Do micro-celebrities preserve social roles? Differences between secular and religious female Instagram lifestyle influencers

Abstract

In recent years, with the growth of social networks such as Instagram, network influencers and micro-celebrities with a mass audience of followers have begun to emerge. Corporations and companies supposedly use through these influencers to create a more direct connection with consumers through the “daily lives” of followers.

The aim of this study was to compare the differences in the activities and perceptions of secular and religious “lifestyle” network influencers and to determine whether Instagram preserves social roles. The current study is based on an integrated quantitative and qualitative research method. First, we analyzed the Instagram pages of 61 influencers (27 religious and 34 secular influencers) and then conducted semi-structured in-depth interviews with twenty influencers, half of whom were secular and half were religious. The main finding regarding differences between secular and religious influencers indicates that secular influencers exploit female sexuality and stereotypes, whereas religious influencers are less exposed to and do not exploit their femininity. Through the prism of symbolic interactionism theory, this study argues that micro-celebrities may maintain the social roles that society expects them to present. The study also suggests that collaborations with corporations serve to promote consumerism and corporate interests.