Why I Kinda Agree With Xiaxue On How Unverified Reviews On 'Influencer Glassdoor' Is Not Legit
- quipvictoria
- Jun 9, 2020
- 4 min read
As most of us millennials with a phone would know by now, there's a new Instagram account on the block called, @influencerglassdoor.
They've described themselves as a "Glassdoor but for influencers". The creators are anonymous and according to this Mothership article, they reckon there are at least two admins behind the Instagram account and Telegram channel.
It's basically piping hot industry tea from people who have worked first-hand with influencers and as of writing, they have close to 150 posts.
What And Who Is It For?
According to Mothership, when questioned by a user on the "necessity of such a platform, the admins clarified that they have 'ZERO intention' of defaming any influencer."
Apparently, the admins "hoped to highlight unacceptable behaviours and shed light on work ethics within the industry."
Influencer Glassdoor posts "reviews" of influencers submitted to them by the public, censoring the names of influencers who have gotten negative reviews while displaying names in full for those who get compliments and praises.
If you follow a lot of local influencers and read the tabloids once in a while, it isn't a challenge to decipher the censored names. And tongues wag, so, really, how fair is this "system"?
At this point, I think it is safe to assume that the content is targeted at people who love influencer gossip (or "human interest stories"), and that the admins maybe work in marketing, PR, or some client-facing role in the media industry.
Xiaxue's Passionate Rant
On 29 May, blogosphere veteran-turned-influencer Xiaxue called out Influencer Glassdoor on her IG stories.
She argued that the platform is fodder for gossip and that it isn't a fair system since submissions are anonymous, making it difficult to verify if the review is real or not.
In a nutshell, Xiaxue felt that such reviews can affect influencers' livelihoods and warned the page that they are treading dangerous waters should "[their] opinions [be] libelous".
She wrapped up her rant by saying that while it is understandable that marketers want to know if an influencer is good or not, she thinks the "onus should be on you to prove that you are speaking the truth".
Xiaxue also expressed frustration that influencers are "constantly having to fight fires by proving a negative" whenever such platforms "feel like publishing a hit piece about [influencers]".
I Agree With Xiaxue To A Certain Extent
Sorry for the Social Studies L1 opening, but as someone who used to be in journalism (just a while) and have a bit of knowledge about making balanced arguments, I think Xiaxue has made some good points.
1. By being anonymous, the admins probably believe that this protects them from being held accountable for the content they put out.
2. It seems like only after Xiaxue has outed them that they've added more disclaimers, which is kind of suspicious, in my opinion.
3. Initially, I think the reviews cannot be verified (I didn't have the foresight to screenshot their submission form). Now, it seems they've decided not to censor influencers' names if the person submitting the review has receipts, and have also updated their terms for review submission.
4. It's easy for people to fake the reviews.
It feels very one-sided to me and over-sensational. But, of course, if they were truly fair, the Instagram page will not even exist in the first place. Who cares about unbiased reviews that are also vetted by influencers themselves?
Some of the influencers on the receiving end of the not-so-nice reviews have came out to tell their side of the stories. Chloe Choo (@chloeandchoo) had gone "on a tirade on Instagram Stories" and Brenda Tan (@wordweed) had made a video in response, according to this.
The page comes across as the gratuitous crusader of influencer reviews, yet, I noticed, that they have gone several lengths to disassociate themselves from the content they create.
"OP’s opinions do not reflect opinions of admins (sic)," it wrote on its Instagram bio. They "strongly encourage" posters to use open-ended questions and phrases like, "I think/ I feel" as "preventive measures to ensure that this platform is not defamatory, so that we can continue sharing."
On the flipside, if I were to be very optimistic about this page, I do think that some of these reviews are somewhat helpful for marketers in searching for a suitable influencer or Key Opinion Leader (KOL).
Looking at the number of positive reviews for Jamie Yeo, I would consider engaging her if I was a marketer in a female-centric or mum-friendly brand.
If I was a small business owner with a tight marketing budget, I could consider some of the up-and-coming influencers others recommend.
And let's say I'm in PR and I am tasked to find suitable KOLs to achieve the KPIs set by the client, I could glean insights from these reviews and compile a list of who to avoid and who would be good.
Conclusion
As another stranger surfing the Internet, I'm here only for the tea. It's kind of fun to guess who are those influencers mentioned in negative reviews like influencer bingo.
But that said, I can understand why Xiaxue reacted that way. As an influencer or KOL, her job is to positively influence people on the brands she represents.
For influencers, their lifestyle is their work, and their work is their lifestyle. If word got out that Xiaxue is horrible at doing her job, it will definitely affect her reputation, and thus, her income.
Will it cause her to completely lose her job? I doubt so.
Perhaps I come across as a Xiaxue/ influencer sympathiser, but I think she has made some valid points from an influencer's point of view.
In their submissions form, they wrote: "We are determined to make this a safe environment for everyone to have a voice."
Well, that "voice" already exists. It's called, word-of-mouth.
Sarcasm aside, personally, I think that people have always been sharing gossip so there is really no need for this platform. Xiaxue thinks this could lead to defamation, but I think that this platform also gives cyberbullies more fuel to send hate to influencers.
Anyway, I have decided that Influencer Glassdoor is just a PG-version of NUS Whispers/ NTU Confessions and is slightly amusing at best. But instead of airing people's dirty laundry, it's "shedding light on the industry".
While I mentioned some of the benefits I could see the platform yield for folks in PR and marketing, I believe that anyone worth their salt would not treat this page as a reliable source in their respective PR and influencer marketing strategies.
I would file this under "keeping abreast of social media trends", though.
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