How Influencer Culture Doesn't Just Shape Individual Dreams — It Can Also Shape Cultures
What if the places we desire, the lifestyles we admire and the experiences we chase are shaping more than just our own lives?
Influence doesn't stop with us.
Our individual choices can become collective patterns. And when millions of people start wanting the same things, visiting the same places and pursuing the same lifestyles, those patterns can begin to reshape the world around us.
Influencer culture is a relatively new term, but the idea of people influencing where others travel, what they buy and what they consider desirable is certainly not new.
1. Influence can introduce us to new cultures
Travel creators can make people curious about places they might never have considered. They can showcase local traditions, food, crafts, communities and lesser-known destinations.
And it doesn't always have to be a social media influencer. Brigitte Bardot is closely associated with the rise of Saint-Tropez as a glamorous destination, while films such as Eat, Pray, Love helped inspire interest in Bali and contributed to what we now sometimes call “set-jetting” – travelling to places we have seen on screen.
When I was in Bali, I noticed that even years after Eat, Pray, Love, palm reading was still highly desired by visitors because of the movie. But it made me wonder. Was it really about the palm reader? It wasn't necessarily a question of: Is the quality good? Can I trust the palm reader? Do I feel a connection to this person? It almost felt like it had become part of a box to tick – something you were supposed to do when visiting Bali. And that's where I think influence becomes interesting.
At some point, inspiration can turn into a checklist.
We can become so influenced by what we're told is desirable that we stop asking ourselves whether we actually desire it.
2. When one destination becomes everyone's dream
Bali, Santorini, Dubai and many other destinations have become globally recognisable through travel media and social media. A destination can suddenly receive enormous attention, bringing income and opportunities to local communities.
And there is nothing inherently wrong with that. E.g. when we look at Bali. The rise of yoga, gyms, cafés, wellness retreats and other businesses in certain parts of Bali has created jobs, attracted investment and opened new opportunities.
But there can also be side effects. Bali has faced serious waste-management challenges, while rapid tourism development has put pressure on land, water and traditional agriculture. As tourism and other industries offer different income opportunities, traditional forms of work such as farming can become less economically attractive.
On some islands and in some communities, resources such as water can also come under increasing pressure as tourism grows.
This doesn't mean tourism is bad. It means that every choice has consequences beyond the individual making it.
A traveller may simply see a beautiful place and think, I want to go there.
But when thousands or millions of people have the same thought, the collective impact can look very different.
And often, the influencers leave, while the locals remain. They are the ones who continue living with the changes that increased tourism can bring – the opportunities, but also the pressure on nature, resources, land and traditional ways of life.
3. Who gets to define what is desirable?
Influencers don't just show us places. They can shape our perception of what a beautiful life looks like.
What bodies, homes, countries, lifestyles and experiences are desirable?
Sometimes people travel to places because they're hip, not because it's actually what they need. Perhaps what someone really needs is rest. Or silence. Or nature. Or simply time away from their everyday life. But relaxation can sound boring when we're constantly exposed to images of the next exciting experience. We are often shown the beautiful restaurant, the hidden beach, the luxury hotel, the perfect morning routine. And slowly, we can begin to associate a desirable life with a certain aesthetic. But what if the places we consider desirable are partly a perception created in our minds? What if what looks desirable to us isn't necessarily what we need? And what if our constant exposure to other people's desires makes it harder to hear our own?
4. The positive power of influence
Influence isn't inherently negative. Creators can introduce people to different cultures, support small businesses, raise awareness about environmental issues, promote sustainability, encourage social causes and give visibility to voices that might otherwise remain unheard. Influence can open doors that might otherwise remain closed. A country can become a place someone genuinely wants to discover, a small local business can find new customers, and an environmental issue can reach people who might otherwise never have heard about it.
Influence can inspire positive change.
The problem isn't influence itself. Perhaps it's unconscious influence.
But there is another side to consider. Much of influencer culture is also tied to money and profit. A recommendation may look like a personal experience, while behind the scenes, there may be a paid collaboration, a complimentary hotel stay, a free meal or another incentive. That doesn't necessarily mean the influencer is being dishonest or that they don't genuinely like what they're promoting. But it does mean the recommendation isn't always based purely on an independent evaluation.
An influencer might stay at a hotel because they genuinely love it. But they might also be there because the hotel offered them a complimentary stay. Both can be true at the same time.
So perhaps the question isn't whether influence is good or bad, but how consciously we receive it.
We can appreciate someone's recommendation without automatically assuming it is an unbiased one. We can be inspired while still asking ourselves: Why is this being shown to me? What might be influencing the person recommending it? And would I still want this if nobody had told me it was desirable?
5. From passive consumption to conscious influence
Perhaps the question isn't whether we should be influenced. We all influence and are influenced.
The question is: What are we choosing to amplify? Are we simply following a crowd, or are we still feeling deeply within ourselves?
What do I truly need right now? What if the lifestyle I admire belongs to someone else? And what if some of the perceptions we hold in our minds are disconnecting us from our own intuition?
I don't think the answer is to stop following influencers, stop travelling or stop being inspired by other people.
Rather, perhaps we can become more conscious of what we allow to influence us. We can let ourselves be inspired without automatically turning someone else's recommendation into our own desire. We can admire a lifestyle without feeling the need to recreate it, and we can visit a popular destination while remaining open to experiencing it in our own way.
Instead of simply ticking off the places, experiences or activities we're told we should see, we can slow down and ask ourselves what genuinely resonates with us. Perhaps conscious influence means allowing others to inspire us while still leaving space for our own intuition to guide us.
Because we don't just consume culture. Through our attention, choices and behaviour, we participate in creating it.
Every time we buy something, visit somewhere, share something or give our attention to something, we contribute to what becomes more visible, desirable and successful. nd perhaps this is where conscious living becomes collective.
Our choices may feel small when we make them individually. But when millions of people make similar choices, they can shape businesses, communities, destinations and even cultures.
Personal reflection
So maybe the question isn't simply: What do I want?
Maybe it's also: What am I contributing to through what I want?
And perhaps that is what conscious co-creation really means. Not withdrawing from the world, but becoming more aware of how our desires, choices and attention participate in creating it.
