Social media influencers and my behaviour as a digital consumer

Megan Short, a social media micro-influencer and fashion student who works with brands such as Asos and Missguided, has seen a rise in popularity and followers in the last few years (Megan 2021). In this blog, the three forms of social capital will be applied to her and my personal experience in order to gain a deeper understanding of the digital influencer-to-viewer relationship.

The three forms of social capital include bridging, bonding and maintaining. Bridging is the value consumers get from others who provide access to resources and opportunities. Bonding is the connection and support consumers feel from influencers. Lastly, maintaining is the value consumers get from maintaining these relationships.

Megan and I are from different social groups, so being a follower and viewer gives me access to a certain amount of content and resources. The brands she works with are usually online fashion retailers, providing me insight into what the clothes look like in-real-life, lowering the risks of disappointment after an online purchase (Yesiloglu and Costello 2020). In addition, she offers discount codes which are often time-limited, encouraging her followers to make purchases straight away. That being said, Meghan is the person who introduced me to these online retailers, and my first purchase made from Missguided was motivated by her and her discount codes.

Furthermore, Megan focuses on specific types of content and is authentic and relevant. We are the same age, are both at university in England and both have an interest in online shopping, creating a cultural conformity between us and making her content relatable to me. She also communicates with her viewers on a daily basis through Instagram stories and posts regularly on Instagram and YouTube. Her videos are usually light-hearted and her posts natural and authentic, creating personal connections (Yesiloglu and Costello 2020). In addition, she values communication and often reminds her viewers that her direct messages are open in case anyone is in need of support. This high level of interaction creates a community with people of similar interests, making Megan feel like a friend to me.

Lastly, once the influencer-to-consumer relationship was created, I felt a need to maintain it due to the value I get from it. I have been following Megan for over a year and I feel the need to keep up with her life as I feel part of the community she has created. In addition, her content often inspires me in terms of outfits and fashion, and as she is a fashion student, she has a certain amount of credibility (Nafees et al. 2020). This creates a level of trust and motivates me to maintain this relationship.

Overall, within the context of my personal life and Megan Short, the three forms of social capital have allowed us to understand why and how social media influencers have such a big influence on our daily lives.

Reference List:

Megan, 2021. Instagram meganshortxx [online]. Available from: https://www.instagram.com/meganshortxx/[Accessed 6 March 2021].

Nafees, L., Cook, C. M., Stoddard, J. E., 2020. The Impact of the Social Media Influencer Power on Consumer Attitudes toward the Brand: The Mediating/Moderating Role of Social Media Influencer Source Credibility. Atlantic Marketing Journal [online], 9(1), 78-95.

Yesiloglu, S. and Costello, J., 2020. Influencer Marketing: Building Brand Communities and Engagement [online]. New York: Routledge.