Social media influencers and the online identity of Egyptian youth | Intellect Skip to content
1981
Volume 12, Issue 1
  • ISSN: 1757-1898
  • E-ISSN: 1757-1901

Abstract

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.

Loading

Article metrics loading...

/content/journals/10.1386/cjcs_00017_1
2020-04-01
2024-04-26
Loading full text...

Full text loading...

References

  1. Abidin, C.. ( 2015;), ‘ Communicative Intimacies: Influencers and perceived interconnectedness. ’, Ada: A Journal of Gender New media & Technology, 8, https://adanewmedia.org/2015/11/issue8-abidin/. Accessed 16 December 2019.
    [Google Scholar]
  2. Abidin, C., and Ots, M.. ( 2015;), ‘ The influencer’s dilemma: The shaping of new brand professions between credibility and commerce. ’, Media Branding Revised: Participative Audiences and Their Consequences for Media Branding Panel, San Francisco, 6–9 August.
    [Google Scholar]
  3. Alexa ( n.d;.), ‘ Top sites in Egypt. ’, Alexa, https://www.alexa.com/topsites/countries/EG. Accessed 10 December 2019.
    [Google Scholar]
  4. Amin, G.. ( 2013), Whatever Happened to the Egyptian Revolution? (trans. J. Wright.), Cairo:: The American University in Cairo Press;.
    [Google Scholar]
  5. Aran-Ramspott, S.,, Fedele, M., and Tarragó, A.. ( 2018;), ‘ Youtubers’ social functions and their influence on pre-adolescence. ’, Comuicar, 57: XXVI, pp. 7179.
    [Google Scholar]
  6. Arnett, J.. ( 2004), Emerging Adulthood: The Winding Road from the Late Teens through the Twenties, New York:: Oxford University Press;.
    [Google Scholar]
  7. Ayish, M., and AlNajjar, A.. ( 2019;), ‘ Arab millennials’ articulation of identity in cyberspace: A study of three MENA youtubers. ’, Arab Media and Society, 27, Winter/Spring, pp. 2640.
    [Google Scholar]
  8. Bandura, A.. ( 1986;), ‘ The explanatory and predictive scope of self-efficacy theory. ’, Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 4:3, pp. 35973.
    [Google Scholar]
  9. Basil, M.. ( 1996;), ‘ Identification as a mediator of celebrity effects. ’, Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 40:4, pp. 47895.
    [Google Scholar]
  10. Baumeister, R.. ( 1982;), ‘ A self-presentational view of social phenomena. ’, Psychological Bulletin, 91:1, pp. 326.
    [Google Scholar]
  11. 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 of beauty vloggers. ’, Journal of Gender Studies, 26:3, pp. 30720.
    [Google Scholar]
  12. Beverland, M., and Farrelly, F.. ( 2010;), ‘ The quest for authenticity in consumption: Consumers’ purposive choice of authentic cues to shape experienced outcomes. ’, Journal of Consumer Research, 36:5, pp. 83856.
    [Google Scholar]
  13. Bond, B.. ( 2009;), ‘ He posted, she posted: Gender differences in self-disclosure on social network sites. ’, Rocky Mountain Communication Review, 6:2, pp. 2937.
    [Google Scholar]
  14. Boyd, D.. ( 2008;), ‘ Taken out of context: American teen sociality in networked publics. ’, Ph.D. thesis, Berkeley, CA:: University of California.
    [Google Scholar]
  15. Côté, J.. ( 2006;), ‘ Identity studies: How close are we to developing a social science of identity? – An appraisal of the field. ’, Identity: An International Journal of Theory and Research, 6:1, pp. 325.
    [Google Scholar]
  16. Davies, J.. ( 2012;), ‘ Facework on Facebook as a new literacy practice. ’, Computers & Education, 59:1, pp. 1929.
    [Google Scholar]
  17. Dubai Media City ( 2018), Arab Media Outlook 2016.2018 Youth Content Digital Media. Dubai, , 5th ed.., Dubai:: Duabi Press Club;.
    [Google Scholar]
  18. Duffy, B., and Wissinger, E.. ( 2017;), ‘ Mythologies of creative work in the social media age: Fun, free, and “just being me”. ’, International Journal of Communication, 11, pp. 465271.
    [Google Scholar]
  19. El-Deeb, S., and Awad, T.. ( 2016;), ‘ Adolescents motives on using social network sites – An empirical study on Egypt and Germany. ’, International Journal of Social Media and Interactive Learning Environments, 4:3, pp. 25472.
    [Google Scholar]
  20. Englander, E.,, Mills, E., and McCoy, M.. ( 2009;), ‘ Cyberbullying and information exposure: User-generated content in post-secondary education. ’, International Journal of Contemporary Sociology, 46:2, pp. 21530.
    [Google Scholar]
  21. Erikson, E.. ( 1968), Identity Youth and Crisis, London:: Norton;.
    [Google Scholar]
  22. Goffman, E.. ( 1959), The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life, New York:: Doubleday;.
    [Google Scholar]
  23. Herrera, L.. ( 2012;), ‘ Youth and citizenship in the digital age: A view from Egypt. ’, Harvard Educational Review, 82:3, pp. 33352.
    [Google Scholar]
  24. 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-facebook-accounts-are-suspicious/#62bf5bd38f95. Accessed 5 December 2019.
    [Google Scholar]
  25. Horton, D., and Wohl, R.. ( 1956;), ‘ Mass communication and para-social interaction observations on intimacy at a distance. ’, Psychiatry, 19:3, pp. 21529.
    [Google Scholar]
  26. 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/. Accessed 6 December 2019.
    [Google Scholar]
  27. Jenkins, H.,, Clinton, K.,, Purushotma, R.,, Robison, A., and Weigel, M.. ( 2009), Confronting the Challenges of Participatory Culture: Media Education for the 21st Century, London:: The MIT Press;.
    [Google Scholar]
  28. Jerslev, A.. ( 2016;), ‘ In the time of the microcelebrity: Celebrification and the YouTuber Zoella. ’, International Journal of Communication, 10, pp. 523351.
    [Google Scholar]
  29. Johnston, J.. ( 2012;), ‘ Using identity as a tool for investigation: A methodological option in the researcher’s toolbox. ’, International Journal of Arts & Sciences, 5:5, pp. 19.
    [Google Scholar]
  30. Kamel, S.. ( 2014;), ‘ Egypt’s ongoing uprising and the role of social media: Is there development?. ’, Information Technology for Development, 20:1, pp. 7891.
    [Google Scholar]
  31. Kavakci, E., and Kraeplin, C.. ( 2017;), ‘ Religious beings in fashionable bodies: The online identity construction of hijabi social media personalities. ’, Media, Culture & Society, 39:6, pp. 85068.
    [Google Scholar]
  32. Kelman, H.. ( 1961;), ‘ Processes of opinion change. ’, Public Opinion Quarterly, 25:1 (Spring), pp. 5778.
    [Google Scholar]
  33. Khamis, S.,, Gold, P., and Vaughn, K.. ( 2012;), ‘ Beyond Egypt’s “Facebook revolution” and Syria’s “YouTube uprising”: Comparing political contexts, actors and communication strategies. ’, Arab Media & Society, 15, Spring, pp. 130.
    [Google Scholar]
  34. Kowalski, R.,, Schroeder, A.,, Giumetti, G., and Lattanner, M.. ( 2014;), ‘ Bullying in the digital age: A critical review and meta-analysis of cyberbullying research among youth. ’, Psychological Bulletin, 140:4, pp. 1073137.
    [Google Scholar]
  35. Kroger, J., and Marcia, J.. ( 2011;), ‘ The identity statuses: Origins, meanings and, interpretations. ’, in S. Schwartz,, K. Luyckx, and V. Vignoles. (eds), Handbook of Identity Theory and Research, New York:: Springer;, pp. 3153.
    [Google Scholar]
  36. Lee, J., and Watkins, B.. ( 2016;), ‘ YouTube vloggers’ influence on consumer luxury brand perceptions and intentions. ’, Journal of Business Research, 69:12, pp. 575360.
    [Google Scholar]
  37. Lenhart, A., and Madden, M.. ( 2007;), ‘ Teens, privacy and online social networks. ’, Pew Research Center Internet and Technology, 18 April, https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2007/04/18/teens-privacy-and-online-social-networks/. Accessed 10 December 2019.
    [Google Scholar]
  38. Livingstone, S., and Brake, D.. ( 2010;), ‘ On the rapid rise of social networking sites: New findings and policy implications. ’, Children & Society, 24:1, pp. 7583.
    [Google Scholar]
  39. Marwick, A.. ( 2013a;), ‘ “They’re really profound women, they’re entrepreneurs”: Conceptions of authenticity in fashion blogging. ’, 7th International AIII Conference on Weblogs and Social Media (ICWSM), Boston, 8–11 July.
    [Google Scholar]
  40. Marwick, A.. ( 2013b), Status Update Celebrity, Publicity, and Branding in the Social Media Age, New Haven, CT and London:: Yale University Press;.
    [Google Scholar]
  41. Mason, J.. ( 2002), Qualitative Researching, , 2nd ed.., London:: Sage Publications Ltd;.
    [Google Scholar]
  42. Mendelson, A., and Papacharissi, Z.. ( 2011;), ‘ Look at us: Collective narcissism in college student Facebook photo galleries. ’, in Z. Papacharissi. (ed.), A Networked Self: Identity, Community and Culture on Social Network Sites, New York:: Routledge;, pp. 25173.
    [Google Scholar]
  43. Mensch, B.,, Ibrahim, B.,, Lee, S., and El-Gibaly, O.. ( 2003;), ‘ Gender-role attitudes among Egyptian adolescents. ’, Studies in Family Planning, 34:1, pp. 818.
    [Google Scholar]
  44. Merchant, G.. ( 2005;), ‘ Electric involvement: Identity performance in children’s informal digital writing. ’, Discourse: Studies in the Cultural Politics of Education, 26:3, pp. 30114.
    [Google Scholar]
  45. Papacharissi, Z.. (ed.) ( 2011), A Networked Self: Identity, Community and Culture on Social Network Sites, New York:: Routledge;.
    [Google Scholar]
  46. Pempek, T.,, Yermolayeva, Y., and Calvert, S.. ( 2009;), ‘ College students’ social networking experiences on Facebook. ’, Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 30:3, pp. 22738.
    [Google Scholar]
  47. 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. Accessed 20 September 2019.
  48. Rapp, F.. ( 2016;), ‘ The digital media phenomenon of YouTube beauty gurus: The case of Bubzbeauty. ’, International Journal of Web-Based Communities, 12:4, p. 36075.
    [Google Scholar]
  49. Raun, T.. ( 2018;), ‘ Capitalizing intimacy: New subcultural forms of micro- celebrity strategies and affective labour on YouTube. ’, Convergence: The International Journal of Research into New Media Technologies, 24:1, pp. 99113.
    [Google Scholar]
  50. Roushdy, R., and Sieverding, M.. (eds) ( 2015), Panel Survey of Young People in Egypt (SYPE) 2014: Generating Evidence for Policy, Programs, and Research, Cairo:: Population Council;.
    [Google Scholar]
  51. Rubin, A.,, Perse, E., and Powell, R.. ( 1985;), ‘ Loneliness, parasocial interaction, and local television news viewing. ’, Human Communication Research, 12:2, pp. 15580.
    [Google Scholar]
  52. Rubin, R., and McHugh, M.. ( 1987;), ‘ Development of parasocial interaction relationships. ’, Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 31:3, pp. 27992.
    [Google Scholar]
  53. Salem, F.. ( 2017), Social Media and the Internet of Things: Towards Data-Driven Policymaking in the Arab World, vol. 7, Dubai:: MBR School of Government;.
    [Google Scholar]
  54. Salem, F., and Mourtada, R.. ( 2012;), ‘ Social media in the Arab world: Influencing societal and cultural change?. ’, Arab Social Media Report, 2:1, Dubai:: Dubai School of Government;, pp. 129.
    [Google Scholar]
  55. Savignac, B.,, Parmentier, M., and Marcoux, J.. ( 2012;), ‘ Consumer-bloggers mobilized in marketing campaigns: A study of opinion leaders authenticity management in a streetwear community. ’, NA – Advances in Consumer Research, 40, pp. 8184.
    [Google Scholar]
  56. Shifman, L.. ( 2018;), ‘ Testimonial rallies and the construction of memetic authenticity. ’, European Journal of Communication, 33:2, pp. 17284.
    [Google Scholar]
  57. Subrahmanyam, K., and Smahel, D.. ( 2011), Digital Youth the Role of Media in Development, New York:: Springer;.
    [Google Scholar]
  58. Therborn, G.. ( 2004), Between Sex and Power: Family in the World 1900–2000, London:: Routledge;.
    [Google Scholar]
  59. Tufekci, Z.. ( 2008;), ‘ Can you see me now? Audience and disclosure regulation in online social network sites. ’, Bulletin of Science, Technology & Society, 28:1, pp. 2036.
    [Google Scholar]
  60. Turner, G.. ( 2004), Understanding Celebrity, London:: Sage Publications;.
    [Google Scholar]
  61. United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) ( 2016), Arab Human Development Report 2016 Youth and the Prospects for Human Development in a Changing Reality, New York:: UNDP;.
    [Google Scholar]
  62. Uzunoğlu, E., and Misci Kip, S.. ( 2014;), ‘ Brand communication through digital influencers: Leveraging blogger engagement. ’, International Journal of Information Management, 34:5, pp. 592602.
    [Google Scholar]
  63. Van Der Heide, B.,, D’Angelo, J., and Schumaker, E.. ( 2012;), ‘ The effects of verbal versus photographic self-presentation on impression formation in Facebook. ’, Journal of Communication, 62:1, pp. 98116.
    [Google Scholar]
  64. Veirman, M. De,, Cauberghe, V., and Hudders, L.. ( 2017;), ‘ Marketing through Instagram influencers: The impact of number of followers and product divergence on brand attitude. ’, International Journal of Advertising, 36:5, pp. 798828.
    [Google Scholar]
  65. Westenberg, W.. ( 2016;), ‘ The influence of YouTubers on teenagers a descriptive research about the role YouTubers play in the life of their teenage viewers. ’, Master’s thesis, Enschede:: University of Twente.
    [Google Scholar]
  66. Ezzat, Hanan. ( 2020;), ‘ Social media influencers and the online identity of Egyptian youth. ’, Catalan Journal of Communication & Cultural Studies, 12:1, pp. 119133, doi: https://doi.org/10.1386/cjcs_00017_1
    [Google Scholar]
http://instance.metastore.ingenta.com/content/journals/10.1386/cjcs_00017_1
Loading
  • Article Type: Article
Keyword(s): Egypt; identity; influencers; self-presentation; social media; youth
This is a required field
Please enter a valid email address
Approval was a success
Invalid data
An error occurred
Approval was partially successful, following selected items could not be processed due to error