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If rising costs and high levels of demand weren’t enough to deal with as an apartment hunter or homebuyer, a new concern is now threatening the attractiveness of certain neighborhoods across major cities: the influx of influencers.
As the success of social media influencing continues to soar, areas that were once desired by many – like Williamsburg, Brooklyn, and West Hollywood, Los Angeles – aren’t as appealing, simply because of the amount of influencer inhabitants.
According to a recent report by Curbed, Williamsburg, Dumbo, and the West Village are three New York City neighborhoods that are flooded with influencers snapping pics and filming videos. To “privacy-seeking” renters, this has become a major con during their apartment search.
The outlet spoke with Corcoran broker Sydney Blumstein, who recalled her client turning down an apartment next to the Manhattan Bridge in Dumbo due to the sheer number of influencers and tourists crowing outside the area. “She loved the apartment but was like, ‘I can’t walk out into this every day, this is insane,’” Blumstein said.
“For a long time, people were like, ‘I’m up for living in Dumbo, which is the sleepy version of Soho,’” she told Curbed. “But now you walk out and people are there with their little flags leading a tour group, there are influencers with their tripods, and it’s just an intense environment.”
Not only are influencers themselves living in these areas, but their job of sharing hidden gems throughout the city has resulted in followers storming the same locations. Coffee shops, thrift stores, and parks that were once lesser-known sanctuaries have become hubs for social media users. And while it may benefit small businesses, the crowds can quickly turn a charming atmosphere into an unpleasant and obnoxious one.
What’s more, New York and Los Angeles-based Reddit users agree. In the popular forum r/NYCinfluencersnark, one fed-up user explained how disappointing it was to see already expensive areas become even more inaccessible due to the rise in influencer residents.
“The West Village, East Village, LES, Soho were already pretty d*** expensive and busy, but now it feels like every d*** bar I go into in any of these neighborhoods is filled with influencers and influencer lookalikes,” they wrote.
Another Redditor said: “The influencer migration to NYC is absolutely insane, especially given cost of living right now.”
“As a native New Yorker, the influencer wave is painful,” a third person added.
Meanwhile, one Los Angeles resident warned city-goers on which areas to avoid so as to not be bombarded with content creators.
“WeHo/Hollywood is a big one, centrally located to most events and things they attend/need. Downtown high rises are also popular. A lot trickle down into Beverly Hills too, as well as Larchmont and Silver Lake,” they explained.
A second person noted: “Ton of influencers in Studio City. I see them at Sportsmen’s Lodge constantly and a lot of their content is recognizable in the neighborhood.”
