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Deinfluencing: The Trend Toward More Conscious Consumption
Deinfluencing flips the logic of #TikTokMadeMeBuyIt: instead of pushing impulse purchases, creators tell their audience what is not worth buying, and that honesty makes them more credible. For brands, the opportunity is to communicate with less purchase urgency and more focus on value, usefulness and transparency, giving people the information they need to decide for themselves.
Let us guess.
You opened TikTok for 10 minutes and came out convinced you needed a gaming chair, a new Stanley or that gadget you didn’t know existed until certain creators told you it was essential. And even though you probably didn’t need it, after seeing it again and again in your feed, buying it started to seem like a good idea, right?
That’s how #TikTokMadeMeBuyIt took off, turning feed suggestions into impulse purchases. But today the landscape is starting to shift with the arrival of deinfluencing, which proposes exactly the opposite. It questions impulse buying, reviews products that don’t deliver on their promises or tells you outright what isn’t worth buying.
The movement began gaining visibility on TikTok, especially around categories like beauty, skincare, fashion and products that go viral on social media itself.
In 2023, AP News reported that videos associated with the #deinfluencing hashtag had already surpassed 150 million views in just a few months.
But make no mistake: it’s not simply about negative reviews. Deinfluencing proposes a different relationship with consumption. It invites us to ask whether we really need something or whether we’re buying it just because it became a trend.
Trust has moved
One of the reasons behind its growth may lie in the relationship between influencers and credibility. When an audience is used to seeing products recommended constantly, someone who changes the message to say “this isn’t worth it” can create a sense of greater honesty.
In fact, a study published in Internet Research in 2026 found that consumers perceived deinfluencers as more credible than traditional influencers, and that this type of message can change both attitudes toward a brand and purchase intent.
The logic behind it is interesting, because it shows that a recommendation no longer needs to end in a purchase to be influential. Telling someone what not to buy has also become a powerful way to build authority.
What should brands do now?
It’s the perfect opportunity to work on communication that is less focused on purchase urgency and more focused on demonstrating value, usefulness and transparency. Today’s consumers are no longer satisfied with being told “buy this”; first, they want to know whether it’s worth the money.
With so many recommendations circulating, what brings a brand closest to its audience is giving people the data and tools to decide for themselves.
Your brand can also spark interest without pushing a sale. If you want to find new ways to connect with your audience and communicate what your product can truly offer, write to us.
At Positive, we can help you turn that idea into a communication strategy.
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