Keeping it real? - A critical investigation of the authenticity among influencers in the social media environment

Abstract: The study is of qualitative character, adopting a constructionist perspective and following an abductive approach. The qualitative material has been gathered through a set of semi-structured focus group interviews. The study has been conducted by applying a conceptual framework, consisting of three theoretical dimensions for investigating the influencer phenomenon, namely; brand authenticity, personal branding and networking and authority. The empirical data was gathered through a set of semi-structured focus group interviews. The findings of the study are concluded in a framework of the influencer phenomenon, the Influencer Personality Construct, developed within the context of authenticity in the social media environment. The framework distinguishes two types of influencers; role models and crowd pleasers.