I’m Not an Influencer. Nor Do I Want to Be

I’m not an influencer. If you ask me, the word should be struck from the English language.

I don’t care whether or not you like me. I concern myself with whether or not I like me. And when I was a ‘digital marketer’, I did NOT like me.

This is part of the reason that this blog exists. Because I’m sure that I’m not the only human being who’s sick and tired of the whole ‘fakey fake’ digital marketing/influencer ‘thing’.

There was a time when the word “influencer” meant something else. It wasn’t always ring lights, Sephora hauls, and discount codes tucked under every caption. Somewhere along the way, “influencer” morphed into a job title that no one asked for but everyone suddenly wanted.

Again, let me be clear: I am not an influencer. And I have absolutely no desire to become one.

Not now. Not ever.

The Performance Problem

Being an influencer isn’t about sharing your life. It’s about performing it.

You don’t get to wake up and just be. You wake up and you curate. You don’t just drink coffee — you stage it on a marble countertop, surrounded by aesthetically pleasing chaos and artificial relatability.

You’re no longer allowed to experience life as a participant. You’re a narrator, always on, always positioned, always available and on the lookout for a brand collaboration.

I don’t know about you, but that sounds like hell.

I don’t want to live in a world where I can’t post a photo unless it’s edited within an inch of its life. I don’t want to talk about my life like it’s one long product review. And I definitely don’t want to convince people to buy things I wouldn’t even buy myself just so I can say I “landed a partnership.”

Let’s Talk About Influence

You know who influenced me the most? People who never tried to.

They didn’t have affiliate links. They didn’t have curated aesthetics. They didn’t have to monetize their presence just to feel valuable.

They showed up. Honestly. Messily. Completely themselves.

And isn’t that the point? To make people feel something, think something, without squeezing them through a funnel every time they engage with you?

If influence is just a euphemism for monetized attention, I don’t want it.

Influencer Culture Is Shallow AF

It rewards the surface, not the substance.

The more beautiful your feed, the more brand-worthy you become. The more you conform to the algorithm, the higher you rise.

But at what cost?

You stop saying what you really think. You start hiding parts of yourself that don’t “fit the brand.” You start crafting messages that sound deep, but say absolutely nothing.

It’s not authenticity. It’s pageantry with a filter on top.

And if that’s what it takes to “build a following,” count me out.

What I Do Instead

I write what I mean. I say what I feel. I don’t edit my opinions for reach. This blog, UnMarketable, is not a brand. It’s a protest.

It’s where I write things that would never make it into a polished influencer caption. It’s where I put down the damn mask and say something real.

I’m not trying to go viral. I’m trying to go honest.

And if that makes me unmarketable, irrelevant, or invisible in the eyes of the influencer machine? Good.

I’m happy to be a ghost in their world if it means I get to be alive in mine.

The Trap of Monetized Identity

The worst part of influencer culture isn’t the filters or the fakery — it’s the pressure to turn yourself into a product.

Every opinion becomes a hook. Every moment becomes content. Every outfit becomes an opportunity for monetization.

You stop existing, and you start selling yourself.

And once you start down that road, it’s hard to come back. You start measuring your worth in likes, shares, saves, and brand deals.

Until suddenly, you don’t know who you are without an audience to validate you.

That’s not freedom. That’s digital indentured servitude.

I’d Rather Be Impactful Than Popular

Popularity fades. Virality is a fluke. But saying something that actually matters? That echoes.

It lives longer than the algorithm. It reaches people in the places most influencers don’t dare to go.

And here’s the wild part: You don’t need a million followers to do that.

You just need a voice that refuses to conform.

You need guts. You need clarity. You need a little bit of fire.

You’ve got that. I’ve got that.

And I’d rather light a candle with my truth than set myself on fire to keep up with people who don’t even know who they are without their follower count.

If You Came Here Looking for a Role Model…

You’re in the wrong place. I’m not a brand. I’m not an expert. I’m not here to guide you to six-figure success.

But I am here to say things out loud. To put a dent in the echo chamber. To make space for people who want to be real, not rewarded for being fake.

So no, I’m not an influencer. Nor do I want to be.

I just want to be heard without selling out. Seen without being filtered. Respected without being liked.

That’s enough for me. And it should be enough for all of us.