[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:
- How do fashion influencers on Tik Tok influence users’ fashion choice behavior through content creation and interaction?
- How do users adjust their fashion choices and styles, consciously or subconsciously, after watching the videos of these videos?
- How do users construct and express their self-identity by imitating and adapting their styles after being influenced by these fashion influencers?
- How does the digital medium enhance the influence of fashion influencers and further influence users’ identity expression?
- How do these results in turn impact on society and culture?
Research Methods:
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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:
- There are differences in the impact that different types of influencers have on users. (famous netizens, celebrities, brand endorsers and niche bloggers)
- Users’ fashion choices change significantly after watching videos of fashion influencers. (Brand choice, style preference)
- Users reconstruct and express their identities in the process of imitating and adapting fashion influencers.
- The influence between fashion influencers and users is two-way and interconnected.