The influencer\u2014that major internet star of recent times. We don\u2019t just know what they\u2019re wearing\u2014we know their partner, their home, where they spend their vacations, what they eat for breakfast, when they\u2019re getting married, when they break up with their partner, and what moisturizer they use before bed. We\u2019ve gone from the \u201cfit pic\u201d in front of the mirror to \u201cget ready with me,\u201d then to \u201ca day in my life,\u201d and finally to spending entire days with complete strangers during which, more often than not, absolutely nothing happens. Other people\u2019s private lives have become <\/p>\n\n
But now something has changed: we\u2019re still watching, but we\u2019re starting to question who we\u2019re watching. This summer, \u201cunfollowing\u201d has become almost a sociopolitical statement\u2014or at least a mirage of one. Racist comments, complaints about taxes, conspiracy theories, and vacations that have turned into seemingly unbearable workdays have ultimately crystallized into a much broader conversation about privilege and the disconnect some people have from real life. The internet, which, like them, has never had much patience for the nuances and details of the phenomenon, has given it a definitive name: the fall of the influencers.<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n The media, too, were quick to buy into this assessment\u2014at least partially. In August, El Pa\u00eds asked whether \u201cinfluencers die by their own words,\u201d and a few days later spoke of their \u201cfirst major crisis.\u201d La Vanguardia, less willing to declare them dead, responded with \u201cThe (Non) Decline of Influencers.\u201d Meanwhile, Reuters observed how brands are beginning to turn to smaller profiles in search of specific communities and something that seems to have become scarce: credibility. Declaring the death of the influencer is very premature<\/strong> because the reality is that the business isn\u2019t actually dying\u2014quite the opposite. Investment in influencer marketing in Spain reached 158.4 million euros in 2025, up 25.9% from the previous year, according to data from IAB Spain and PwC. In the United States, social media creators\u2019 earnings could reach $21 billion this year\u2014a 16% increase from 2025\u2014according to Reuters. In other words: while the internet is symbolically organizing their funeral, brands are still footing the bill. So, what is really on the decline when it comes to influencers? For years, the distance between influencers and their followers was precisely part of the appeal. Bali on a Tuesday, a hotel suite on a Wednesday, a handbag before it hit the stores, and a SMEG refrigerator filled with drinks arranged by color. This lifestyle created a reality close enough for us to recognize ourselves in it, yet far enough away to make us long for it. But something happens when that distance ceases to be perceived as an aspiration and begins to be seen as a privilege. <\/p>\n\n Influencers didn\u2019t invent inequality, but they did create a unique vantage point from which to observe it. The elite have always had better homes, vacations, and access; what\u2019s new is following them from the moment they wake up until they go to bed. We see the business, the hotel, the gifting, and the handbag that just arrived. We see how much someone who could probably afford it receives for free. And we also see their complaints. Privilege didn\u2019t start with Instagram. What\u2019s new is being able to see it in Stories on the way to the office.<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n Let\u2019s think of an influencer\u2019s wedding as something that perfectly highlights this contradiction. People with enough financial means to pay for a celebration that is out of reach for a large portion of their followers may end up having it practically for free in exchange for turning it into content. The dress, the flowers, the catering, the hotel, and the honeymoon all fall within an economy where the currency isn\u2019t necessarily money, but exposure. The greater your visibility\u2014and often your spending power as well\u2014the more things you can get for free. <\/p>\n\n The paradox is hard to ignore: the person who could most afford to buy it is also the one most likely to receive it for free. But there\u2019s a catch. To get it, you have to turn what was once a private matter into advertising fodder. The wedding is no longer just a wedding: it\u2019s also a stage, a campaign, a showcase, and content. We\u2019re not simply looking at a privileged life on display online, but at a life whose privilege increases precisely because it\u2019s on display. <\/p>\n\n