You can benefit from some informative Instagram influencers, but you should think twice when consuming paid promotional content on the platform.

In recent years, Instagram influencers have served as a boon for advertisers as well as a powerful source of information for consumers. However, have you ever stopped to think about whether your favorite Instagram influencers provide sage advice?

Today, approximately 70% of marketing professionals work with social media influencers. However, emerging platform regulations are making it harder for influencers to reach consumers and difficult for marketers to gather metrics.

The Science Behind Instagram Influencer Marketing

According to Business Insider, marketers will spend $15 billion to advertise through influencers in 2022. For marketers who want to work with influencers on social media platforms, however, Instagram is the leader in the field.

In part, Instagram's more than 1 billion users are an inescapable attraction for marketers. However, there's more to Instagram than a massive audience. According to marketing experts, the appeal of Instagram is that the platform encourages people to join groups based on their interests.

Still, influencer marketing is highly effective – despite headlines that state the contrary. At the same time, the practice is transforming from an art into a science.

Now, marketers can advertise as much, or as little, as needed. With the ability to scale up and down as necessary, the field is experiencing exponential growth. So much so, that you're most certainly losing out if you're an enterprise that's not playing the influencer game.

Fitness and Influencers

If you've been looking to get in shape, you may want to turn to someone besides Instagram influencers for advice. Sure, there are some gems out there, but as always – consider the source.

By 2012, the number of obese children tripled from 6.1% in 1970 to 20.5% in 2012. Furthermore, obesity places children at increased risk of bullying, chronic illnesses and diminished self-esteem. What's worse, is that children who are obese are more likely to continue to suffer from the condition throughout adulthood.

Only one out of nine United Kingdom bloggers make accurate weight management claims, according to the University of Glasgow. According to a lead researcher at the University, most weight loss blogs are unreliable. Unfortunately – according to the researchers – many UK bloggers present their opinions as facts and fail to meet the criteria required for status as a credible source.

In other words, the claims made by influential bloggers in the University study were not transparent, trustworthy, evidence-based or nutritionally sound. The bloggers' posts were also biased.

IG Celebs and Anxiety in America

As it turns out, the powerful sway of Instagram influencers can contribute to your anxiety. In the United States, for example, anxiety and depression are the two most likely reasons that students seek mental health services, according to the Center for Collegiate Mental Health 2017 Annual Report. Even though other mental illnesses diminished or remain static during the study, these two conditions have increased year after year.

General anxiety can produce many feelings among college students. According to the Mayo Clinic, many symptoms of anxiety can affect them, for example:

• Fear
• Insomnia
• Lack of focus
• Nervousness
• Sweating
• Trembling
• Uncontrolled worrying
• Unease

Instagram fame can also take its toll on the influencers themselves. Frequently, newly popular influencers may find themselves obsessing over social media platforms. As their posts attract more attention, it's often all that they can think about.

Resultantly, influencers can place too much value on who views their Instagram accounts, while at the same time, incessantly posting pictures of the free gifts that they receive for marketers. Often, influencers will find themselves worrying about their account performance, rather than taking care of important personal business.

Right now, influencer marketing is the biggest thing on the internet. Nevertheless, you must remain vigilant about where you source information. At some point, you must decide if you're buying what influencer marketers are selling.