Ever since I first downloaded Instagram in 2013, I have found it fascinating to watch other people’s lives. I loved watching Youtube videos, seeing what people did in a day, where they lived, who they hung out with, what they ate. I have spent most of my teenage years following influencers, and over the past couple have become invested in health and fitness type content.
Problematising my approach
After a lot of thinking, and observing influencers online, as well as people I follow and the ways that these people are impacting my life directly, I have decided on a final idea. I would like to look at the ways in which health and fitness influencers function as a business, whilst also upholding their online persona and keeping their audiences engaged. I will be comparing three Australian lifestyle influencers who have a range of followings, and analyse their behaviours when it comes to fan engagement and working with brands.
My research will be relevant to those who follow these influencers, as well as people who value their health and living an active lifestyle, as it will unravel the ways in which their beloved influencers work in order to be engaging and make money at the same time. It could also be relevant to brands and businesses who use influencers for marketing, as using information and analytics from audiences will allow them to understand the motives behind buying a product or service that is endorsed by influencers.
My research will be an exploration into my own experiences as a follower of these influencers and their brands, and will offer me a deeper understanding of the ways in which influencer culture on social media has become a business and career for some, and the tactics they use to sell products.
Research Plan
I am planning to present my research in the form of blog posts, as I believe WordPress is easy to work with, and I can easily incorporate multimedia elements into my work, which will also be more engaging for those who read them.
I have decided to collect my field notes both on my phone, and in a physical notebook. This way I can quickly type a note into my phone and write it out in a more succinct way when I get home. I will first of all make sure to document all of the knowledge I already have about the topic, making this portion of my research autoethnographic, as well as including information from the three influencers’ social media accounts, such as analytics, language used and marketing strategies.
I will also document anything that I notice throughout the day of how often I see each of the influencers on my timeline, how often each of them make a most, and how inclined I am to engage with the posts, whether that be leaving a like or comment, viewing their story or clicking on a link they have provided.
My research will be a mix of both my own personal feelings and actions that come from being a follower of these influencers, as well as an observation of others who are in a similar position to me, those who engage publicly with them and those who are supportive of them.
After gathering these field notes, I will use Geertz’s tool of ‘thick description’ to compare and contrast the notes, which will allow me to create additional insight by describing experiences in a particular manner.
Research Schedule
References
Geertz, C. 1973, Thick description: Toward an interpretive theory of culture. Turning points in qualitative research: Tying knots in a handkerchief, Vol 3, pp.143-168.
Elly Moore 