The life of the fashion blogger : an exploratory study of self-identity and self-presentation on personal style bloggers

Abstract: Background:   The phenomenon of the 21st century, fashion bloggers, are having something that the glossy fashion magazines and fashion advertisements never had – a personal touch through their identity. Through sharing experiences, opinions and feelings about garments, shopping and other fashion related subjects, fashion bloggers share their self. Hence, blog can be the space where bloggers present, create or edit their self, shifting between who they really are and who they desire to be.Purpose:   The purpose of this study is to get a deeper insight into the phenomenon of the fashion blogger by investigating bloggers self-presentation through the blog and the relation of their online identity to their real- and ideal-self.Design/method:   This study was designed as an exploratory two case study. The data was collected by using three different methods: the content analysis, the go-along method and the semi-structured interviews. The sources included blog content, human behavior and verbalnarratives. The thematic analysis technique was used to analyze the data.Results:   Case I, a professional Croatian blogger, showed the usage of indirect elements to present the self on the blog and through blogging activities as well as the usage of ingratiation to maintain personal and business relationships, and competence to present the self as professionally competent. It also showed the usage of photo shooting as a cue for impression management as well as the struggle between different selves on the blog. Finally, the results highlighted the role of the blog in actualizing the self. Case II, a hobby Croatian blogger, showed the usage of direct and indirect elements to present the self on the blog and through blogging activities, as well as the intention to create a ‘fashionable personae’. It showed the usage of ingratiation to appear likeable and to get recognition, and competence to present the self as social. Analysis indicated the practice of fashion through dressing with an intention to create the ‘blogger’ identity and reach the ideal-self. The blog was found to be the place for practicing the self-confidence and the self-identity construction.Conclusion:   Case I showed the extensive conscious usage of the blog features and engagement into the blogging activities to present the self and usage of two self-presentation strategies; ingratiation and competence. Overall, it showed that the identity presented on the blog is majorly a reflection of already constructed identity and descriptive self while the significance of the blog is seen in the desire to reach self-actualization. Case II showed more unconscious usage of the blog features and engagement into the blogging activities to present the self and usage of two self-presentation strategies: ingratiation and competence. It also showed that the online identity on the blog mainly serves as a ‘trial identity’ through which the real-self is yetto be found and defined and through which the ideal-self is constantly reached. This study presents the first step into understanding how can blogger’s self-identity and self-presentation can be beneficial for the brand’s marketing strategy.