Why 2024 may see the end of social media 'influencers'

A surprising new trend of influencers, celebrities and reality television stars stepping away from social media has suggested that ‘influencing’ may be on the decline in 2024.

Last month, Australian actress Chloé Hayden became the latest public figure to announce they were removing themselves from Instagram due to the detrimental effect it was having on her “mental and physical well-being”.

The Heartbreak High star's decision came after she was subjected to “death threats, detailed suicide prompts and horrific, intricate abuse each and every day” from trolls in response to her trying to raise awareness of living with autism, ADHD and chronic illnesses with her 247,000 followers.

Similarly, earlier this year Sydney influencer Emma Claiir, who had hundreds of thousands of followers across Instagram and TikTok, deleted her accounts after “realising” the relentless abuse she received online was “taking me away from my son and making me not present with him”.

Two months before deleting her accounts, Emma faced immense backlash after admitting to accidentally killing two cats when she was a child, saying: “The story got taken out of proportion and turned into something it never was.”

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Former model and Big Brother star Krystal Hipwell (formerly Forscutt), who amassed 153,000 Instagram followers by documenting her family life as a mum-of-three, was one of the first prominent Australian influencers to stop posting her life online.

In her last post in December 2021, she wrote: “I want to watch my children grow without feeling the need to capture every moment.

“I know that the decision to go offline will ultimately be the best thing for my family and for my mental health. Before I go I hope I can encourage you all to live your life to its fullest, run your own race and don’t get caught up in a world that isn’t entirely real. Please don’t miss those magical moments in your life because you were too busy watching someone else’s!”

In the two years since posting that with no further updates, Krystal has received almost 1,000 comments from fans saying they regularly return to her page in the hope she has started posting again.

Several Married At First Sight participants have also quietly stepped away from socials, turning down the potential of earning tens of thousands of dollars in brand collaborations whilst doing so.

Season six bride Heidi Latcham has not updated her 294,000 followers since December 2021, and her former co-star Bronson Norrish has not posted to his 192,000 fans since July 2022.

With the new season of MAFS just one month away from premiering, only time will tell how many cast members choose to pursue an influencing career post-show and how many decide to stay off social media altogether.

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