‘Instafamous’ – credibility and self-presentation of micro-celebrities on social media

ABSTRACT

Companies increasingly use micro-celebrities for product endorsement. However, there are concerns around the self-presentation and credibility of this source of information online. This study examines the relationships between source credibility, self-presentation, and consumer behavior towards micro-celebrity endorsements. In-depth interviews were conducted with 38 female active users of Instagram, from Russia, to explore the impact of micro-celebrities’ credibility and self-presentation upon consumer purchase decisions. This study attempts to construct an extended source credibility framework applicable to the online context. The findings show that users deem micro-celebrities credible if they follow certain criteria of online behavior and self-presentation.

KEYWORDS:

• Electronic word-of-mouth
• source credibility
• self-presentation
• micro-celebrity
• Instagram

Acknowledgements

Elmira’s research areas include marketing communication strategies, social media effectiveness, advertising, and semiotic analysis.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributors

Dr Elmira Djafarova is a Principal Lecturer in Marketing, Business and Management Department at Northumbria University. Elmira's research areas include marketing communication strategies, social media effectiveness, advertising, semiotic analysis and tourism. Her recent publications explore social media and its effect on human behavior and interaction. Elmira published her research in a range of internationally recognized journals and conferences [email: [email protected]].

Oxana Trofimenko is a Lecturer in Business and Marketing in the Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration in Moscow. Oxana's research interests are in the area of international marketing, social media and marketing of educational systems [email: [email protected]].