Has the end of 'influencers' really arrived?

BarcelonaSince social networks became part of our daily lives, an ecosystem of new celebrities has emerged: influencers. They are people who very often show idyllic lives, in many cases subsidized by the brands that hire them to advertise them. Their content is not harmless and this summer some of the controversial opinions of these idols have caused a breeding ground to be generated, baptized as the fall of influencers, which predicts the decline of these public figures.

The loss of credibility of influencers began to be glimpsed in a report this year by the Association for Media Research (AIMC). According to the data collected by the association, 45.7% of those surveyed believe that the credibility of influencershas decreased. In addition, the majority of those asked, 61.9%, indicate that they consider that they mostly make advertising publications and 69.8% of those surveyed say they abuse hidden advertising. However, those surveyed are not so clear that the popularity of these characters will decrease and, in fact, 44.9% believe it will grow.

The beginning of the end?

The spark that has ignited the debate about the possible end of social media leaders has been the posts made by some during the summer, many with a marked conservative or conspiratorial political discourse. Among the influencers who have received criticism in recent months is Marta Díaz (7.3 million followers on TikTok, 3.7 million followers on Instagram, and with a docuseries on Prime Video), who in July participated in La gran velada organized by Ibai Llanos, where she took the opportunity to introduce her younger sister. As soon as she appeared in the sports show, the girl, named Laura Díaz, opened her social media accounts, a move aimed at becoming an influencer like her older sister. For now, on TikTok she has over half a million followers, a similar figure to her Instagram. The family strategy, however, has not been well received by netizens, who consider that the youngest of the Díaz wants to live without working.

Another of the participants in La gran velada who has been the target of criticism is Fabiana Sevillano (2.2 million followers on TikTok and 1.1 million on Instagram). The 24-year-old posted a video stating that, after the sports show, she was making the most of the summer because everyone else had had three months of vacation and she only had one. For many netizens, the comment is a clear sign of the girl's lack of social awareness, as normally no one has so many vacation days. Criticism has also fallen on Roro Bueno (9.5 million followers on TikTok and 4.7 million on Instagram), the influencer known for promoting an image of a traditional wife, for an old comment on social media in which she insulted Peru and its inhabitants.

Finally, another influencers who have allegedly fallen from grace are the couple formed by Carliyo, el Nervio, and Natalia Palacios, with 1.7 million followers between them on TikTok. The first made a video in which he assured that all the hype for the total eclipse on August 12 was a "historic smokescreen" sponsored "by the powers that be." "Living in a crisis in Spain, everyone is very angry. Living a smokescreen and everyone is falling for it. Who gives a shit about the eclipse? Nobody! So, the powers that be have said, 'What do you think if we spend a week talking about a shitty eclipse instead of talking about all the problems we have?'", he says. Carliyo's words generated numerous criticisms, some of which also reproached him for having gone to the United States for a month to follow the Football World Cup while his wife was three months pregnant. These comments made Palacios very nervous, who made a video in which she harshly attacked those who criticized her husband by using her. "Don't you have anything else to pick on my husband about than using a pregnant woman? Do you want to pick on my husband because you don't like the video or because he made a mistake? Perfect, but don't be so disgusting as to use the pregnant woman and the child to say he's a bad father and a bad husband", she says in a video that has almost 5 million views.

The death of influencers will only be certified by follower and engagement data. One of the tools that allows tracking the drop and rise in followers is the TikReport website, although the information is limited to TikTok and a one-week period, unless the paid version is available. The data from the last seven days does show a sharp drop in followers in all cases of the influencers who have been involved in controversies in recent weeks. According to TikReport,Carliyo, el Nervio, has lost 27,000 followers, while his wife has 52,000 fewer than a week ago. Fabiana Sevillano and Roro Bueno are suffering even more: the former has lost 75,681 followers and the latter 62,123. If these figures are compared with those of other influencers with more discreet attitudes, such as Laura Escanes (1 million followers on TikTok), a notable gap is seen: in recent days, Escanes has lost followers on TikTok, but only 1,625. However, it should be taken into account that these are figures from a single week, and to know if it is really a real trend, it would be advisable to see a continued drop in the following weeks.

In a video published on TikTok a few days ago, Sevillano downplayed the supposed fall of influencers. "While you are criticizing one or the other in a video, in the search engine type the person's name and people end up clicking and giving them visibility. And I'll tell you something, there's bad fame, but there's no bad engagement. That person will be receiving views, which is what they live on," she reflected.

While on social media the debate about the disappearance of influencers remains open, the latest sector data shows that in 2025 there was a stabilization of this community after years of growth. According to the Influencer Marketing study by IAB Spain in 2026, which collected data from 2025, there are currently 285,000 profiles in Spain. Regarding brands' investment in these profiles, it is expanding; specifically, in 2025 there was a growth of 49% compared to 2024. In total, it is estimated that the investment in TikTok and Instagram stands at 245 million euros.