Local Maltese influencers on Instagram : becoming and maintaining the influence

Abstract

Maltese influencers seem to emerge from individuals with no public persona to suddenly securing micro-celebrity status on Instagram with thousands of followers. This has created an ecosystem where friends start recommending products endorsed on the influencers’ account and influencers migrate offline endorsing products on TV or billboards. The purpose of this dissertation was to analyse how one becomes a micro-celebrity in Malta and understand how this status of influence can be retained over a period of time. This study examined how 7 micro-celebrities share their life on Instagram as a way of developing a public persona for themselves. The pathways to success varied from people who started out on Instagram as hobbyists while others always desired to build a community and explore incremental revenue streams. It was discovered that consistency and building a strong fan base with constant interaction is vital to succeed. Being authentic, fun, knowledgeable and relatable were some common traits of successful influencers. After a solid following is secured, influencers move on to securing merchandise that they believe can be associated with their online personas and brands, and companies start approaching with their own ideas on how online influence may be translated into a win-win situation for both parties. Furthermore, networks built with other influencers was a key aspect to gain influence. This was observed via netnography, where the researcher wrote down her own notes while watching the content produced by these micro-celebrities. The sponsoring of content was also tackled as paid promotions is part of the content produced. Micro-celebrities had mixed thoughts about the sustainability of paid partnerships in Malta due to the oversaturation of the market and knowledge that their followers know they are advertising.