Social Media Influencers – Building Their Online Communities and Networks
Instagram influencers have far too much impact on our time online and our real life. Influencers know too much about our personal information through online algorithms and persuasion targeting. Focusing primarily on lifestyle influencers (Influencers who find fame through oversharing about their life with no real product/service or talent) and how they acquire celebrity capital through generative, collaborative, and evaluative practices with their self-made online community. There is a strong ongoing debate on whether Instagram influencers posts featuring/discussing products for their own monetary gain should be disclosed to the public that they are paid or sponsored as influencers are able to make their contend seem very genuine and deceiving. Contend manipulation is becoming increasingly popular with 92% of social media users admitting they trust Instagram influencers advice over native online advertising. Social media influencers are an extremely valuable tool to almost all businesses and is becoming an increasingly saturated market. Instagram influencers are able to build and maintain their online community and network through manipulative marketing, celebrity capital and followers’ loyalty.
Instagram Influencers are the new brands and more effective way of advertising (Driel & Dumitrica, 2021). An Instagram Influencer is someone who has developed an online following often through sharing intimate details of their personal life in order to sell and promote products or services (Ridgway & Clayton, 2016). Instagram Influencers are hired by brands and businesses depending on their capability of accumulating followers and increasing purchases (Driel & Dumitrica, 2021). Van Driel & Dumitrica (2020) agree that presenting as genuine and authentic is a crucial indicator of how value the influencer is. Instagram influencers go through intense levels of emotional labour to earn an income including comparing themselves to other influencers, negative body image, feeling the pressure of sharing extremely intimate details of their lives for profit and manufacturing content to appear the most interesting in the media.
Instagram lifestyle Influencers use tactics such as native advertising to have a large impact on our daily internet usage and for their own monetary gain (Kim and Kim, 2021). Social media, especially popular photo sharing app Instagram is rapidly changing the way users view and interact with brands online (Kim and Kim, 2021). Constructing new and creative ways for brands to connect with their target audience (Kim and Kim, 2021). In a recent study conducted by Kim and Kim, (2021) showed that 92% of Instagram users reported they trust Instagram Influencers over traditional marketing strategies, proving that native advertising is more effective for brands (Kim and Kim, 2021). Lifestyle influencers of Instagram aim to rewrite the user experience to let them feel as though they are reading news instead of viewing advertised content, through this method consumers aren’t always aware of the commercial intent (Kim and Kim, 2021). While Instagram Influencers have taken over the marketing industry the collective profit for brands has increased from 0.5 million to 2.3 billion dollars in 5 years (Kim and Kim, 2021).
Social media users were not always able to recognize they were viewing commercial content online, as Instagram influencers are constantly creating content based on their day to day lives to seem authentic and trustworthy to their audience it is east for them to sneak in sponsored content under the radar (Kim and Kim, 2021). Kim and Kim’s, (2021) recent findings show social media influencers are reporting higher responsiveness from users while typical marketing strategies are struggling to maintain consumer traction (Kim and Kim, 2021). In 2017 the Federal Trade Commission begun to issue warnings to various social media influencers, in relation to their failure to evidently disclose the nature of the content (eg. Sponsored or paid) (Kim and Kim, 2021). Since the Federal Trade Commission has put their sanctions in place, influencers clearly labeling paid and sponsored content in 2018/19 has increased by 200% (Kim and Kim, 2021).
As online viewers are not always able to distinguish between sponsored or genuine content Petrescu and Krishen (2020) discuss the privacy call for stricter regulations on influencers content. Although some viewers oppose the strict regulation ideas, they do agree there should be a kind of restructured social media platform and less invasive digital algorithms that discontinue the use of artificial intelligence to decide when and what they choose to censor you from online (Petrescu and Krishen, 2020). Petrescu and Krishen (2020) introduce the Persuasion Knowledge Model, this model attempts to gain necessary opportunities and skills for social media users to be aware of online manipulation and persuasion from internet influencers and shows them how they can respond as frequent persuasion targets.
In this new digital age social media influencers gain media attention that is then converted into promotional endeavors such as sociocultural currency however more commonly known as celebrity capital (Brooks, Drenten and Piskorski, 2021). For an online influencer to obtain celebrity capital they go through the three types of celebrification process this includes; generative practices, collabrotive practices and evaluative practices (Brooks, Drenten and Piskorski, 2021). A prime example of influencer celebrification is Charli D’Amelio, D’Amelio is a 15 year old overnight internet sensation now sitting on 12 million followers on Instagram and 140 million on TikTok (Brooks, Drenten and Piskorski, 2021). D’Amelio found over fame over night after her dancing clips on streaming app TikTok went viral. Since D’Amelio gained her multimillion following she has started a line of drinks at Dunkin Donuts, a reality TV show and won Nickelodeon’s Kids Choice Award for 2022 which is more commonly won by a teen film/music star not a social media personality.
Social media influencers have a considerable impact on our time online and our daily lives by gathering the personal information of their target demographic and building a community according to their followings needs and interests. Influencers most commonly use Instagram as their primary platform and use manipulative marketing techniques to form networks between their following and brands. Disclosing the nature of paid and sponsored content is an ongoing debate between the Federal Trade Commission and brands and Influencers. This debate is whether or not it is fair that influencers are able to expose their online community to products for their personal monetary gain from the brand and not out of genuine advice. Lifestyle Instagram Influencers (Influencers who find fame through oversharing about their life with no real product/service or talent) are able to build and maintain their online community and network through manipulative marketing, celebrity capital and followers’ loyalty. Using these marketing tactics Influencers ultimately have far too much impact on our time online and our day to day life.
References
Brooks, G., Drenten, J. and Piskorski, M., 2021. Influencer Celebrification: How Social Media Influencers Acquire Celebrity Capital. Journal of Advertising, 50(5), pp.528-547.
Kim, D. and Kim, H., 2021. Influencer advertising on social media: The multiple inference model on influencer-product congruence and sponsorship disclosure. Journal of Business Research, 130, pp.405-415.
Petrescu, M. and Krishen, A., 2020. The dilemma of social media algorithms and analytics. Journal of Marketing Analytics, 8(4), pp.187-188.
Ridgway, J., & Clayton, R. (2016). Instagram Unfiltered: Exploring Associations of Body Image Satisfaction, Instagram #Selfie Posting, and Negative Romantic Relationship Outcomes. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, And Social Networking, 19(1), 2-7. https://doi.org/10.1089/cyber.2015.0433
van Driel, L., & Dumitrica, D. (2020). Selling brands while staying “Authentic”: The professionalization of Instagram influencers. Convergence: The International Journal Of Research Into New Media Technologies, 27(1), 66-84. https://doi.org/10.1177/1354856520902136
Hi Lucy, great paper! This is quite an interesting topic as influencer marketing is becoming an increasingly popular trend across social media, especially for Instagram and perhaps TikTok – both very photo and video dominated platforms. I think I’m still on the fence about how I feel about influencers – on one hand, there are ones that I’m not fans of and can’t stand when every second post is a sponsored one, but on the other hand, I do recognise and appreciate certain influencers who seem like great people and who produce great content. I guess I’m gradually recognising that social media influencers are entertainers in a sense and they are the ones producing content for us as followers/viewers to enjoy.
I definitely agree with influencers needing a degree of authenticity to be successful, even the Instagram accounts I follow that are focused on interior design and household restocks/cleaning, I tend to enjoy the ones that show some warmth and human-ness to their accounts by showing the reality of their perfectly styled home for example. Though there are some accounts that I appreciate purely for the aesthetic content and don’t care much about them having to show much else besides aesthetic pictures of interior spaces for example.
Great paper, thanks for sharing your insight!
I loved reading this paper, I found a lot of similarities with my own. The Persuasion Knowledge Model is essential today, attempting to gain necessary opportunities and skills for social media users to be aware of online manipulation and persuasion from internet influencers. That is one of the focus points of my paper as well, creating awarness by showing them how they can respond as regular persuasion targets.
Hi Lucy,
Great paper! I also found some similarities within this paper in my own. The new trend of Influencer marketing is becoming quite a big marketing strategy with their ability to create authentic content that appeals and attracts consumers.
A question that I brought up in my paper which correlates to your argument.
Do you think that social media Influencers should be responsible for the brands of which they work for and endorse to their audience and if their products causes health risks or issues they should still be held responsible ?
Hi Lucy,
Great paper! I found it very interesting to read.
This topic has been a controversial topic since the dawn of social media. Understanding that influencers have their own communities they have built and gained the trust of, in saying that so do celebrities. Celebrities, as we know have been the cover of most advertisements, promoting a healthy lifestyle and have been shaking hands with heads of companies for generations… However, these are the same celebrities we see today getting arrested on drug charges, drink driving, assault charges etc… I’m not saying that we should treat influencers the same as celebrities, but in today’s day, influencers have gone from being some kids who have a few followers to brands/organisations using a persons face to push an agenda to millions of people through clickbait. These people/organisations are following the trend that celebrities have been doing for generations.
Hi Lucy,
Influencer marketing is something that I find very interesting, so this was definitely a great read!
The use of influencers for marketing purposes is definitely a controversial topic for many people, but undoubtedly has its successes. Influencers have undoubtedly built large following for a reason – whether this be authenticity, controversies, talents ect. Marketing firms understand this and have been quick to ‘snatch up’ influencer ambassadors for their brand as it means their product will be shared with a large following, and, usually in a more natural way than traditional media forms.
Personally, I find that there is a significant difference in influencer advertising between micro influencers (e.g. @sophadopha on TikTok) compared to more popular influencers (e.g. @mollymae on Instagram). Micro influencers seem to still have their original authenticity and genuine nature, making their advertisements feel not only more personal but also more appealing. On the other hand, bigger influencers have much stricter restrictions on what content they post and are usually managed by a team of people, thus making them less genuine and almost forceful when advertising brands. What are your thoughts on this?
Once gain, great paper!
Dakota Hanson 😁
Hi Lucy,
As far as the influencer market is, especially lifestyle influencers, there are always going to be someone who at least falls prey to an MLM scheme or deliberately expresses unrealistic standards that appear way too fake. Some of these influencers even utilise block features on their platform to silence any keyword that’s matches with harsh criticism against the influencer, making it the only strat is simply not give them attention. Which is very common with well known celebrities but even so called new age influencers are no different, as it is already a competitive environment to stay relevant.
As for your argument regarding Federal Trade Commission taxing influencer’s with sponsored content, it seems that they rather inconsistent with their policies. This also includes grey areas for sponsorship with third-parties and MLM schemes. After all, these influencers need more money to somehow pay their taxes. And it’s usually put onto the users to call out B.S. marketing strats, which can happen with mixed outcomes.
A good paper overall.
Hi Lucy- this was such an interesting read and very relevant in society! Social media influencer’s greatest power is being able to manipulate their audiences through the relatable and emotional connection with their followers, leading to them executing their intended action.
I agree that influencers, particularly on instagram are a growing to become important for brands to create successful advertisements and reach their target audience effectively through the online communities formed on social media.
I also agree with you when you say that it is hard to identify when an influencer is promoting something from a sponsorship or from their personal beliefs, which does have an impact on the trust of their followers.
I would love to hear your thoughts on if you think there is much of a difference of needing to disclose this information for micro influencers in comparison to macro influencers.
My paper outlines the benefits of incorporating influencers into a business’ marketing strategy for success, loyalty and reputation. I would love to hear your thoughts on this: https://networkconference.netstudies.org/2022/csm/267/influencers-the-trendy-successful-marketing-tool-for-businesses-on-social-media/
Saara
This was very interesting, Lucy. The problem with influencer marketing is that if you look at it from the influencer or the sponsor’s point of view, they are doing the right thing. The current generations rarely watch TV or read newspapers to see advertisements. So all they have done is move forward with rest of the world and found a new form of advertising and attracting potential customers.
The only issue I see with this sort of marketing is that sometimes the influencer focuses on the advertisement so much that their content quality decreases. I have seen influencers who have created literal 15 minute long advertisements, but even knowing that the video is one big advertisement you would still watch them for the content. But there are also influencers who don’t do the same.
Hi Lucy, this was really an interesting topic and very relevant to current issues. I agree that inluencers are a key part of brands advertising campaing and if we take into consideration the Kardashian family who helped serveral brand to enhance their visibility through their posts. Nowadays, many brand invest huge amount on influencers in order to benefit from their massive followers on social medias.
You can read my paper below:
https://networkconference.netstudies.org/2022/csm/374/social-media-helped-in-creating-terror-and-panic-during-the-covid-19-pandemic-in-mauritius/
Thank you.
Hi Lucy,
I really enjoyed your article, very interesting topic.
As a young person who loves the internet, I also often learn how to be beautiful and slim from influencers on social media. The influencer has a very strong influence on their suitors.
But are all the messages Influencers send to their fans positive? Kim Kardashian is promoting weight loss pills on Instagram, will such a wrong idea of becoming beautiful subconsciously influence the aesthetics of their followers?
Hi Lucy,
Great paper, this is a very relevant topic and one that is also rather controversial. I hold a similar view to you and believe that influencers have a way too much impact on our everyday lives. I also believe that many people give influencers too much power or allow influencers to hold power over them. Considering that the only reason influencers have followers is because of us do you think that we actually hold more power than we realise? While I don’t agree with a large majority of the influencers out there and I personally can’t understand what exactly most of them are so influential for, I sometimes feel like it’s unfair to put all the blame on influencers considering we are at the end of the day the ones who click follow. What are your thoughts surrounding this?
Great paper again Lucy, I really enjoyed reading it!
– Kyla
Hi Lucy,
What an engaging read! This is a very relevant (and highly controversial) topic as millions of brands around the world have recognised the importance (and potential) of influencer marketing. I have a similar perspective as you on this issue and believe that influencers hold way too much power over behaviours, beliefs and/or actions of their followers/audience. I also find it highly concerning how the vast majority of people believe just about everything that is promoted or said by these influencers without thinking twice to question the credibility or accuracy of advice/information given out (given the majority have no qualifications within the area they are giving such advice on).
I definitely agree with you when you mention that it can be challenging to identify when an influencer is promoting a product and being paid to do so, or, whether this is just their personal belief/recommendation. However i have found this easier recently, particular on Instagram, where influencers now need to disclose when they are being paid to promote a brand/product through the “paid sponsorship” or “paid partnership” tag that is located underneath the influencers username. I only wish this was the case for more social media platforms like TikTok which i think further disclosure is needed regarding this!
Again, what a highly enjoyable read! Well done!
Hi Lucy,
Thanks for the paper it was a really interesting and engaging topic. With social media being such an important part of our lives now, I believe that it has opened up for more opportunities to succeed in life and being a social media influencer is one of them. However, I feel that they are always in pursuit for bigger and higher revenues and therefore the products they endorsed to the audiences can be sometimes irresponsible which would have a negative effect on the audience. Do you think that these group of influencers are eventually going to start being careful with the products they endorse?
Hi Lucy,
I really enjoyed reading your paper, you discuss some super insightful points about influencer culture. I completely agree with you that influencers need to demonstrate authenticity in order to have a significant impact on their audience. I particularly liked your statistic from Kim and Kim (2021) where you explain that “92% of Instagram users reported they trust Instagram Influencers over traditional marketing strategies, proving that native advertising is more effective for brands”. I think this really demonstrates the importance of influencer marketing today. We actually cover similar topics in our papers, although I explain how I believe influencers to facilitate the creation of authentic communities online. Something I didn’t fully address in my paper was the disclosure of paid advertisements, which I think you articulated really well! Something that I interpret a little differently is how influencers integrate ads into their usual content. You described how users are often unable to distinguish between sponsored and regular content, and how this is manipulative of the influencer. While there may be a degree of manipulation, I believe that user’s value this experience as being more seamless and less direct or ‘in-your-face’. I think it would definitely depend on the specific influencer and their approach though! I’d love to know if you think social media users hold significant responsibility in choosing the content they consume and follow/the products they buy, or whether it is entirely up to the influencer in their selection of promotions?
Thank you, I look forward to your reply!
Brooke
Definitely a great paper/ I myself have seen a handful of social media influencers even people who I know well such as friends. All they do is to feature a product or pose with a certain subject to portray themselves. I do believe that opportunity lies in social media for people to portray themselves and somehow, become an influencer. Some of these people are in pursuit of revenue or potential collaborations.
Hi Lucy,
This paper was a great read and puts a much needed critical lens on influencers. Influencer words are weighted far more than the average magazine reviewer and can create really negative impacts for viewers. I find it quite interesting to see the overlay and interaction of “traditional” celebrity status vs this new age “social media” celebrity status. A great example of this is Addison Rae and her transition from TikTok fame to starring as the leading actress in a Netflix movie. Is it a result of talent or ratings or both? It creates an interesting market and future for the entertainment industry and future of social media.
Thank you again for the read.
Hi Lucy, I really enjoyed reading your paper, especially as someone who is doing a social media and digital marketing degree, the realm of influencers really interests me and how they market themselves to their communities, businesses and other influencers. As I am quite interested in this topic, and have done quite a bit of research on this topic, and was wondering about your opinions on the ethics of how influencers use social media to promote themselves and their brands to their communities?
Hello Lucy,
Your topic is a very interesting one, and your paper is very easy to read and very informative. I became aware of the different models influencers might use online for persuading people to pay attention to their content. Well we can see that influencers are making a great job into increasing profits of brands. I have even seen people leaving their 9 to 5 jobs to become entrepreneurs and influencers, all these thanks to the community they have built. But according to you, are influencers really true to themselves ? If no, do you think their community will be able to realise that they are misleading the audience?
Best,
Julie
Hi Lucy,
It was an interesting read, Great paper!
Indeed, I strongly agree that social media influencers are tools used by brands to market their product and I find it quite unethical. The relationship between influencers and their audience is based on trust. But how can their opinion be unbiased when they are promoting or reviewing a sponsored product that they were paid for on their timeline.
Moreover, I don’t think there is a real meritocracy in term of content creators and there should be a distinct seperation between artists and influencers. For instance, social media influencers are treated as marketing tool by awards academies across the industry. They are invited to events such as fashion events, movie awards and music awards and the only purpose is to get more visibility to a wider audience due to their significant audience. These ceremonies are really prestigious and praised for their rewards to artists who rocked the world with their creation. Famous TikTok influencers such as Addison Rae and as you mentioned Charli D’Amelio, who became famous by building their community over Tiktok trends by dancing on music, sometimes created by minor influencers without a massive communitiy and neteork, for example, Sarah Cothran who became viral on TikTok via a cover of the song ‘As the World Caves In’ with over 5.8 million likes.(TikTok, 2022) Her cover was used in multiple cover and edits all over the platform with duets reaching over 270.2k videos and yet she have only 2.9 million followers (TikTok, 20220, even if its quite significant, its not as massive as D’Amelio and Rae and they don’t get invited to events that recognised their valued creation. In my opinion, these artists should be given more recognition by online communities and brands.
Your paper is really similar to mine as I raise the topics of some social media influencers spreading misinformation about harmful products to their audience for money incentives proposed by brand who uses these influencers as marketing tools. I also talk about how they protray unrealistic body image by using software such as Photoshop and Facetune.
Feel free to give it a read if you’re interested, here is my paper :
https://networkconference.netstudies.org/2022/csm/883/social-media-influncers-a-liability-to-society/
Cheers,
Shivam
Hi Lucy, I enjoyed reading your paper. I see you have focused on the potential negative aspects of influencers which I agree are many but I wonder if there are instances where people who are influences having a positive impact for various causes?