What is Symbolic Consumption

Symbolic consumption is defined as a process by which people use symbols—products and brands—to construct and communicate ideas about themselves; to transmit identity on the social stage. With this in mind, it is interesting to consider the phenomenon of fashion influencers for a deeper understanding of the concept of symbolic consumption; a phenomenon that has not received the attention it deserves. Fashion influencers share their outfits, purchases and ideas online and they inspire other people to imitate the way they dress and therefore drive the way their followers consume. Influencers participate in symbolic consumption because they select brands that coincide with the images they have of themselves or that they wish to convey to their followers. Fashion influencers offer themselves as sources of inspiration for followers who aspire to be like them by buying and consuming the same brands and products. To support our thesis, we rely on a case study of Chiara Ferragni, who won the number one place on the Forbes list of fashion influencers.