de-influencer

First we had the influencers, the people who become leaders on social media and who amass followers who take on board recommendations to buy particular products. The followers trusted their leaders until one day it was discovered that some influencers were accepting money from product suppliers to push their product.  While it was recommended to the influencers that they should be upfront about that, they were not obliged to do so which left an atmosphere of distrust and uncertainty in the influencing world.

De-influencing is giving recommendations on what NOT to buy.  This might be because the de-influencer genuinely believes the product is rubbish.  Or it could be part of a more complex response to the downturn in the economy where it no longer seems right to be encouraging people to spend more, buy more, have more than they actually need.  The de-influencer might attempt to put the brakes on compulsive purchasing by asking if the product, however good it might be, is something that people actually need.

The upshot is that an influencer who also de-influences gains more credibility.  It is also possible for the influencer to push their followers in chosen directions, as towards purchasing more environmentally sustainable products.  Influencing and de-influencing become part of the same influencing skillse