Under the Influence : A Qualitative Study of How Social Media Influencers Can Influence Followers on Instagram

Sammanfattning

Background: Social media has become a big part of our society. One platform that has had remarkable growth in popularity is Instagram. In Sweden, Instagram had 5.75 million users in 2021. The evolution of Instagram created an opportunity for people to establish new careers as social media influencers (SMIs). Today, SMIs are professional content marketers who monetize their large following making them dependent on being able to influence their followers. Purpose: This paper aims to explore how SMIs can influence their followers on Instagram. A macro and micro perspective will be combined to create a broad and holistic understanding of the phenomenon. The study leverages on two theories; institutional theory and relationship marketing. Furthermore, the empirical context of this study is the SMI Bianca Ingrosso. Together, the theories and empirical data will address the research question. Method: This is qualitative research that includes a netnography and 12 semi-structured interviews. The findings are analyzed with a thematic analysis approach. Conclusion: Based on the frame of reference and empirical findings, a conceptual framework has been developed that gives a clear overview of the research subject. The authors have identified that SMIs can influence followers by acting according to Instagram’s logic, and they can exploit their legitimacy to increase their influence. Furthermore, SMIs make sure to maintain and build on their relationship with their followers by engaging in relationship marketing.