Influencers Don't Care If You Go Broke

Parasocial relationships might kill your finances...

In this video, we're talking about how influencers (from TikTok stars to pop singers to beyond) leverage parasocial relationships to make money from their audience, sometimes at the extreme detriment of their fans - like in the case of the FTX collapse. Financial influencers like Graham Stephan and MeetKevin, and celebs like Tom Brady and Steph Curry, and even Kevin O'Leary from Shark Tank, lured their audiences into investing with FTX. Zooming out, these parasocial relationships cause situations like the Taylor Swift Ticketmaster fiasco and can make you spend way more money than you can afford on BTS merch or Emma Chamerblain's clothes. That's why it's so important to do your own research and make sure that these products or services are actually worth the investment for your own financial situation.

Because at the end of the day, influencers don't care if you go broke.

#personalfinance #videoessay #ftx #financialfreedom #taylorswift #parasocialrelationships

If you like this video, check out some of my other video essays on money & society!
- How Consumerism Ruins Our Planet and Finances:    • How Consumerism Ruins Our Planet and ...  
- The Dangers of 'Stay at Home Girlfriend' and 'TradWife' Culture:    • The Dangers of 'Stay at Home Girlfrie...  
- How Designer Brands Will Keep You Poor:    • How Designer Brands Keep You Poor  
- Is Existential Dread Ruining Personal Finance?:    • How Existential Dread Keeps You Poor  



Timestamps:
00:00 Influencers don't care if you go broke (Intro)
00:13 FTX's Influencer Endorsements
03:40 This is bigger than FTX
05:28 Parasocial Relationships
06:41 Taylor Swift Ticketmaster Fiasco
08:58 Influencers as deities
09:49 We're sold stories
11:35 Personal Finance is emotional
12:32 Question Everything
14:30 Final Thoughts