Spanish social media users have turned on the country's most popular content creators over the course of July and August, sparking a widespread digital movement known as the fall of the influencers.
Followers have flooded platforms to declare their exhaustion with the current state of digital content, driving hundreds of videos complaining about the attitudes of high-profile creators.
The critical posts on video-sharing networks like Instagram and TikTok have already accumulated millions of views and thousands of comments as users speculate on the reasons behind the sudden rejection of figures they previously supported.
The primary complaints driving the backlash focus on an excessive volume of advertising content, creators offering uninformed opinions on complex topics, and the constant display of lifestyles that are entirely inaccessible to the vast majority of the general public.
The influencer economy has grown rapidly over the past decade, initially driven by everyday internet users who built audiences by documenting their relatable daily routines from their bedrooms or local neighbourhoods. Today, it operates as a multi-million dollar global industry where leading accounts secure highly lucrative brand partnerships and command significant influence over consumer habits.
Speaking to the Spanish state news agency EFE, sociologist Paulina Valencia said the current phenomenon has many different facets, but is fundamentally rooted in a broken relationship between broadcaster and viewer.
Valencia stated that audiences have lost the perception that they are on the same level as the people they are watching.
She explained that when users initially decide to follow a creator, they do so because they find some form of personal identification with them. That shared sense of identity then serves as the foundation for building an online community.
However, Valencia noted that this community bond inevitably fractures when the influencer transitions into a lifestyle that is no longer realistic or relatable. She attributed this shift directly to the highly lucrative business model that social media platforms have developed into.
The sociologist added that a lack of authenticity and the production of repetitive content ultimately becomes exhausting for regular users to consume day after day.
Summer controversies
Faviana Sevillano, a prominent content creator who has amassed more than 450 million likes across her TikTok portfolio, experienced the digital boycott firsthand this summer.
Sevillano faced a barrage of negative comments after she complained online about having only received one month of vacation time. During the complaint, she claimed that the wider public enjoys three months of summer holiday every year.
Following the backlash, Sevillano posted a video addressing the broader trend of falling influencers, a movement she acknowledged she had become a part of.
She argued that the original decline of traditional television was driven by influencers themselves, stating that the public had grown tired of highly privileged celebrities and actively sought out more ordinary, everyday people to watch.
The creator suggested that there are currently two main factors driving the digital boycott across Spanish social media. The first is cancel culture, the modern phenomenon where the public withdraws support for figures who say something objectionable. The second is societal polarization. Sevillano concluded by stating that she has realized the public is constantly searching for both a hero and a villain to focus on.
Another prominent figure caught in the summer controversies is Rocío López, who is better known online by her handle, Roro.
López initially rose to national fame by producing short-form video content in which she prepares and cooks meals for her boyfriend.
However, López became the centre of controversy after past messages resurfaced and went viral. The messages contained racist comments directed at certain Latin American nationalities.
Although the creator subsequently issued a public apology for the remarks, she lost more than half a million followers over the course of the summer.
Lost sponsorships
Carlos García, a content creator known to his audience as Carliyo el nervio, also faced severe criticism from his followers regarding his commentary on recent events.
On August 12, a total solar eclipse passed directly across northern Spain. The rare astronomical event drew millions of spectators and blanket media coverage nationwide.
García dismissed the eclipse as a smokescreen, claiming the natural phenomenon was being used to divert public attention away from the ongoing political problems facing the country.
Internet users quickly rejected his stance and criticised him for attempting to provide serious social commentary on domestic issues.
Followers pointed out that he had just spent a month and a half in the United States creating promotional and social media content during the men's football World Cup. Critics highlighted that he undertook the lucrative overseas trip while his wife, fellow influencer Natalia Palacios, remained at home pregnant.
García's statements regarding the eclipse resulted in him losing tens of thousands of followers in just a couple of weeks.
The digital backlash has also begun to affect the financial standing of major broadcasters, as brands react to public sentiment.
Joaquín Domínguez, a prominent streamer who operates under the name El Xokas, saw both his social media standing and his income damaged by recent behaviour. Streaming typically involves broadcasting live video to an audience, often while playing video games or chatting directly with viewers for several hours at a time.
Domínguez faced criticism after making misogynistic comments about Ester Expósito, a high-profile Spanish actress who achieved international recognition starring in the Netflix teen drama series Elite.
In a separate incident, the streamer responded to a viewer by stating that he earned more money from a single promotional campaign for Burger King than the viewer's parents had earned in twenty years of working.
As a direct consequence of the controversy, the international fast food chain moved to publicly distance itself from his statements. Domínguez subsequently lost the advertising campaign.
The events of July and August appear to have marked a clear turning point in the Spanish digital landscape. It remains to be seen whether the current drop in follower support will result in a definitive change to the business model of the country's content creators, or if they will eventually find a way to recover their authenticity and reconnect with their departed audiences.
