Media Ownership.

Who owns media?

Celebrities?

Influencers?

Brand owners?

News anchors?

Theoretically, it's all of us.

Without the concept of the internet paradigm or societal trends, the media wouldn't exist. Media is run off an audience, views & response.

However, media used to just be newspapers, and the TV. Your good morning show and night time show, telling you all the hot gossip or news for that week. That was that. Media now involves everyone and everything. Anyone can now be apart of it, and people have become it. Influencers especially have taken over. Their job is media. Without influencers, brands wouldn't have anywhere near as much sales as they do now. Influencers are there to advertise, promote and sell products to civilization. Therefore causing great positive impacts for media itself.

Studies have recently been undertaken in order to investigate how influencers affect consumer behaviour. There are 4 types of known influencers

1. Mega

Mega Influencers have over 1 million followers on their social media platforms, mainly A-list celebrities. Think actors, singers, entertainers, etc. They are highly visible on social media due to their celebrity status, as a result of this, to stay highly visible they are consistently active on social media to ensure maximum engagement from their followers.

1. Macro

100,000 to a million followers, these guys achieve their high profiles through more internet related content, such as vlogging, or blogging.

As a result, they are regarded as experts in their subject, whatever that field may be. The ability to produce new content on a regular basis is a hallmark of a macro-influencer, and for the vast majority of these individuals, their social media platforms have become a full-time profession.

1. Micro

Micro influencers are somewhere around 1,000 to 100,000 followers. Their areas of interest and skill are often quite specialised. As a result, they are thought to be experts in their profession. Their more 'understated' demeanour provides them an aura of genuineness and a girl or boy next door vibe.

1. Nano

Nano influencers are they new category for known influencers, they have anywhere from 100-10,000 followers but have a strong influence in their immediate community, usually consisting of friends and family. They aren't considered professional influencers in anyway, and still post content on their personal life such as family, pets and friends.

Cultural Conformity

Human beings are wired to deeply connect with those in our 'pack.'

With this sensitive connection comes an expectation to fit in to this pack.

'For consumers who consider the influencers they follow to be a part of their pack, many feel an obligation to keep up with their activities. And because influencers we initially see as credible in one area eventually become credible in other areas through a phenomenon known as the halo effect , it's easy for followers to see every piece of content as something that they're obligated to tune into. So we watch, engage and celebrate with the creator because we’re culturally programmed to care.' (The psychology of Influencer Marketing)

Influencer marketing may be the most effective medium to market goods and/or services, however, I personally believe as well as reaching audiences who actively want to listen, they also gain people's attention from a personal level. This is how they sell things to us, for e.g. an influencer may talk about a mental health issue and share their own experience, therefore psychologically connecting with those who have experienced the same issue. They then unknowingly form a sort of bond or trust with this person. That is when the influencer is able to sell more, the individual may not mean to sell or promote a product/brand in this way but it certainly helps. So does this mean influencers could own media? Because it certainly seems in some situations that they have control over us.

Or is it social media brand owners? Mark Zuckerberg?

He is the owner of Facebook and Instagram, the 2 biggest social media platforms in the world... These apps is what we are all addicted to, its where we read the news on whats happening right now, and where we hear the hottest gossip and find the latest trends, if anything it has to be Mark Zuckerberg to own media... Right??

WRONG

Without society, these apps would be nothing, they wouldn't exist!! They need the views to stay alive, the active users, the businesses to have consumers interested in their page, we are all they have, we keep them alive.

But who is the culprit for owning media?

I'll leave that for you to think about...

XOXO, Charli

Kendra Cherry. (2020). Why the Halo Effect Influences How We Perceive Others. Available: https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-the-halo-effect-2795906 . Last accessed 7/6.

unknown author. (2019). The Psychology Of Influencer Marketing. Available: https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesagencycouncil/2019/08/22/the-psychology-of-influencer-marketing/?sh=229134bfe1be . Last accessed 6/6.