Gender stereotypes are frequently used in advertising. Although, we do not longer consume advertising simply by watching TV, most research on the area is made on traditional media. Today, a major part of advertising is consumed through social media and exposed through influencer marketing. Thus, it is not a large advertising agency that decides how the influencer should highlight the product. This study investigates the presence and production of gender stereotypes in influencer marketing. Further it intends to create a greater understanding of how sponsored posts differ between male and female influencers on Instagram. The material consists of 16 images posted by influencers in collaborations with the organization Visit Dubai. The research method being used is a semiotic image analysis. The theoretical framework consists of gender and stereotype studies in relation to advertising, such as man- spreading and women shrinking. The study also uses theories on self-representation. The researched showed a lack of typical stereotypes in influencer marketing. Further, the results showed that female influencers did use positioning and looks that could be linked to the theories. Self-representation could be one key factor on why influencers use stereotypes in influencer marketing. Advertising serves to create meaning for the culture and serves as a display on which cultural performances are illustrated. This means that an understanding of stereotypes in relation to the new marketing methods can be seen as an important tool for understanding our culture.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UPSALLA1/oai:DiVA.org:uu-414665 |
| Date | January 2020 |
| Creators | Kirik, Hazal Selin |
| Publisher | Uppsala universitet, Medier och kommunikation |
| Source Sets | DiVA Archive at Upsalla University |
| Language | Swedish |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Student thesis, info:eu-repo/semantics/bachelorThesis, text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
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