Social media influencers and the online identity of Egyptian youth

• Ezzat, Hanan ^[1]
  1. [1] Universitat Rovira i Virgili

     Universitat Rovira i Virgili

     Tarragona, España

     
• Localización: Catalan journal of communication & cultural studies, ISSN 1757-1898, Vol. 12, Nº. 1, 2020, págs. 119-133
• Idioma: inglés
• DOI: 10.1386/cjcs_00017_1
• Texto completo no disponible (Saber más ...)
• Resumen

  • This study explores the relationship between social media influencers and the online identity of Egyptian youth. The context of this study is Egypt, a developing country in the Arab World which underwent a nation-changing revolution in 2011. Its youth, who represent around 60 per cent of the population, were one of the most impacted groups in the society. They are the heaviest users of social media and represent the biggest number of fans for influencers. The research question focuses on the relationship between social media influencers and the construction of the online identity of their youth fans. The research question is addressed through semi-structured in-depth interviews with nine social media influencers and eighteen of their fans. The analysis revealed that influencers play an indirect role in their fans online identity negotiation and construction.

• Referencias bibliográficas
  • Abidin, C. (2015), ‘Communicative Intimacies: Influencers and perceived interconnectedness’, Ada: A Journal of Gender New media & Technology,...
  • Abidin, C. and Ots, M. (2015), ‘The influencer’s dilemma: The shaping of new brand professions between credibility and commerce’, Media Branding...
  • Alexa (n.d.), ‘Top sites in Egypt’, Alexa, https://www.alexa.com/topsites/countries/EG. Accessed 10 December 2019.
  • Amin, G. (2013), Whatever Happened to the Egyptian Revolution? (trans. J. Wright), Cairo: The American University in Cairo Press.
  • Aran-Ramspott, S., Fedele, M. and Tarragó, A. (2018), ‘Youtubers’ social functions and their influence on pre-adolescence’, Comuicar,...
  • Arnett, J. (2004), Emerging Adulthood: The Winding Road from the Late Teens through the Twenties, New York: Oxford University Press.
  • Ayish, M. and AlNajjar, A. (2019), ‘Arab millennials’ articulation of identity in cyberspace: A study of three MENA youtubers’, Arab Media...
  • Bandura, A. (1986), ‘The explanatory and predictive scope of self-efficacy theory’, Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 4:3, pp. 359–73.
  • Basil, M. (1996), ‘Identification as a mediator of celebrity effects’, Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 40:4, pp. 478–95.
  • Baumeister, R. (1982), ‘A self-presentational view of social phenomena’, Psychological Bulletin, 91:1, pp. 3–26.
  • Berryman, R. and Kavka, M. (2017), ‘I guess a lot of people see me as a big sister or a friend: The role of intimacy in the celebrification...
  • Beverland, M. and Farrelly, F. (2010), ‘The quest for authenticity in consumption: Consumers’ purposive choice of authentic cues to shape...
  • Bond, B. (2009), ‘He posted, she posted: Gender differences in self-disclosure on social network sites’, Rocky Mountain Communication Review,...
  • Boyd, D. (2008), ‘Taken out of context: American teen sociality in networked publics’, Ph.D. thesis, Berkeley, CA: University of California.
  • Côté, J. (2006), ‘Identity studies: How close are we to developing a social science of identity? – An appraisal of the field’, Identity: An...
  • Davies, J. (2012), ‘Facework on Facebook as a new literacy practice’, Computers & Education, 59:1, pp. 19–29.
  • Dubai Media City (2018), Arab Media Outlook 2016.2018 Youth Content Digital Media. Dubai, 5th ed., Dubai: Duabi Press Club.
  • Duffy, B. and Wissinger, E. (2017), ‘Mythologies of creative work in the social media age: Fun, free, and “just being me”’, International...
  • El-Deeb, S. and Awad, T. (2016), ‘Adolescents motives on using social network sites – An empirical study on Egypt and Germany’, International...
  • Englander, E., Mills, E. and McCoy, M. (2009), ‘Cyberbullying and information exposure: User-generated content in post-secondary education’,...
  • Erikson, E. (1968), Identity Youth and Crisis, London: Norton. Goffman, E. (1959), The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life, New York: Doubleday.
  • Herrera, L. (2012), ‘Youth and citizenship in the digital age: A view from Egypt’, Harvard Educational Review, 82:3, pp. 333–52.
  • Hill, K. (2012), ‘Beware, Tech Abandoners: People without Facebook accounts are “suspicious”’, Forbes, 6 August, https://www.forbes.com/sites/kashmirhill/2012/08/06/beware-tech-abandoners-people-without-facebookaccounts-are-suspicious/#62bf5bd38f95....
  • Horton, D. and Wohl, R. (1956), ‘Mass communication and para-social interaction observations on intimacy at a distance’, Psychiatry, 19:3,...
  • Ismail, K. (2018), ‘Social media influencers: Mega, macro, micro or nano’, CMSWIRE, 10 December, https://www.cmswire.com/digital-marketing/social-media-influencers-mega-macro-micro-or-nano/....
  • Jenkins, H., Clinton, K., Purushotma, R., Robison, A. and Weigel, M. (2009), Confronting the Challenges of Participatory Culture: Media Education...
  • Jerslev, A. (2016), ‘In the time of the microcelebrity: Celebrification and the YouTuber Zoella’, International Journal of Communication,...
  • Johnston, J. (2012), ‘Using identity as a tool for investigation: A methodological option in the researcher’s toolbox’, International Journal...
  • Kamel, S. (2014), ‘Egypt’s ongoing uprising and the role of social media: Is there development?’, Information Technology for Development,...
  • Kavakci, E. and Kraeplin, C. (2017), ‘Religious beings in fashionable bodies: The online identity construction of hijabi social media personalities’,...
  • Kelman, H. (1961), ‘Processes of opinion change’, Public Opinion Quarterly, 25:1 (Spring), pp. 57–78.
  • Khamis, S., Gold, P. and Vaughn, K. (2012), ‘Beyond Egypt’s “Facebook revolution” and Syria’s “YouTube uprising”: Comparing political contexts,...
  • Kowalski, R., Schroeder, A., Giumetti, G. and Lattanner, M. (2014), ‘Bullying in the digital age: A critical review and meta-analysis of cyberbullying...
  • Kroger, J. and Marcia, J. (2011), ‘The identity statuses: Origins, meanings and, interpretations’, in S. Schwartz, K. Luyckx and V. Vignoles...
  • Lee, J. and Watkins, B. (2016), ‘YouTube vloggers’ influence on consumer luxury brand perceptions and intentions’, Journal of Business Research,...
  • Lenhart, A. and Madden, M. (2007), ‘Teens, privacy and online social networks’, Pew Research Center Internet and Technology, 18 April, https://...
  • Livingstone, S. and Brake, D. (2010), ‘On the rapid rise of social networking sites: New findings and policy implications’, Children &...
  • Marwick, A. (2013a), ‘“They’re really profound women, they’re entrepreneurs”: Conceptions of authenticity in fashion blogging’, 7th International...
  • Marwick, A. (2013b), Status Update Celebrity, Publicity, and Branding in the Social Media Age, New Haven, CT and London: Yale University Press.
  • Mason, J. (2002), Qualitative Researching, 2nd ed., London: Sage Publications Ltd.
  • Mendelson, A. and Papacharissi, Z. (2011), ‘Look at us: Collective narcissism in college student Facebook photo galleries’, in Z.  Papacharissi...
  • Mensch, B., Ibrahim, B., Lee, S. and El-Gibaly, O. (2003), ‘Gender-role attitudes among Egyptian adolescents’, Studies in Family Planning,...
  • Merchant, G. (2005), ‘Electric involvement: Identity performance in children’s informal digital writing’, Discourse: Studies in the Cultural...
  • Papacharissi, Z. (ed.) (2011), A Networked Self: Identity, Community and Culture on Social Network Sites, New York: Routledge.
  • Pempek, T., Yermolayeva, Y. and Calvert, S. (2009), ‘College students’ social networking experiences on Facebook’, Journal of Applied Developmental...
  • Press Room (2015), ‘Young Egyptians breaking the internet’, n, 14 January, https://www.nielsen.com/eg/en/press-room/2015/young-egyptians-breaking-the-internet.html....
  • Rapp, F. (2016), ‘The digital media phenomenon of YouTube beauty gurus: The case of Bubzbeauty’, International Journal of Web-Based Communities,...
  • Raun, T. (2018), ‘Capitalizing intimacy: New subcultural forms of microcelebrity strategies and affective labour on YouTube’, Convergence:...
  • Roushdy, R. and Sieverding, M. (eds) (2015), Panel Survey of Young People in Egypt (SYPE) 2014: Generating Evidence for Policy, Programs,...
  • Rubin, A., Perse, E. and Powell, R. (1985), ‘Loneliness, parasocial interaction, and local television news viewing’, Human Communication Research,...
  • Rubin, R. and McHugh, M. (1987), ‘Development of parasocial interaction relationships’, Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 31:3,...
  • Salem, F. (2017), Social Media and the Internet of Things: Towards Data-Driven Policymaking in the Arab World, vol. 7, Dubai: MBR School of...
  • Salem, F. and Mourtada, R. (2012), ‘Social media in the Arab world: Influencing societal and cultural change?’, Arab Social Media Report,...
  • Savignac, B., Parmentier, M. and Marcoux, J. (2012), ‘Consumer-bloggers mobilized in marketing campaigns: A study of opinion leaders authenticity...
  • Shifman, L. (2018), ‘Testimonial rallies and the construction of memetic authenticity’, European Journal of Communication, 33:2, pp. 172–84.
  • Subrahmanyam, K. and Smahel, D. (2011), Digital Youth the Role of Media in Development, New York: Springer.
  • Therborn, G. (2004), Between Sex and Power: Family in the World 1900–2000, London: Routledge.
  • Tufekci, Z. (2008), ‘Can you see me now? Audience and disclosure regulation in online social network sites’, Bulletin of Science, Technology...
  • Turner, G. (2004), Understanding Celebrity, London: Sage Publications.
  • United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) (2016), Arab Human Development Report 2016 Youth and the Prospects for Human Development in a...
  • Uzunoğlu, E. and Misci Kip, S. (2014), ‘Brand communication through digital influencers: Leveraging blogger engagement’, International Journal...
  • Van Der Heide, B., D’Angelo, J. and Schumaker, E. (2012), ‘The effects of verbal versus photographic self-presentation on impression formation...
  • Veirman, M. De, Cauberghe, V. and Hudders, L. (2017), ‘Marketing through Instagram influencers: The impact of number of followers and product...
  • Westenberg, W. (2016), ‘The influence of YouTubers on teenagers a descriptive research about the role YouTubers play in the life of their...