Item

‘Influence’ in the (post-)digital age: Girls’ experiences of online influencer culture

Type
Journal Article
Author
Emily Setty, Robyn Muir & Rosie Macpherson
Year
2025
Publisher
Sage Journals
DOI/Link
https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448251392918
Abstract
This paper examines how girls aged 9–15 engage with online influencer culture, focusing on interplays between digital and non-digital normative ecologies. Drawing on school-based workshops, we explore tensions between authenticity, normative ideals and self-presentation in girls’ interactions with influencers. Participants expressed agency in content consumption alongside pressures to conform, shaped by social interactions online and offline. We argue that influencer culture perpetuates dominant femininity norms through reciprocal dynamics between influencers and audiences. Girls navigated this terrain ambivalently, often endorsing authenticity and diversity while feeling constrained by normative expectations. We propose a post-digital literacy framework to conceptualise girls’ critically engagements with influence as part of everyday life, highlighting implications for education and digital practice.
Language
English
Keywords
Digital Literacy, Youth and Media
Tags
Digital culture, Online engagement, Digital participation
PGDMIL Course
C02 – Media, Technology and Content
PGDMIL Block
C02-B2: Hybrid Media Cultures
Has Part
C02-U06: Influencer Culture and Content Creators
Corpus Status
Pending Review

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