WEEK10

[Last modified: December, 17 2024 06:44 PM]

Research Proposal: Revised Version

Topic:
The Influence of Digital Fashion: A Study on the Role of Fashion Influencers on Users’ Fashion Choices and Identity Expression—Taking TikTok Platform as an Example

Research Background:

The landscape of fashion communication has dramatically evolved with the advent of digital technology, transitioning from traditional media such as television, movies, fashion magazines, and brand advertising to social media platforms. This shift has given rise to a new cultural phenomenon where fashion influencers showcase their creativity and style through digital platforms. Fashion choices are intricately linked to individual identity construction and expression, serving as a medium for conveying values, social status, and cultural affiliation. TikTok, as one of the leading short-video platforms globally, hosts a vast number of fashion enthusiasts and influencers, making it an ideal subject for this study.

Research Questions:

  1. How do fashion influencers on Tik Tok influence users’ fashion choice behavior   through content creation and interaction?
  2. How do users adjust their fashion choices and styles, consciously or subconsciously, after watching the videos of these videos?
  3. How do users construct and express their self-identity by imitating and adapting their styles after being influenced by these fashion influencers?
  4. How does the digital medium enhance the influence of fashion influencers and further influence users’ identity expression?
  5. What are the broader societal and cultural implications of these influences?

Research Methods:

  1. ParticipantObservation

I will create a new account to follow a large number of fashion influencers (mainly in the field of beauty and dressing), participate in commenting and interacting with the relevant content they post, observe and analyze the feedback and engagement patterns of other users. At the same time, I’ll incorporate a longitudinal approach to participant observation, tracking changes over an extended period to capture evolving trends and sustained impacts.

  1. In-depth Interviews

Select fashion influencers with a large number of followers (top influencers probably won’t reply to my messages) to understand their motivation for creating, how they interact with users, and the impact of their intuitive feelings on users’ choices.

Select users who have commented more of the videos created by these influencers, and explore their views on fashion influencers, to understand how they are influenced, and whether this influence plays a role in their fashion choices and identity expression.

Include a more diverse range of influencers, from micro-influencers to macro-influencers, to capture a broader spectrum of influence.

Implement semi-structured interview formats to allow for more in-depth and nuanced insights into influencers’ strategies and user impacts.

  1. Content Analysis

Analyze the content of the videos created by the selected influencers, focusing on the theme, style, language and other visual elements of the videos.

Integrate visual and semiotic analysis to uncover deeper meanings and cultural codes embedded in the influencers’ content.

Use software tools for content analysis to handle large volumes of data more efficiently and accurately.

  1. Case Studies

Select a few representative fashion influencers and their fan base for a more detailed and in-depth case study. Examine the interactions between influencers and followers and the reciprocal impact on fashion choices and identity expression.

Adopt a multi-case study approach to compare and contrast different influencer-user dynamics and their respective impacts.

Possible Findings:

  1. Variations in the impact of different types of influencers on users, categorized by their reach and niche (e.g., celebrities vs. niche bloggers).
  2. Significant shifts in users’ fashion choices post-exposure to influencer content, particularly in brand preferences and style inclinations.
  3. A complex process of identity reconstruction and expression among users, influenced by their adaptation of influencer-promoted styles.
  4. A bidirectional and interconnected influence between fashion influencers and users, highlighting the dynamic nature of digital fashion culture.

WEEK 9

[Last modified: December, 1 2024 10:51 PM]

CASE STUDY 4.

Ethical Advice for the Research Project

As members of the Anthropology Ethics Committee, in order for your research project to be ethical and for data collection to be objective and truthful, I have a few suggestions for you.

Firstly, transparent and open communication with participants is crucial. You can provide participants with standardised and comprehensive information sheets, informed consent forms, outlining the purpose of your research, the confidentiality measures that will be taken, the use of the data collected, and the rights of the participants during the research process. Ensure that participants’ participation in the study is voluntary and that they state in advance that their research will not affect their careers and relationships.

Secondly, it was important to keep personal information about the participants confidential and to protect the data collected. Given the nature of the participants’ profession as midwives, there is a risk that they will be identified even if the interviews are conducted anonymously. Therefore, it is possible to use pseudonyms for the participants in the study and try to avoid referring to very specific cases and people, and to summarise the data as much as possible, treating them equally. Make sure that you approach the study from a very objective perspective and do not involve personal feelings. It is also a good idea to keep all data collected for the study on a personal, encrypted device and remember to destroy the data when the project is complete.

Furthermore, the characteristics of your dual role as colleague and researcher present potential ethical challenges. Participants may feel pressured to participate in the research process, and you may subconsciously force them to participate in the study or to respond in a way that they find favourable. To minimise this, you must make a clear distinction between your professional role and your research role. During the recruitment process, emphasise that participation is entirely voluntary and has nothing to do with your professional relationship.

In addition, HIV remains a stigmatised disease in many societies, and data collection and support around people living with HIV may touch on the ethical dilemmas, emotional burdens, and societal prejudices that midwives face in their work. Therefore, in the questionnaire design, interview questions could be designed in a neutral and open-ended way, avoiding any orientated questions that could be perceived as critical or sensitive. For example, an open-ended question could be used, ‘In your work, what is the significance of data collection for patient care?’ Instead of, ‘Do you believe that data collection has increased your workload?’ And so on. You can also document your own perceptions and attitudes about HIV to avoid inadvertently conveying biased or insensitive perspectives in your research.

In conclusion, I believe that as long as all ethical safeguards are in place, this project is low-risk research and therefore approval by the Anthropology Ethics Committee is sufficient. Unless it contains data of institutional or patient relevance, in which case UCL REC approval may be required.

WEEK 8

[Last modified: November, 24 2024 10:57 PM]

For this collaborative group observation we focus on a live webcast by a well-known fashion influencer, focusing on the non-verbal and non-textual dynamics of an online space. Exploring how visual, auditory and performative cues impact on user interaction as well as identity expression.

Firstly, physicalised gestures play an important role in live streaming. Influencers convey authenticity and interactivity through gestures, facial expressions, and body postures, creating a sense of intimacy with the audience. For example, a slight head tilt or a genuine smile seems to trigger a large number of pop-up emoji interactions. These gestures become a substitute for verbal interactions, bringing the viewer closer in silence. Viewers may recognise influencers in terms of their personality and character, and as a result, they are more inclined to support the fashion recommendations made by influencers, and are more likely to follow the trend and buy the items recommended by them.

Colour and lighting also played an important role in shaping the virtual atmosphere. Warm backgrounds and soft lighting highlight the influencer’s carefully matched outfits, subconsciously directing viewers’ attention to the fashion items she displays. In addition, the backgrounds in live video broadcasts are usually not overly complex, with the blogger as the main subject, and all backgrounds and atmospheres serving the influencer’s fashion theme. This visual aesthetic creates an implicit dialogue with the viewers’ reactions, such as the pop-ups “Where to buy this jacket?” or ‘Pink really suits you!’ comments.

We also noted the performative use of silence and sound. The influencer’s strategic pauses provided space for the audience to engage in pop-up interactions, while the light-hearted background music maintained the energy of the live broadcast. The interplay of these non-verbal elements created a sense of rhythm that ensured sustained audience attention and engagement.

Interestingly, we observed that viewers would frequently make use of the interactive features provided by the platform to respond to the influencer’s behaviour through virtualised emoticons, gestures or symbols, e.g. viewers might click on animations such as ‘like’, ‘applaud’, or ‘love’ animations. Although these virtual responses are not actual physical actions, they visually present a sense of mimicking the influencer’s actions. For example, when the influencer smiles or waves, the viewer clicks on the animated gift of ‘sending flowers’ or ‘waving’, forming a behavioural ‘echo’ of the influencer’s actions. This kind of mimicry shows that non-verbal communication can cross physical boundaries and reinforce community identity in online spaces.

Week 7

[Last modified: November, 18 2024 07:37 PM]

Shopping at the supermarket is a very everyday activity that everyone experiences. The structural scene of the supermarket intervenes and shapes our bodies and minds from the outside. At the same time, the body feels the world in the scene of the supermarket.

First of all, supermarkets influence consumers’ physical behaviour through clever structural layouts to maximize revenue. Take Waitrose, a supermarket that I often shop at, for example, it has a row of shelves and an aisle distributed one after the other, and there is a main aisle that runs through the whole place, guiding consumers to browse the products in a specific order. In addition, at the entrance of the supermarket, there are usually a lot of festive items and decorative flowers, potted plants, etc., which creates a warm and friendly atmosphere in the supermarket and stimulates consumers’ desire to buy. At the same time, the shelves are arranged in a way that mostly follows the logic of ‘high-frequency necessities at the back’, for example, milk, bread and other common commodities are often located in the depths of the supermarket, forcing shoppers to pass through more product areas, thus increasing the possible consumption. At the entrance of the supermarket, there are usually gifts, drinks, and other goods that are not needed in daily life at a high frequency. The body can only passively follow this path and complete its actions in the structured space. In this scenario, consumers may not realise that their shopping path is carefully designed, but rather see it as a natural choice. Furthermore, the shelves at eye level usually contain more profitable goods, and people are not used to looking up or bending down to browse the goods when shopping in supermarkets, so supermarkets will place less profitable or minority goods higher up or lower down, so the body is not only completing the shopping, but also being manipulated by the logic of the market in an unseen way.

Supermarkets are usually divided into different zones, such as meat zone, vegetable zone, snacks zone, etc. This kind of zoning not only facilitates the categorisation of goods and helps consumers to find the target goods faster, but also helps to control the shopping rhythm of consumers. Smaller-sized goods are usually close to the exit, such as desserts and beverages, which minimises the shopper’s physical burden and avoids giving up the purchase in advance. The small goods section in the checkout area is stocked with impulse consumer goods such as sweets and magazines, maximising supermarket profits.

In a shared space such as a supermarket, physical behaviour is also influenced by social rules. For example, consumers avoid each other in narrow aisles to avoid trolley collisions. In more densely populated supermarkets, the body needs to constantly adjust its pace and position during shopping to adapt to the mobility of its surroundings.

In addition, supermarket shopping links abstract systems to embodied experiences of the body. The tactile sensation of selecting fruit, the visual attention of checking price tags, and the bodily coordination of sharing space with other shoppers are all experiences that make the system of production and exchange tangible. However, this everyday behaviour can also trigger a sense of alienation: consumers are exposed to packaged goods rather than the source of their production.

Week 5

[Last modified: November, 11 2024 08:42 PM]

My research project does have an implicit political dimension in its design and focus. I argue that in studying the impact of Tik Tok fashion influencers on users’ fashion choices and identity construction, it is difficult to avoid engaging with underlying political issues about autonomy, representation, and influence within digital and consumer culture.

Firstly, my project explores assumptions related to agency and influence. The assumption that users’ fashion choices and identity expressions are influenced, at least in part, by influencers’ videoes and interactions, reflects a stance on media power dynamics. This implicitly positions influencers as cultural agents with a degree of control over user behavior, raising questions about autonomy, persuasion, and perhaps consumer manipulation within digital spaces. Such assumptions are politically charged as they involve dynamics of power and control within the digital economy, where fashion influencers serve not just as style guides but also as intermediaries in consumer capitalism.

At the same time, my role as a Tik Tok user, participant, and researcher will also affect the political dimension of the project itself. In the process of observation, I will unknowingly become a part of the influencer culture, which potentially affects my understanding of the power relationship between influencers and users. This role may enable me to have a deeper understanding of how the Tik Tok platform enhances certain political and economic interests through structured interactions. Besides, My interpretative lens will be influenced by my cultural background and academic orientation, potentially impacting how I analyze user responses to influencer content and how I understand the broader cultural implications of these interactions.

The potential political implications of my findings may extend to debates on consumerism, digital identity, and cultural homogenization. For instance, if findings suggest that influencers significantly shape user identity, this could challenge notions of personal agency and originality in identity expression, questioning the political role of social media as a space for authentic self-representation. Furthermore, demonstrating that fashion influencers contribute to a homogenized sense of style might highlight the role of social media in cultural standardization, raising concerns about cultural diversity within digital fashion trends.

To address these political elements, I’ll make my methods more reflexive, documenting my own responses and potential biases. Incorporating more critical discourse analysis could help unpack the embedded power relations in influencer content, while a more diverse user sample could provide varied perspectives on influencer impact. This reflexive and critical approach could offer a nuanced understanding of the political dimensions surrounding digital fashion and identity.

Week4 Vignette

[Last modified: October, 27 2024 07:22 PM]

I chose the Wilkins Building on UCL’s main campus as the location for this observation, at 11.10am on the 25th of October. I found a relatively central seat on the steps, facing the main entrance to the school, and the old red Cruciform Building, with the UCL landmark on the back, featuring a row of huge Corinthian columns and an imposing and stately Romanesque dome.

There were many UCL students spread out around me, some of them were in groups, chatting happily, and some, like me, were sitting alone, staring or looking into the distance. To my left was a black female student with dirty braids, her hair was long and she was wearing a black duffle coat, she had been chatting to her friend behind her, they seemed to be having a great time, they were talking and laughing the whole time, and I was infected by their cheerful atmosphere. To my right was a boy who was smoking a cigarette, I was so impressed with him that I noticed him on my way up the stairs. He was wearing a dark grey suit with a matching white shirt and tie on the inside, dark brown leather shoes on his feet and a black newsboy cap on his head, which reminded me of the Razorbacks in Peaky Blinders, and I felt that he was dressed in a unique and attractive way. I didn’t pay much attention to the other people around me as they were all seated behind me, so it was a little difficult for me to turn my head specifically to observe them.

My elevated position provided me with a great deal of ease in observing the people in the plaza in front of the Wilkins Building. During the period of my observation, all kinds of people kept entering the UCL campus from the main gate. The most intuitive thing I noticed about these people was that their clothes, skin colour, shape and so on were all very different from each other. There were a lot of South Asian faces, which I could tell from their dark brown skin, thick black hair, well-defined eyes and relatively thick lips, and many of them wore wide linen clothes with silk scarves and other accessories, accompanied by one to three students with the same faces, but I couldn’t tell which country they came from because I didn’t know much about it, and I could only guess a general idea. There were also a lot of white-skinned people entering the campus, mostly on their own, and the one that stood out to me was a very tall guy wearing white short sleeves, light green shorts and a pair of grey trainers, with a dark grey headset on his head, who entered the campus at a run, and disappeared from my view in less than a minute. There were also many Asian faces on campus, most of them in groups, wearing dark coloured clothes such as leather jackets, trench coats or wide sweatshirts, and all of them carrying school bags. What struck me the most was a family of Indian origin; there wasn’t much around when they entered the campus, so I noticed them right away. The men in this family were dressed in relatively modern, simple clothes and the women wore traditional Indian robes underneath a long, loose-fitting skirt with brightly coloured lace embellishments around the hems, and in their hands they pushed a black pram, which was supposed to be their little baby, but it was too far away for me to get a good look at it. They were extremely leisurely walking around the campus, and although I couldn’t hear what they were saying, I could see the smiles on their faces and the happy atmosphere between them.

The key word that I would like to focus on in this essay is ‘race’, and the experience of this observation has allowed me to fully appreciate the diversity of races and how this diversity is blended in an international university such as UCL, highlighting the complexity of the expression of individual identities and non-verbal interactions between individuals from different cultural backgrounds. The subtle expressions of racial diversity and mutual identity further enriched my understanding of race, and to some extent reflected the symbiosis and inclusiveness of cultures.

Reflexive Piece

[Last modified: October, 20 2024 09:29 PM]

Anthropology emphasises self-reflection on the part of the researcher, and therefore it is crucial to look critically at one’s own research positionality in research. However, in the course of my research themed ‘The Influence of Digital Fashion: A Study on the Role of Fashion Influencers on Users Fashion Choices and Identity Expression — Taking Tik Tok Platform as an example’, I believe that my positionality inevitably creates problems that negatively affect the objectivity and impartiality of the study, and that these problems need to be addressed in the design and implementation of the research.

Firstly, my personal research background may cause bias. As a highly active Tik Tok user, I have a keen interest in fashion, digital media and social platforms. This personal background, while providing me with an in-depth understanding of the research population, may also lead to bias towards the positive aspects of the interactions between fashion influencers and users, and my experience of using the platform and familiarity with it may incline me to overlook negative impacts or potential problems when analysing the data. For example, fashion content on Tik Tok is often perceived as a glorification and idealisation of reality, a phenomenon that may have a negative impact on users’ self-perception and mental health. However, due to my personal appreciation of such content, I may inadvertently downplay these negative effects. Therefore, in my research, I will endeavour to approach the collected research data with an objective perspective to ensure that these potential biases do not influence the results of my analysis.

Second, my identity as a researcher and participant observation has limitations. In participant observation, I plan to create a new Tik Tok account, follow fashion influencers and participate in comments and interactions. However, even if I try to hide my identity as a researcher, long-term participant observation may change my relationship with users, which may affect the authenticity and objectivity of the data. For example, when I collect data, big data will tend to recommend me the types of videos that I stay in for a relatively longer period of time, and less and less video recommendations for fashion bloggers that I am not interested in, thus leading to possible limitations in the collection of data for my research. Therefore, I need to have diversity and plurality of influencers and users selected in my research so as to ensure that the data is comprehensive.

In addition, the research involved in-depth interviews and interactions with Tik Tok users and fashion influencers, which required me to respect and understand diversity in different cultural contexts, avoid cultural bias and misinterpretation, as well as to avoid imposing my own cultural background and values on my research subjects.

Finally, I believe that there are methodological limitations in my research. I plan to use participant observation, in-depth interviews, content analysis and case studies. However, each method has its limitations. For example, participant observation may lead to subjectivity and bias in the data, and in-depth interviews may be influenced by the self-presentation and social expectations of the respondents. Content analysis, while providing objective data, may also ignore the cultural and social context behind it. Therefore, I need to diversify and complement the methodological design to enhance the credibility and reliability of the study through cross-validation of data from multiple methods. For example, by comparing and analysing the results of participant observation with the data from in-depth interviews, a more comprehensive understanding of the influence of fashion influencers on user behaviour and identity expression on the Tik Tok platform can be achieved.

Ethnographic ‘Vignette’

[Last modified: October, 13 2024 07:33 PM]

For this methodology practice, instead of choosing to observe real people and things on the ground, I watched a live stream of my favorite fashion influencer on Chinese Tik Tok. At seven o’clock local time, Yi Mengling, an influential blogger on Tik Tot, started a live broadcast on time. Yi Mengling has tens of millions of followers and over 200 million video likes. She is known for her stylish and sophisticated outfits, and is good at skillfully combining different fashion elements to form her own unique style, thus often leading the fashion trend.

In the live broadcast Yi Mengling dressed in simple atmosphere of black and white striped bust blouse, earrings is the choice of red with camellia logo earrings as a point of embellishment, which adds some delicacy to her make-up. Regarding her hairstyle for this live broadcast, Yi Mengling still extended her previous style of small wave “egg roll” curls, paired with relatively light eye makeup and reddish-brown lipstick, which is both elegant and playful.

After I opened Tik Tok and entered the live stream, the screen was instantly flooded with scrolling fan comments and gift animations. There were constantly fans asking what cosmetics she was using, such as lipstick, foundation and so on. Yi Mengling first warmly greeted the fans and told them about her recent situation, and then shared her favorite fall outfits with the users of the live broadcast, some of which are new fall women’s clothing sponsored by the brand, such as dresses, jeans, slouchy sweaters, and some delicate fashion items, such as black and white striped berets, pearl necklaces, and so on.

I noticed that during the live broadcast, Yi Mengling didn’t just show her fashion style one way, she also actively responded to the viewers’ questions and told them about the brands she uses in her daily life. What impressed me more is that when she responded to the viewers’ questions, she said that she doesn’t always use big brands, she also uses very cheap decorations and doesn’t always pursue luxury goods, and at the same time, she also advised the viewers not to consume more than what they can afford.

I think this methodological exercise is relevant to my research. It allowed me to see how fashion influencers on Tik Tok influence users’ fashion choices through interaction. Yi Mengling’s advice is not just one-way; she establishes a deep connection with her fans through interaction, and this relationship further influences their fashion choices. After Yi Mengling shared a link to her top on the live stream, I noticed a significant increase in its sales on Tik Tok. Secondly, this practice helped me understand that fashion is more than just an exterior decoration; it is part of identity expression. In this virtual community, fans expressed their identification with Yi Mengling by wearing the clothes she recommended, and were able to find their own identity position in this identification.

Research Proposal

[Last modified: October, 5 2024 10:03 PM]

Topic: The Influence of Digital Fashion: A Study on the Role of Fashion Influencers on Users’ Fashion Choices and Identity Expression—— Taking Tik Tok Platform as an example

Research Background:

While traditional fashion communication relies on media such as television, movies, fashion magazines, and brand advertising, the rise of digital technology has shifted the stage of its performance to social media. Fashion influencers have formed a new cultural phenomenon by sharing their fashion ensembles and lifestyles on these platforms to show their creativity and style. In addition, individual identity construction and expression are closely related to fashion choices. Fashion is not only the choice and use of objects, but also a way for individuals to express their identities, so that people can convey their values, social status and cultural affiliation. As one of the most popular short-video platforms in China and the world,  Tik Tok attracts a large number of bloggers and users interested in fashion, which makes the study more representative and universal.

Research questions:

  1. How do fashion influencers on Tik Tok influence users’ fashion choice behavior through content creation and interaction?
  2. How do users adjust their fashion choices and styles, consciously or subconsciously, after watching the videos of these videos?
  3. How do users construct and express their self-identity by imitating and adapting their styles after being influenced by these fashion influencers?
  4. How does the digital medium enhance the influence of fashion influencers and further influence users’ identity expression?
  5. How do these results in turn impact on society and culture?

Research Methods:

  1. Participant Observation: I will create a new account to follow a large number of fashion influencers (mainly in the field of beauty and dressing), participate in commenting and interacting with the relevant content they post, and observe how other users give feedback.
  1. In-depth Interviews: Select fashion influencers with a large number of followers (top influencers probably won’t reply to my messages) to understand their motivation for creating, how they interact with users, and the impact of their intuitive feelings on users’ choices.

Select users who have commented more of the videos created by these influencers, and explore their views on fashion influencers, to understand how they are influenced, and whether this influence plays a role in their fashion choices and identity expression.

  1. Content Analysis: Analyze the content of the videos created by the selected influencers, focusing on the theme, style, language and other visual elements of the videos.
  1. Case Studies: Select a few representative fashion influencers and their fan base for a more detailed and in-depth case study. Explore their interactions and the impact they have on each other.

Possible Findings:

  1. There are differences in the impact that different types of influencers have on users. (famous netizens, celebrities, brand endorsers and niche bloggers)
  2. Users’ fashion choices change significantly after watching videos of fashion influencers. (Brand choice, style preference)
  3. Users reconstruct and express their identities in the process of imitating and adapting fashion influencers.
  4. The influence between fashion influencers and users is two-way and interconnected.

 

 

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