In influencer culture authenticity gets redefined as total publicity rather than lack of artifice.

Evidence

According to this viewpoint, weathering the drama caused by publicizing formerly private acts is the downside of living one’s life truthfully and authentically. Larson acknowledges the possible negative consequences and that “public living” requires emotional effort and bravery, but he believes that the eventual social benefits are more important. He also suggests a version of “authenticity” that implies the full disclosure of what may be very personal habits. Authenticity is thus defined as publicity, not simply a lack of artifice. — Alice E. Marwick, Status Update, 613

Categorization

• DEFINE: Defines the influential reframing of ‘authenticity’ as full public disclosure — core vocabulary for the field.
• XREF: Connects to Goffman’s front-stage/back-stage self-presentation and Susan Sontag’s critique of the ‘authentic self’ as construction. — connects to: Amateur-looking content makes influencers seem more relatable and authentic — Crystal Abidin, Internet Celebrity: Understanding Fame…, 270; Influencer authenticity is an arms race where breakdown videos become brand content — Naomi Klein, Doppelganger: A Trip into the Mirror…, 206; Influencer authenticity forces a constant churn of property that is both private and content. — Grant Bollmer, Katherine Guinness, The Influencer Factory: A Marxist…, 154 (+6 more)

Broader Connections

• Publicity has become its own commodity rather than an image of commodities #corroborates (0.88) — Jean Baudrillard, Simulacra and Simulation, 303
• Influencer authenticity is an arms race where breakdown videos become brand content #exemplifies (0.85) — Naomi Klein, Doppelganger, 206
• Amateur-looking content makes influencers seem more relatable and authentic #expands (0.82) — Crystal Abidin, Internet Celebrity, 270
• Influencer authenticity forces a constant churn of property that is both private and content. #expands (0.80) — Grant Bollmer, Katherine Guinness, The Influencer Factory, 154
• Self-branding’s core contradiction is demanding authenticity for a market audience. #qualifies (0.80) — Alice E. Marwick, Status Update, 420
• Fame has become a purchased product of the cultural system. #corroborates (0.78) — Theodor W. Adorno, Minima Moralia, 114
• Influencers internalize the culture industry apparatus, producing themselves as the commodity #expands (0.75)
• Influencer self-presentation obscures a hidden class antagonism and burnout. #complicates (0.72) — Grant Bollmer, Katherine Guinness, The Influencer Factory, 113