The visual self: The connection between adolescents’ self-presentation on Instagram and their ability to recognize and evaluate advertising content

Riesmeyer, Claudia ; Sawatzki, Pauline und Hagleitner, Amelie (2021): The visual self: The connection between adolescents’ self-presentation on Instagram and their ability to recognize and evaluate advertising content. In: MedienPädagogik: Zeitschrift für Theorie und Praxis der Medienbildung, Vol. 43: pp. 41-66

Abstract

This article analyzes adolescents’ self-presentation on Instagram, the role influencers might play in such content, and adolescents’ advertising literacy, defined as recognizing and evaluating advertising presented by influencers as well as using advertising knowledge. Based on 32 in-depth interviews and think-aloud protocols, this study identifies five types of self-presentation (staged, natural, covert, changed, and two-sided). Influencers were important benchmarks for almost all the adolescents interviewed; the participants each followed one or more influencers on Instagram and were inspired by the advertised products. Furthermore, they recognized influencers’ commercial interests and presentation strategies. Their positive or negative evaluations of these strategies were linked to their self-presentation and ranged from approval to rejection. A negative evaluation of advertising did not automatically lead to a rejection of the implied advertising message. A discrepancy between the adolescents’ knowledge and actions became clear when they admitted buying advertised products despite being critical of advertising or knowing which advertising mechanisms were being applied.

• Item Type: Journal article
• Faculties: Social Sciences > Department of Communications and Media (IfKW)
• Subjects: 300 Social sciences > 300 Social sciences, sociology and anthropology; 300 Social sciences > 370 Education
• ISSN: 1424-3636
• Language: English