Influencers’ online personae are exaggerated selves, not inventions
Evidence
The Australian influencers expressed during interviewing that their online persona is a somewhat accurate portrayal of who they are in real life. Our online persona is not designed to be misleading in anyway; it is, however, an exaggerated and inflated portrayal. — Crystal Abidin and Megan Lindsay Brown (eds.), Microcelebrity Around the Globe, 669
Categorization
- XREF: connects to: A shirtless-beach-photo genre functions as a national gendered brand — Crystal Abidin and Megan Lindsay Brown (eds.), Microcelebrity Around the Globe:…, 666; Recognition-seeking predates Instagram; what changed is the public digital-real-estate version — Crystal Abidin and Megan Lindsay Brown (eds.), Microcelebrity Around the Globe:…, 688; Online influencers become symbolic placeholders for audiences’ larger moral and political allegiances (+4 more)
Broader Connections
- Online influencers become symbolic placeholders for audiences’ larger moral and political allegiances
#expands(0.82) - Influencer intimacy is manufactured, not genuine social closeness.
#complicates(0.80) - Influencers present divergent glamorized and grim self-images across platforms
#qualifies(0.78) — Grant Bollmer, Katherine Guinness, The Influencer Factory, 204 - Amateur-looking content makes influencers seem more relatable and authentic
#expands(0.75) — Crystal Abidin, Internet Celebrity, 270 - Personal branding online creates performative doppelgangers demanding constant attention
#qualifies(0.72) — Naomi Klein, Doppelganger, 32