Instagram users’ meaning construction through micro-influencer-generated content
Hurd, Nora (2019)
Hurd, Nora
2019
Kauppatieteiden tutkinto-ohjelma
Johtamisen ja talouden tiedekunta - Faculty of Management and Business
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Hyväksymispäivämäärä
2019-10-28
Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:tuni-201910073731
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:tuni-201910073731
Tiivistelmä
In 2019, Instagram is the fastest-growing social platform with over a billion monthly users sharing more than 95 million images and videos daily. Social media influencers have become a new, effective way of reaching the right target audience and building relationships between brands and consumers.
The purpose of this study is to understand how meanings are constructed by the followers of Instagram micro-influencers. Furthermore, this study exposes the factors that explain micro-influencer following.
The theoretical framework consists of the uses and gratifications theory, meaning construction, semiotics and influence theories. Based on these theories, the theoretical framework focuses on an individual’s meaning construction, which is influenced by memories, values, culture, language, beliefs, motivations, social relations and media usage. The meanings in an image are a negotiation between the producer and the viewer, and reflect individual values, attitudes and political, social and cultural beliefs. Meanings are therefore produced between the micro-influencers’ content and the interpretation of the follower.
The research questions were answered through insight provided by ten in-depth ZMET interviews that were conducted in Finland and in Canada. Four emerging thematic meaning constructs and factors, four core meanings and multiple subthemes were found that explain Instagram’s micro-influencer following and relationship formation.
It was found that a sense of similarity, shared meanings and personality presented through visual content by the micro-influencer has a substantial impact on micro-influencer following. In addition, the results confirmed that people seek motivation, inspiration and confirmation of their own beliefs, situations and experiences in life from the micro-influencer and build a sense of belonginess and themselves. Based on the results of this research, a model of the different levels of relationship formation was created. The study gives insight into the various aspects of influencer marketing that need to be taken into consideration by practitioners and gives guidance on how to create compelling influencer marketing strategies and campaigns through meaningful content in order to form valuable relationships with consumers.
The purpose of this study is to understand how meanings are constructed by the followers of Instagram micro-influencers. Furthermore, this study exposes the factors that explain micro-influencer following.
The theoretical framework consists of the uses and gratifications theory, meaning construction, semiotics and influence theories. Based on these theories, the theoretical framework focuses on an individual’s meaning construction, which is influenced by memories, values, culture, language, beliefs, motivations, social relations and media usage. The meanings in an image are a negotiation between the producer and the viewer, and reflect individual values, attitudes and political, social and cultural beliefs. Meanings are therefore produced between the micro-influencers’ content and the interpretation of the follower.
The research questions were answered through insight provided by ten in-depth ZMET interviews that were conducted in Finland and in Canada. Four emerging thematic meaning constructs and factors, four core meanings and multiple subthemes were found that explain Instagram’s micro-influencer following and relationship formation.
It was found that a sense of similarity, shared meanings and personality presented through visual content by the micro-influencer has a substantial impact on micro-influencer following. In addition, the results confirmed that people seek motivation, inspiration and confirmation of their own beliefs, situations and experiences in life from the micro-influencer and build a sense of belonginess and themselves. Based on the results of this research, a model of the different levels of relationship formation was created. The study gives insight into the various aspects of influencer marketing that need to be taken into consideration by practitioners and gives guidance on how to create compelling influencer marketing strategies and campaigns through meaningful content in order to form valuable relationships with consumers.