So, when does influence become manipulation?

So, when does influence become manipulation?

Four posts later, I keep coming back to one thing:

Trust.

Vår Aunevik's TikTok analysis of OpenAI's influencer nature retreat made the tension pretty clear.

Bees. Luxury cabins. Wholesome forest vibes.

Basically: AI, but make it cottagecore.

But influencers become the human face of the company they're promoting. And when that company is already part of a bigger conversation about AI's environmental impact, the context comes with the content.

Then I was scrolling Instagram and saw a bridal post: real gowns, AI-generated models.

My first thought was: wait, is this AI?

The comments had the same question.

The brand listened, disclosed the AI use and updated the caption.

Because people aren't necessarily annoyed that AI was used. They're annoyed when they feel like you hoped they wouldn't notice.

That's where community management matters.

I'm not anti-AI. I use it constantly to organise the 100,000 tabs open in my ADHD brain. Including this post.

AI can generate content. Influencers can generate attention.

But trust?

You still have to earn that.

There's still no prompt for a good reputation.