The Inquiry - What’s behind the rise of ‘influencer speak’?

If you spend time scrolling through social media, you may notice that many influencers sound remarkably similar. Whether promoting skincare, vitamins or home renovation products, their speech often shares the same urgency, emphasis and enthusiastic claims.

This distinctive style, known as ‘influencer speak’ or the ‘TikTok accent’, is designed to connect with audiences and keep viewers engaged. But is it a recognisable form of speech, or a collection of vocal habits?

As millions of people consume social media content, could repeated exposure to these voices be influencing the way we communicate?

What’s behind the rise of ‘influencer speak’, and could social media be changing the way we all speak?

(Photo: Woman sat behind a desk setting up her camera and light ready to start recording her next video. Credit: Sujit Jaiswa/Getty Images)

Contributors
Dr Christopher Strelluf, head of applied linguistics at the University of Warwick, UK
Valerie Fridland, professor of sociolinguistics at the University of Nevada, Reno, US
Elspeth Morrison, dialect and accent coach, UK
Dr Andreea Calude, associate professor in linguistics at the University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand

Presenter: Tanya Beckett
Producer: Matt Toulson
Researcher: Evie Yabsley
Technical producer: Joe Stickler
Production co-ordinator: Ellie Dover
Production management assistant: Liam Morrey
Editor: Tom Bigwood