Impression management in social media: A research on self-presentations of Instagram influencers

The individual keeps his behaviors under control and performs a conscious self-presentation in order to be accepted and approved in his social relations throughout his life. The individual, who cares about the opinions of others about himself in the society, tries to create positive impressions on his interlocutor and to direct these impressions. With the development of new communication technologies and the spread of social networks, the self-presentation of the individual in the online environment has also become important. Self-presentation in the face-to-face environment evolves into a different dimension in the online environment. Social networks offer a convenient environment for online impression management with the technical possibilities they offer. The individual tries to reflect the ideal self he desires, taking into account the technical characteristics and dynamics of social networks. Considering the number of followers they reach in social networks and the financial gain they earn, users, who are called influencer, are aware of the unique culture and communication codes of the online environment and carry out a successful impression management. In this research, online impression management strategies are examined through the self-presentations of Instagram influencer in this environment. Mixed method was adopted in the research, and complementary sequential design was used in two basic stages. In the first stage, semi-structured interviews were conducted with Instagram influencer operating in different categories, and in the second stage, content analysis was applied to the fixed posts shared on the Instagram accounts of the interviewed influencer. The findings obtained from the interview provided a framework for the behavioral strategies that influencer apply in online impression management, and also contributed to making sense of their motivation to share in this environment. With the content analysis, the consistency of the discourses expressed by the influencer in the interviews was examined, and it was concluded that they developed new communication strategies in the online environment, unlike face-to-face communication. Keywords: Social media, Impression management, Self-presentation, Influencer.