The furry side of Instagram: A study about dog influencers on Instagram

Abstract: This thesis focuses on online communication, specifically regarding dog influencers on a social network application - Instagram. The idea was found through a personal admiration and interest in dog influences on Instagram. Therefore a research area investigating why dog owners create profiles for their dogs and how they manage to gain a large follower base was created. For this research paper, six Instagram accounts were chosen. These accounts use dogs as a primary communication tool, and have managed to gain a large follower base, thus they serve as accurate research material. In order to gather qualitative data, six semi-structured online interviews were completed. Additionally, content analysis was used to analyze the visual and written content of these Instagram accounts. Key findings were identified through theoretical frameworks, using mediatization, posthumanism and actor-network theory. Moreover, the chosen research methods were also introduced in-depth, along with the process of the research. Additionally, it is essential to note that several general influencer marketing tools are used by dog influencers to promote their content. When applied, these tools have different qualities and outcomes than the ones of human influencers. The findings of the investigation show that the market of dog influencers is very competitive. This allows for the gathered data to be reused again in the future to further investigate the topic.