It's Been a Minute
It's Been a Minute

Are influencers in their flop era?

August 18, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

In a recent episode of It's Been a Minute, host Brittany Loose and culture critic Ira Madison III (host of the podcast Feedback) dissect a growing cultural shift: the influencer economy is souring. The conversation opens with a sharp observation from a listener: "Well, we're broke, you know… what are you influencing me to buy if I don't have money to buy anything?" That question frames the episode's central argument—the relationship between influencers and their audiences has curdled, driven by economic strain, overexposed performance, and a fundamental confusion about what influencers actually offer.

The Pivot and the Performance Problem

Madison identifies the first sign of trouble as the "pivot." When influencers start shifting their content—from, say, cheese-pull videos to earnest current events commentary—it signals they sense their original formula is losing power. He points to Charlie D'Amelio's move to Broadway as a bid for legitimacy, and the broader trend of influencers pivoting to news commentary, all trying to replicate the viral "I've had it" moments of figures like Jennifer Welch. The problem, Madison argues, is that the performance is now visible as performance. Audiences are no longer buying the lifestyle fantasy because they can't afford it.

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What you'll learn

  • 1 (00:22) **The Shift Begins** - Host Brittany Loose introduces the topic: audiences are turning on influencers, and guest Ira Madison III (host of *Feedback*) pinpoints when he first noticed the shift.
  • 2 (05:39) **The Nara Smith Case Study** - The conversation dives into the trad-wife influencer Nara Smith, who denied the label on *Call Her Daddy*, sparking a debate about performance and authenticity.
  • 3 (12:29) **Overperforming Solidarity** - Ira identifies a troubling trend of black women influencers exploiting a protective impulse in their audience to get away with questionable behavior.
  • 4 (15:28) **The Anti-Marketing Con** - The discussion expands to how artists and influencers now rely on fans to do their marketing for free.
  • 5 (17:25) **Fighting Proxy Wars for Beyoncé** - The conversation turns to how Beyoncé's fans (the Beehive) run interference on any reputational threat, making public statements from the Carters almost unnecessary.
  • 6 (19:39) **Reality TV Standom is Unhinged** - Ira observes how *Love Island* fans form "armies" for contestants while they're still on the show, celebrating brand deals as personal victories.
  • 7 (24:02) **Pushback in the Real World** - The tide is turning offline too, as seen in a Nantucket store's "No influencers" sign and a Canadian influencer claiming anti-influencer sentiment is anti-woman.

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Guests on this episode

Brittany Loose

Show Notes

The cultural supremacy of the influencer seems to be waning. 

For nearly a decade, they’ve become a fount of cultural commerce, affecting how to live, what to buy, and who to follow for advice. But a backlash – against everything from expensive shopping hauls to the very persona that built an influencer's brand – is leaving many questioning their cultural relevance. So what’s going on with influencers – or better yet – who’s going to replace them? To understand this cultural shift, we’re chatting with Ira Madison III, host of The Feedback with Ira Madison, to figure out what happens when the influencers lose influence.

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