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Social Media Industry
Issues and Theory
Power Structures
Power Structures play a very prominent role within social media and influencers. Many influencers and famous people with a following are able to manipulate specific engaging content, in order to enable audiences and followers opinions, behaviors, and purchasing decisions. But influencers are able to have such power because audiences and followers give it to them. Followers allow influencers to provide specific advice and make lifestyle decisions that align with their content, often adopting these suggestions without critical analysis due to the trust and perceived authenticity influencers gain. Influencers additionally tend to only portray the good things in their live, causing followers to compare themselves to this "perfection."Influencers should not have enough power to make other peoples life decisions and it becoming a big concern into young peoples lives and identities.
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CCO Theory
CCO theory is another theory that strongly connects to social media. This theory describes how people build cultures through shared meanings. Shared meanings are all over the social media industry with the use of hashtags and sayings. The issue is, these hashtags and shared meanings are they hold so much power within trends and can also be manipulated for profit or misinformation. People become so set on aligning with these hashtags an influencer started - when in the end, the influencer is only making money off them. This also creates a sense of "ins and out groups" causing people not aligning with these shared meanings to feel excluded and unimportant.
The Theory of Identification
As consumers of media, we find ourselves drawn to a number of different aspects that align with our own personal identities. Given that there are ever changing trends, our identities tend to shift based on what is popular in the moment. A large factor of this has to do with influencers who promote a wide variety of products, services, wellness tips, mantras, etc. For instance, we see how others can resemble the aesthetic of “clean girl” if we just follow these simple steps, or buy these products that are pushed by these influencers. As we consume this media, we then actively work towards shifting our own identities to fit within these specific characteristics of the popular aesthetics at the time. Although this can be mainly harmless, such as the “clean girl aesthetic” which encourages personal hygiene and the formation of a routine, other aesthetics can lead those to fabricate an identity that is far beyond who they truly resemble. The theory of identification aligns closely with social media users following internet trends and popular influencers, which may result in a shift in one's personality due to the adaptation of current media. So, as we go through the process of liking new content, following influencers, purchasing products, and making lifestyle changes, etc. we are attributing to a newfound identity.
Social Panopticon
Upon initial engagement with any social media platform, you are prompted to create an account that will then be visible to the public or your followers. We are aware that our followers will actively engage with our profiles when posting online through liking and commenting. However, the engagement does not end there. “Stalking” occurs when our posts linger beyond the initial upload. This is why users tend to upload only their best, most aesthetic moments. We subconsciously know we are always being watched by someone, somewhere. This relates to the “social panopticon” effect which causes us to act like we are always being watched. Our profiles are there for those to view at any given moment, however, we can't pick and choose when we are being watched beyond our initial posts. This is why, on social media, we act as if we always have eyes on us and feel the need to constantly present our “best” selves to prove that we are up to societal norms.
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