This is the last article you'd expect me to write. Why would someone who frequently uses the words "use my code for 20% off!" write about the negative byproducts of PR packages? It’s simple. These supposedly "free tokens” from companies on the internet don't just appear in your mailbox without reason, you have to want them there. It takes you on an ephemeral high, the first couple of times it happens. It's the thrill of receiving things for free, yet still feeling like you've earned them. After all, didn't you fight tooth and nail to make a name for yourself as an online personality? There's a lot of self-gratification involved. It took me two whole years to admit that, and one more to completely recognize that all of this — the highly glamorized transient "influencer" lifestyle — doesn't come without consequences. Consequences bigger than us, even. Consequences that greatly contribute to the rapid deterioration of the planet.
A tiny bit of clarification before I say more and further jeopardize my reputation as a so-called online personality, it would be extremely hypocritical of me to outright advocate against PR. That’s not what I’m trying to do anyway. However, I do think it's high time that influencers, models, and other online personalities began to consider the ecological consequences of accepting brand deals and endorsements in excess, and why companies need to look into more environmentally-conscious alternatives.
Trust me, I love receiving free products just as much as the next girl does, but over time, I've started to truly ask myself if I have too much of what I don't need. These questions rarely come to mind when we receive packages, we take and take without considering any of the consequences. I've seen an influx of influencers promoting the exact same products, just packaged and branded differently. Why do we think we need to promote five different lip gloss lines from five different brands when they were clearly sourced from the same factories? When we receive products, we typically get sent every single shade and variation available on the market, but the reality is that very seldom do we actually “hit pan” on all of these products. We pick a few favorites and let the rest expire and collect dust inside our drawers. The truth about the vast majority of the influencer community is that some things, if not most, begin to lose their appeal the moment we’re done posting pictures of them. We don’t realize it right off the bat, but this is extremely detrimental to the environment. Cosmetics, for example, are not single-use items, yet we tend to treat them as such due to the unnecessary amounts we’ve acquired them in. Are we really accepting PR products excessively to help businesses grow, or are we doing this for a tiny bit of an ego boost?
As online personalities, we have to be more responsible with our partnerships, not just because they represent us and vice versa, but also because the lifestyles we promote affect the planet on a far larger scale than first perceived. Think about it — how often do we actually keep the meticulously curated PR boxes our packages are sent in? What do we do with all the stuffing and confetti? What do we do once we've taken enough pictures of these glittering little pouches? I'm fairly certain that the answers differ from person to person, but almost always do these items end up in a landfill. According to the 2019 film The Story of Plastic, only 14% of our trash gets recycled, while only 2% are properly recycled. If we continue to mindlessly promote PR packages without even considering how this should go hand in hand with proper disposal and recycling, our carbon footprints will continue to grow, and so will the individual footprints belonging to members of our audience.
The influencer community has never been keen on being held accountable for affecting the way the masses think. But, when you sign up for all the perks and rewards that come with being an influencer, you sign up for all the added responsibility, too. Many online personalities don't realize that, but you simply can't have one without the other. The bigger your reach is, the more people you become responsible for. We put the people we look up to on a pedestal. If your audience truly looks up to you, what you say begins to grow heavier in value. To them, what you do is right, and this is why we need to be warier of the choices and lifestyles we choose to project on social media. We need to start being more responsible both behaviorally and environmentally. Realizing the consequences of not just PR packages, but influencer culture, in general, requires a lot of self-reflection. It took me over three years to fully wrap my head around the fact that I was part of a community that secretly perpetrated harm underneath our perfectly filtered facades, and it's a process I still work on to this day. Many sacrifices were made, with multiple partnerships turned down, but every time that happens, I tell myself not to feel disappointed. I don't need to keep telling myself that I need to accept a free item just because, and my audience doesn't need to invest in these items also just because.
But, of course, not only should we address influencers and other online personalities in this call to action; this problem encompasses the brands we work with, too. If they have the budget for extravagantly packaged products, then they most likely, if not most certainly, also have the budget for greener alternatives. I am in no way shape or form attacking small businesses. In fact, from my personal experience, smaller businesses have sent me products that were far more ethically processed and packaged in comparison to all the unnecessary tidbits that come with PR packages from larger companies, which oftentimes have more funding. A bigger budget usually means prettier parcels, yes, but this is mostly because of the decorative add-ons that serve no real purpose beyond making your Instagram boomerangs look a tad better. True, it is important to understand that packaging is a highly crucial aspect of marketing, but there are greener alternatives brands can adopt in order to leave a lasting impression on both influencers and their audiences. I don't favor my holy grail products because they come in glittery PR boxes full of confetti, I favor them because of their quality and performance. My audience will be paying for the products, not the boxes they come in. This isn't just a problem that should be discussed among influencers, this should also be considered in boardroom meetings of the companies we work with.
We have this ingrained mentality that more is always better. But, the more packages we endorse, the more we lose sight of authenticity and what makes us who we truly are. The overexposure of PR packages and endorsements in influencer culture makes us question what exactly the true purpose of social media is. Why exactly are we here? Are we on Instagram to preserve the best and happiest moments of our lives, or are we just here to serve as blank digital billboards for whoever needs to be advertised next? We constantly sign ourselves away to companies that take hold of what and who we are online, it's almost as if our social media platforms don’t belong to us anymore. Every time I open my Instagram app, I feel an immense overflow of gratitude for every single company that helped put me where I am at present. I remember being eleven and incredibly fond of this specific clothing store. I saved up all my lunch money for an entire week just so I could buy those really cute crop tops I saw on their Instagram page. Today, that same brand sends me a new set of clothes every few months or so, and I couldn't be more appreciative. But, while I still marvel at these full-circle moments, I can't help but wish I shared more photos of and with my friends and all the good times we've had instead of having a partnership tagged in every single photo. To this day, the clothing brand I've loved since early adolescence is still the only clothing brand I've consistently worked with, and I continue to keep a keen eye on the number of cosmetic companies I promote. Obviously, this depends on how you brand yourself as an influencer, but I am not a streetwear blogger nor am I a member of the beauty community. I am more than satisfied working with at least one to three clothing and cosmetic brands annually. We don't need to promote redundant products. We don't need to promote excessively. Sell and donate what you don't need; just because you've lost interest in it doesn't mean it's junk. Find other ways to repurpose and recycle your PR boxes, and dispose of them properly if possible. There's a lot more to our actions than just sitting pretty and making sure our products sell, and there's a lot more to us as people, too. Your social media page is a reflection of who you are, but being yourself doesn’t have to happen at the expense of the environment. Be a conscious influencer. The planet needs you more than you need that PR box.
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