Abstract

This paper argues whether influencers impact the blurring line between online and offline identity. The looks at the influencer as being a job and not only a hobby as it is now remunerated. The influencers sincerity about their own identity and the community they create around themselves and whether or not it is genuine or for profit only. These influencers maximize on the fact that users do not protect their privacy and are willing and open to sharing their identities online. That is because users want to interact with people within their filter bubble and negotiate and express their identities around the influencers within.

 

Social media is the place to be in the 21^st century. Every aspect of daily life can be linked back to social media. From bloggers to vloggers, professional or amateur, anyone can immerse themselves or share about their life on social media platforms nowadays. Tik Tok is that social media nowadays, with content creators, influencers and random people posting real time events and life experiences. Kruse et al (2018) argue that social media sites are present favorable conditions to be considered part of the public sphere, from its accessibility to its unlimited access to information and protected participation. Social media is the revitalization of public spere as users challenge things, share their opinions and alternative perspective. The above suggest that online reality is as real as offline reality with people contributing to public discussion online. This online public sphere happens as people engage with each other as they would in reality. They communicate on social media in the same persona they are offline. Andreouli (2010) claims that identities are negotiated by individuals to navigate and structure their social world. Andreouli (2010) argues that people base their identity on social representations that they negotiate based on their experiences and reconstruction of the social representations. Most of these discussions happen around influencers, influencers are according to Oxford dictionary “ people or thing that influences somebody/something, especially a person with the ability to influence potential buyers of a product or service by recommending it on social media”. This influence does not stop to convincing people to buy products and services, but they can also influence people’s identity as they are the social representatives of different groups of people online, thus being able to affect both online and offline as their success is based off the community they created around them.

 

Social media influencers established themselves by sharing their interests and opinions on different platforms and became popular, to the point of being called micro stars or social media celebrities. Their strong online identity impact those of their followers which led brands to associate with them to promote products and services (Hudders et al. 2021). Since influencers already have a community of people around them sharing same interest, and opinions, finding someone that fits one’s brand image is the quickest way to reach the target market. Hudders et al. (2021) further argue citing Stern (1994) that persona is part of what companies look for while advertising and choose celebrities and influencers as they not only act as a spokesperson for the brand but also advertise the product with a creative freedom on their platforms. Since influencers already have a well established online identity that attract people to them, leaving them to advertise products in their own way to people who share the same belief system is the easy way to reach customers. This target audience are made of people who project their offline identity in their online reality to participate or engage with content from a community they are comfortable with. Their real identity thus directly being connected to their online identity.

 

But, if those influencers are only projecting an image to make sale as being an influencer is a job (Abidin, 2021), are they really sharing their identity and are people interacting with them really blurring the line between their online and offline identity? In a study called ‘below the radar’, Abidin (2021) found that influencers navigate social media to receive high exposure online but also be under exposed in their offline life. In this case Indonesia, Malaysian and Thai influencers build an online persona who interact and create emotional attachment to followers to create a sense of community and loyalty, just for them to buy products (Abidin, 2021). Abidin (2021) used the term ‘below the radar’ to portray the influencers use under-visibility to avoid being over exposed because society assume they use their platforms for publicity and attention. Influencers build their social media platforms and create a connection with users to profitable ends. Since the pandemic, social media such as Tik Tok has turned many into full time remunerated content creators and influencers. The community that was build based on shared interest during a hard time is now turned into something profitable. To stay on top of everchanging trends and rising influencers, others have to find ways to keep their followers loyal to their pages and content to be able to make profit from endorsements.

For these users however, the link between influencers and their community is real. Mostly because they were “relatable” and many stay out of loyalty to the influencer after they become social media celebrities as to them the relation between user and influencer is still present. Gündüz (2017) argues that social media is the most important platform as it is where we share experiences, and these platforms reflect our online and offline reality. This importance comes from the fact that people can explore, express and experiment with their identities. Gündüz (2017) further argues that it is the technological convergence and digitization that transformed traditional media to social media through web 2.0 that allows the make contact and sharing content with users whether known or unknown. Thus, the users connect their online and offline identity to experience this sense of community. Gündüz (2017) further argues that social media users look for people online with the same emotions, opinions and thoughts as them to connect thus creating a community of like-minded individuals. Users socialize in these virtual spaces in real time and express themselves freely. So, to users, their online identity is really based off their online identity and shared online under social media influencers communities they create around their online image.

 

Arfini et al. (2021) argue that people adjust their identities around context, and they are now adjusting around online communities. They claim that there are two questions that they have approached differently to define the contexts for exploring and constructing identity. The first is the characterization question which looks at the beliefs, values, character traits and desire of the person which is what an individual defines himself by. Arfini et al. (2021) argue that users choose which characteristics they choose to express online which calibrates algorithms to bring to them specific data as well as bringing their data to people of similar characters thus creating filter bubbles. These filter bubbles are based off their already existing values, belief system and interest, the reason users bring such personal characteristics of themselves online is to find an online community where their views are shared and accepted. Which leads to the second characterization that is the self-other relation question which Arfini et al. (2021) describes how our relationship with others affect the construction of identities. They further argue that since social representations and identities are codependent, identity is contextual, and dynamic as it is rooted in social relations. The online social representation is provided by influencers, from fitness to political and as identity is codependent, users turn toward relatable influencers as their online persona fit the already existing offline social relations and context of the user.

Furthermore, as following lifestyle influencers on social media has become a social norm, many users do not check what personal data is being made public. Kokolakis (2017) found that social media sites collect vast amounts of personal data from users. The privacy paradox is that the privacy concern for many users is generic. These data include their personal character and is based on their digital footprint. This data is often sold to big companies who employ influencers to market their product to social media users. In the end, the trend of following influencers makes many break the line between their private and public identity consciously or subconsciously, directly or indirectly. Based on the data collected, algorithms further refine a filter bubble design for the user based on their identity. The most prevalent example being Tik Toks algorithm feeding people with content based not only on their information but also on who they follow, research, like or share a post of. The feed created is personalized to the interest and liking of the user like the algorithm knows you.

 

To conclude the above discussion, social media is the platform for sharing opinions, expressing oneself and negotiate one’s identity. This negotiation is heavily impacted by influencers who build community out of shared interests and lifestyle. This encourage users to share real life information thus blurring the line between offline and online identity as they believe to exchange with people of the same social representation who share the same values and beliefs. Social media algorithm create a filter bubble that feels safe and make users care for their privacy minimum. Meanwhile, influencers are making profit off of users identity as they do not fully reveal themselves but create a sense of community for users to do so. This is so they can use personal data collected to sell products and services to these users.

 

 

Reference list

Abidin, C. (2021). From “Networked Publics” to “Refracted Publics”: A Companion Framework for Researching “Below the Radar” Studies. Social Media + Society,7(1). https://doi.org/10.1177/2056305120984458

 

Andreouli, E. (2010). Identity, positioning and self-other relations. Papers on Social Representations, 19(1), 14.1–14.13.             https://scholar.google.com/scholar_lookup?title=Identity%2C%20positioning%20and%20self-other%20relations&journal=Papers%20on%20Social%20Representations&volume=19&issue=1&pages=14.1-            14.13&publication_year=2010&author=Andreouli%2CE

 

Arfini, S., Botta Parandera, L., Gazzaniga, C. et al. (2021) Online Identity Crisis Identity Issues in Online Communities. Minds & Machines 31, 193–212. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11023-020-09542-7

 

Gündüz U. (2017). The effect of social media on identity construction. Mediterranean Journal of Social Sciences 8(5). Doi: 10.1515/mjss-2017-0026

 

Hudders L., De Jans S., & De Veirman M. (2021) The commercialization of social media     stars: a literature review and conceptual framework on the strategic use of social media influencers, International Journal of Advertising, 40:3, 327-            375, DOI: 10.1080/02650487.2020.1836925

 

Kokolakis S. (2017). Privacy attitudes and privacy behaviour: A review of current research on the privacy paradox phenomenon. Computers & Security 64, 112-134. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cose.2015.07.002

 

Kruse M., Norris D. & Flinchum J. (2018) Social Media as a Public Sphere? Politics on Social Media, The Sociological Quarterly, 59:1, 62-84, DOI:10.1080/00380253.2017.1383143