right thing" or be transparent. You don't do it, nothing happens. There are virtually no consequences from youtube or the FTC. Your video doesn't get flagged and you don't receive a notification of any kind. I thought perhaps youtube might have some review functions or bots kind of like how someone can claim copywrite on your video. Nope. So if there are no consequences many people won't do the thing.
The mental gymnastics Hannah Louise Poston uses to gaslight herself and her viewers into believing she is not 'just another RU-vid Grifter' is both sad and cringe. For example, that time she grifted being 'no buy' and 'in recovery' for a shopping addiction, but still received copious PR products and gifts from her online friends/fans. My problem is the deception. If people own the fact they are on RU-vid to make money and satisfy their shopping addiction, there would be zero judgement.
I don't understand frugal/low or no buy influences that accept PR. The point of PR is to influence the viewers to buy that product so they're sending a contradictory message of saving money but also spending money on them. It's summed up by "I saved money by getting this for free and I want you to buy this product so I can make a commission. Now I have a free product and extra money that I made off you." I heard a no-buy influencer say that she is only accepting PR that she knows that she would use. All those products that you bought and accepted PR from before your no-buy you thought you would use in some way shape or form. You also can't predict what exactly you're going to use and love. Finally, that doesn't put a numerical limit on how much you are accepting so you could accept all the PR offered and nobody would know.
@@adela3153 I agree 100%. It really irks me when a creator lectures to their viewers that over-consumption is bad, [drum roll] except for when they do it, because it's their "job." The hypocrisy and narcissism is jaw dropping.
@@Alex-vx1ty Unfortunately, I feel like this is the lifecycle of these types of creators. I've seen it happen all the time. It starts off innocent trying to pay off their debt and save money while documenting their journey. Then they get a decent following which leads to brand deals and PR. Then with that extra money and recognition from brands, they upgrade their life in frivolous ways. Then they justify their overspending by saying that they're doing it for us since they're so honest. Bonus if they quit their day job to become a content creator full-time.
I'm a therapist and one of my specialties is compulsive shopping, so bearing witness to hlp's journey has been fascinating for me. The very thing that was her weakness became the bread and butter of her little family. It would be a hard rollercoaster to ride gracefully.
Honestly, I hate those videos when just in the middle the creator comes up with an ad to sell us some kind of product, especially if it doesn't connect to the content of the person's video. I'm there to watch their video, not try to sell me something. I simply stopped watching some people's videos because of these. I hope you won't become this kind of content creator because your honesty and authenticity are indispensable.
Thank you! I can assure you I won't - I already feel like if I can't have honesty and authenticity in everything I share, I can't be ME, and then, what's the point?
I agree with the sentiment that there's nothing inherently problematic about trying to sell something. But I think if someone has to start actively working on preservation of reputation, then they've moved into the realm of maintaining an ethical 'front', and it should (hopefully) give them some kind of pause. Credibility is easy to lose and it can be very difficult to get it back. Like, I'm new here. You were recommended by YT, and my first video was the influencer buys one. Your honesty about liking and not liking certain items made me believe you about the items you did like. I ended up looking up Danse Lente bags because I do have a small bucket bag void I've wanted to fill for a while. I didn't purchase it, but without that initial reputation 'capital' you created with your presentation, I wouldn't have even gotten to the point of looking it up. Sponsorship on the scale of, I guess, truth in information to outright lies, it ends up closer to misinformation for me; they're giving you a selective narrative about something in order to sell it, because it ends up being good for them to sell it, not because they actually believe it will benefit their audience. It also depends a lot on which way the advertising flows, for me: Was someone sponsored because they had a history of speaking honestly and openly about something they like and trust, or were they sponsored and then came up with a narrative about it? Of the examples, the ones I would most accept are any overt "This is a product I'm selling because it supports me". Anything else feels disingenuous and I lose trust. I'm so sorry this was a very long way of saying: I rarely trust the intentions of influencers because they do their best to hide/blend the sales aspect, and I think content creators have more reputation capital in that regard. But where that division actually is can be very blurry.
Please never be sorry for a long comment, otherwise I'd have to be sorry for waffling too much in my videos 😜 I think your story about looking up the Danse Lente bags also illustrates a point I consider important, where you were someone who was kind of looking for that already and so you took initiative to look it up on your own. There was no "affiliate link" or place for you to just "click and go" connected to the video where I showed that product! Again not that I think it's "wrong" for a content creator to link a relevant product to make things convenient as well as possibly earn a kickback for their work and featuring the product...BUT when it's literally every linkable product it does seem a bit ridiculous or at least, overly opportunistic. Imagining if I linked everything I was influenced to buy in that video... not only would that be hilarious, and possibly get that video more attention (that I don't necessarily want, at least not for the sake of it) and outraged comments, but, I'd be stepping right into the black hole of the problem at hand!
Well…I’m one of the first 6.8k lol. I’m curious if any of your thoughts on this have changed now that you have met RU-vid’s monetization requirements? (Which have gotten easier actually. Only need 500 subs (plus a certain number of watches, etc) to be able to get monetized)
Not really! It has become a little bit more of a topic of thought for me, because with monetization comes some level of financial interest even if for me it's still not the goal to make it my primary income and I'm still prioritizing staying authentic to my original mission here over anything else. But I've also had some comments suggesting that as someone who shares content, I AM an influencer too, of ideas. And I guess that's also true, whether I like that idea or not! But as far as product based advertising and sponsorships I don't think my opinions have changed at all, I'm certainly not going to do any while I'm on a no buy and in general I think influencers really need to think carefully about how it reflects on their content when they take these opportunities. I've filmed yet another video with another "philosophical" take on this idea so I might better answer your question in the next few weeks 😁
@@Alexas.nobuyyear yes! I love the philosophical ones the most. They challenge my own thinking. I’ve just started my No Buy and I’ve been loving your videos. (We also both seem to have a lot of affection for Shelbizzle, HLP, and Mychas lol)
I usually lose interest once a channel starts pushing so many products or if everything in their video is basically an ad. I have purchased from an influencers brand before, but usually their products aren’t anything unique and they’re often overpriced so I avoid influencer brands now. Especially since the market is so over saturated, it’s easy to say an influencer brand goes into the no buy category! I’m not against links in videos, sometimes I am looking for products or I am curious about something I see in a video. For example, I like your bag charms and would like to see them up close 😂 I guess the shopping addiction isn’t fully gone yet but I’m trying!
Haha part of shopping addiction I think IS that sense of curiosity which I feel a lot too, and am slowly learning that I can be curious and learn and look still, but not give into the feeling of being compelled to buy. My bag charms are just those "teeny ty" animals - they're symbolic of my family members' Chinese zodiac animals, so have a kind of sentimental meaning for me!
Just a video idea here……how do I declutter without feeling guilty? I feel like I’m throwing away money because the items I want to declutter (mostly fashion) are still perfectly fine or barely/not used at all. I have so much that can be decluttered but I can’t seem to get rid of it because of the money I put into it😢😢. EDIT: I also wanted to mention that these items have not been used for YEARS. People have mentioned to put them up for resale, but I am still losing some money because I can’t get the full price back. So, I end up keeping EVERYTHING. I’m struggling. 😢😢
So I'm actually trying to resell a bunch of my "declutters" and have a video coming out on that whole debacle (photographing and listing, etc) and I think my best answer is, you possibly can't declutter without feeling guilty - but the way to overcome that is to resolve never to NEED to declutter again by not bringing in new things. It IS tough! And I'm not sure there is a satisfying answer. In the case of fashion items with use, there are specific avenues like "thredup" online where you can send a mailing bag of clothes in for possible resale (it'll be low payout but also low effort) or I'd also possibly recommend cutting your losses and donating - if you can find local groups (churches? shelters?) that have an actual interest in putting clothing to use that's better than a goodwill dropoff at least. In a way, my answer is to just make peace with the idea of throwing away some money in exchange for the freedom from having to deal with this stuff ever again, and if you can at least try to give the stuff a second home (not throw in the trash) that might be the best you can do! We can't change the past but we can make sure to be better or different, for the future.
@@Alexas.nobuyyear I used to use ThredUp until they started to also charge money to send a bag of items in. I was maybe making $7.00 on an entire bag but if they are charging the $15 now I would be making a -$7 or so per bag. What I am currently doing to work around this is that I am giving everything to a friend who has 2 daughters to go through. Before that I found an organization that takes items for foster kids and the families of foster kids, or foster situations where a Grandmother or Auntie is taking care of children. I found that it was a lot easier to declutter when I knew that these items were going to people who really, REALLY needed them and not just to Goodwill or another thrift store.
Please forgive my jumping in here, but I’d like to share some experience with 10 to 20 years old clothing. I’d suggest not to get rid of it, and here’s why. My mother and me have been swapping clothes for years, so many items have been going back and forth, mostly due to our size fluctuations not always being in sync (so my clothes would fit her, but not me, or vice versa). These days we’re similar size, and our smallest, which means we’re both currently revisiting my clothes from 2004 to 2013, which she had kept. And let me tell you: 1. it’s so fun and enjoyable, cause old enough is basically new 2. trend cycles are speeding up, so many items are not just okay, but spot-on, although that’s not that important 3. maybe the most important thing: the clothes are simply better quality than what you can find today from the same brands for the same or higher price, so it’s a pleasure to use my cotton tank-top from 2003, because the fabric and the seams are just good solid cotton. If you’ve been able to keep all these items and still have some living space in your home, leave them waiting further. Revisit when you feel like it. More likely than not you’ll be happy you kept them, doesn’t matter if you end up wearing them yourself or passing along. It’s like your little thrift shop, so use it accordingly and dig up some treasures from time to time. Just find some good for you way to store it
@@svetlanayaroshevskaya7077 You have some very good points! I have a lot of clothing that is pretty old. My issues is that I do not have any storage space. My basement floods, we get mice in our only small attic space that eat through everything, and there are very limited closets in my home. I live in a 140 year old farmhouse with 3 generations of people. It sounds really fun to be able to swap clothing like that with your Mother.
Haha aw I appreciate it - I am about to actually film and post on that channel (less frequently than on here though) so you may or may not decide to stick around - and I won't be offended if the extremely niche viola content isn't actually valuable to you 😁
Haha aw I appreciate it - I am about to actually film and post on that channel (less frequently than on here though) so you may or may not decide to stick around - and I won't be offended if the extremely niche viola content isn't actually valuable to you 😁
