By Rachael O'Connor
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Budding influencers have been warned to look after their health, after researchers illustrated what the average influencer might look like come the year 2050.
While influencers appear to live a life of luxury—with brand deals, luxury holidays, millions of followers and gifts galore—the lifestyle does come with physical risks.
Backed by medical research, a horrifying model of the sum of these risks has now been created. Christened "Ava", it's safe to say she doesn't look like your typical influencer today.
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In the illustration, Ava stands with bad posture and a face appears out of proportion. She has patches on her skin, thinning hair and red, sore-looking eyes underlined by dark circles and puffy bags.
Her hunched posture comes from "text neck syndrome" from prolonged smartphone use, the creators explain in a statement. Text neck syndrome causes rounded shoulders and a forward head tilt that can become permanent, as well as chronic neck pain.
This is backed by a study from the journal Interdisciplinary Neurosurgery, which notes that people who use smartphones for a long period of time often have cervical spine "in a position of 15 to 60 degrees of flexion."
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Ava's patchy skin is caused by contact dermatitis, which can result from daily cosmetic application and the swapping around of skincare products.
Long-term exposure to LED lighting—such as ring lights used by influencers for better lighting—and general screen use, has also sped up her visible aging, causing lines, lasting inflammation and pigmentation changes.
Her dark eye circles come from computer vision syndrome, also known as digital eye strain; influencers spend hours editing footage, livestreaming and staring at screens, leading to redness, dryness, blurry vision, dark circles and puffy under-eye bags.
This can also be caused by a lack of sleep—which also comes with risks of chronic fatigue, thinning hair and swollen lower eyelids. Late-night video editing, not to mention gifted trips to party capitals of the world, is bound to disrupt an influencer's sleep pattern.
Thinning hair can also be caused by traction alopecia: years of heavy hair extensions or tightly-styled hair can weaken hair follicles, leading to bald spots, a receding hairline and generally thinning hair.
Influencers who follow trends such as facial and lip fillers can distort their natural facial proportions due to inappropriate filler choice, incorrect placement of the filler, or trying to lift the face too much. This can result in puffy cheeks, a pointed chin, and the texture of the skin on the face appearing artificial.
A spokesperson for casino.org—who developed the medically-backed illustration—said that the influencer lifestyle can be "exciting," but "years of algorithm-chasing, beauty standard pressures, and non-stop content creation can take a visible toll on both body and mind."
They warned that "Ava" is "more than a concept image—she's a reflection of the long-term effects these habits can have. The takeaway is simple: balance the ambition, set boundaries around your work, and remember that health and well-being will always outlast trends."
Do you have a tip on a health story that Newsweek should be covering? Do you have a question about Ava? Let us know via science@newsweek.com.
Reference
Atakla, H. G., Mbaye, M., Dakurah, T. K., Quenum, M. K., Barry, L. F., Wague, D., Sossa, C. I., Houinato, D. S., Thiam, A. B., & Ba, M. C. (2023). Tech Neck Syndrome: A global epidemic of the modern era among students at the University of Abomey Calavi in Benin. Interdisciplinary Neurosurgery, 34. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.inat.2023.101812
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