Is this the end of the influencer economy?

Secure your online accounts with Bitwarden Password Manager --- the trusted open source solution for generating, storing, and autofilling strong passwords across all your devices. Get started with the basic free plan or unlock enterprise-grade security for your team: https://bitwarden.com/ashleyembers Join the community over at my Patreon at https://patreon.com/AshleyEmbers! Spotify Podcast https://open.spotify.com/show/7JoJYDwbvKSodEsW28WYDK?si=R6NHAwH7S2Gg1XwENzOM3A Find me on tiktok https://www.tiktok.com/@ashleyembers MERCH https://ashley-embers-shop.fourthwall.com/ Time Stamps 00:00 - intro 02:21 - the relatability illusion 12:44 - synthetic connection 19:05 - Bitwarden 21:15 - trust issues 31:43 - final thoughts References & Resources The Influencer Factory - https://amzn.to/4hjfco0 Influencers Need Real Jobs - https://tomorrowtodaynow.substack.com/p/ai-influencers OpenAI’s Sora 2 is an unholy abomination - https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/463596/openai-sora2-reels-videos-tiktok-chatgpt-deepfakes They’re Famous. They’re Everywhere. And They’re Fake. - https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/03/style/ai-influencers-lil-miquela-mia-zelu.html# In creator marketing, loose disclosures are finally catching up - https://digiday.com/media/in-creator-marketing-loose-disclosures-are-finally-catching-up/ Over two-fifths of influencer ads fail to meet ASA disclosure standards - https://uk.themedialeader.com/over-two-fifths-of-influencer-ads-fail-to-meet-asa-disclosure-standards/ The majority of influencer advertising is undisclosed - https://cepr.org/voxeu/columns/majority-influencer-advertising-undisclosed The Explosion of Influencer Marketing Over the Past 24 Months - https://www.smartinsights.com/online-pr/influencer-marketing/explosion-influencer-marketing-past-24-months/ Why the Creator Economy Is Entering Its Final Days - https://medium.com/write-a-catalyst/the-fall-of-influence-why-the-creator-economy-is-entering-its-final-days-5cf621d38614 Consumers Trust Influence