Symbolic Consumption in the Online World: The Construction of Social Identity and Fashion Influencers

Symbolic Consumption in the Online World: The Construction of Social Identity and Fashion Influencers

Maria-Teresa Gordillo-Rodriguez, Paloma Sanz-Marcos
ISBN13: 9781799831198|ISBN10: 1799831191|EISBN13: 9781799831204
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-7998-3119-8.ch010
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MLA

Gordillo-Rodriguez, Maria-Teresa, and Paloma Sanz-Marcos. "Symbolic Consumption in the Online World: The Construction of Social Identity and Fashion Influencers." Handbook of Research on Transmedia Storytelling, Audience Engagement, and Business Strategies, edited by Víctor Hernández-Santaolalla and Mónica Barrientos-Bueno, IGI Global, 2020, pp. 130-146. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-7998-3119-8.ch010

APA

Gordillo-Rodriguez, M. & Sanz-Marcos, P. (2020). Symbolic Consumption in the Online World: The Construction of Social Identity and Fashion Influencers. In V. Hernández-Santaolalla & M. Barrientos-Bueno (Eds.), Handbook of Research on Transmedia Storytelling, Audience Engagement, and Business Strategies (pp. 130-146). IGI Global. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-7998-3119-8.ch010

Chicago

Gordillo-Rodriguez, Maria-Teresa, and Paloma Sanz-Marcos. "Symbolic Consumption in the Online World: The Construction of Social Identity and Fashion Influencers." In Handbook of Research on Transmedia Storytelling, Audience Engagement, and Business Strategies, edited by Víctor Hernández-Santaolalla and Mónica Barrientos-Bueno, 130-146. Hershey, PA: IGI Global, 2020. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-7998-3119-8.ch010

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Abstract

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.

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