The Authenticity Gap: How Influencers Commodify Authenticity on Instagram

Abstract

The authors examine the tensions between the public and commercial functions of social media platforms with a particular focus on how Instagram influencers look to demonstrate their “authenticity” whilst also pursuing commercial objectives. Drawing on a large-scale quantitative content analysis of the accounts of prominent Dutch fashion and lifestyle influencers, the authors demonstrate an “authenticity gap” between the way these influencers claim to be authentic in the way they talk about influencer culture, and the extent to which they actually implement “authenticity marker’s” in their Instagram posts.

Citation

Frowijn, L., Harbers, F. and Broersma, M. (2022), "The Authenticity Gap: How Influencers Commodify Authenticity on Instagram", Heřmanová, M., Skey, M. and Thurnell-Read, T. (Ed.) Cultures of Authenticity, Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 215-230. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-80117-936-220221016