Calibrated Authenticity : Multimodal Analysis of Authenticity Construction in the Instagram Feed of @noelledowning

Abstract

This thesis examines the multimodal construction of authenticity in the Instagram feed content of lifestyle social media influencers. The value of authenticity and ’realness’ has been made apparent in previous examinations of social media influencers where the portrayal of ’calibrated amateurism’, through establishing relatability, and authenticity have been identified as key components of content creation for social media influencers on Instagram (Abidin 2018). The need for authenticity is juxtaposed against an Instagram platform vernacular of conventional styles of content creation that are focused on highly curated and aesthetically pleasing representations. The vocational needs of the social media influencers in creating commercially laden advertorials further complicate the multimodal construction of authenticity. These realities of social media influencer content creation combine with the semiotic technology affordances of the Instagram platform to create an interesting environment in which different methods of constructing and communicating authenticity can be examined.

The study examines this environment through a focus on the Instagram account of a New York - based lifestyle influencer Noelle Downing (@noelledowning). A textual analysis of the visual and written content in the Instagram feed posts was employed on a corpus of 275 posts and 369 photos connected to the posts. The theoretical framework of the thesis is built on the theory of representation of visual social actors by Theo van Leeuwen and on the theory of mediated authenticity by Gunn Enli. The theory of mediated authenticity was expanded successfully in this thesis through the category of engagement to further its applicability to social media content. The ideational, interpersonal, and textual discursive metafunctions devised by M.A.K. Halliday further guided the examination of authenticity construction in the synthesis of written and visual content.

The results of the study indicate that authenticity is constructed through relatively uniform visual representations that communicate relatability, focus on creating an interpersonal connection with the followers, and through representing predictable and conventional lifestyle influencer topics and styles, whereas captions are used to provide a more detailed look into the private life, thoughts, and feelings of the influencer. Through a multimodal and multidisciplinary approach to social media content creation, the study establishes the lifestyle social media influencer authenticity construction as a form of calibrated authenticity where the mundane, relatable, and personal are invoked to balance the apparent commercialism of advertorial content. Influencers are found striving to establish an equitable relationship between themselves and their followers to ensure authenticity and relatability.