The antecedents of PSI

This section will explore the respondents’ answers in relation to theoretical propositions regarding the antecedents of PSI as defined in the theoretical framework.

6.1.4.1 Perceived Interactivity

When talking about how they perceive Bianca Ingrosso in terms of how she is communicating with her followers, the respondents both elaborate on how active Bianca Ingrosso is but also what their expectations of her interaction are. Three respondents recognize that Bianca Ingrosso is listening and talking to her followers. Julia says “[…] she [Bianca Ingrosso] tries to interact a lot with her users and followers in different ways.” (00:17:49). Lara further elaborates that “It depends a bit on if there are discussions in the commentary fields. Then I think she would reply.” (00:15:08) and Annette concludes “[…] she’s [Bianca Ingrosso] doing these stories and she’s like oh I think it’s so nice that you come to me on the street.” (00:07:34). In contrast to this, Josefina says “[…] that the followers are more following her [Bianca Ingrosso] and it’s not like an interaction with the followers.” (00:18:22). However, all the respondents share the same perception on how Bianca Ingrosso reacts to mean comments. Julia summarizes the respondents’ opinions and says “People are super engaged in her [Bianca Ingrosso] and she gets so many comments, super personal comments.” (00:16:53) and she further explains that “[…] she [Bianca Ingrosso] shares this [reaction to mean comments] with her followers and I think she’s kind of trying to explain to them that she’s a person by showing how she feels when she gets these bad comments.” (00:17:46).

These quotes show that the respondents perceive that Bianca Ingrosso is not only listening to her followers but also talking to them.

In sum, three of the respondents perceive Bianca Ingrosso as interacting with her followers, especially when reacting to mean and hateful comments.

6.1.4.2 Openness in communication

In relation to openness in communication the respondents frequently mention honesty, authenticity,

genuinely and the type of information that Bianca Ingrosso choses to share. Lara says “I still think

she is a very open and lovely person. […] she is kind of open about her private life and very much

so and I guess she lets people in.” (00:14:03). Josefina shows a similar perception of Bianca Ingrosso and says “She’s not only showing the good and perfect side of everything […], she’s very open and she shows many sides and that’s good. Because you get a little bit annoyed on the influencer that is just showing the good side.” (00:13:09). Annette adds that she considers Bianca Ingrosso open in her communication since she shares personal posts “[…] if she’s sad or something.” (00:11:08). Finally, Julia says that Bianca Ingrosso “[…] shares a lot of things that I would belief is super private and I would never share with other people or like publicly. Maybe things that you would tell your best friends […].” (00:24:26). These quotes show how three of the respondents consider openness in communication to relate to being transparent by also showing the not so glamorous parts of life.

Further, two of the respondents elaborate that they consider openness in communication to be important. Julia explains how Bianca Ingrosso’s openness makes it easier for her to relate to her;

“[…] she [Bianca Ingrosso] seems to be very genuine, she seems very honest and open, very personal and very like, it’s easy to relate to her, she’s like a normal person in a way […]”

(00:12:56). If an influencer is not open in her communication, Josefina adds “I will get bored and I will stop following that person.” (00:22:10) and she continues explaining “I followed many people before that was like always happy clappy and didn’t show anything else but their clothes and what they’re doing.” (00:22:18).

In sum, all of the respondents describe Bianca Ingrosso as being open in her communication due to being honest and sharing both positive and negative sides of her life. Further, two of the respondents elaborate on the importance of openness in communication for the relationship with Bianca Ingrosso and influencers in general.

6.1.4.3 Social attraction

In general, the respondents find it easy to talk about Bianca Ingrosso in terms of how attractive she

is to others. In their answers the respondents elaborate on who these others could be and generally

separate between two groups, people who like Bianca Ingrosso and people who do not. Julia

explains how social attraction had an influence on why she started to follow Bianca Ingrosso when

she says “[…] initially I saw her in Let’s dance and it started to get this boom about her, she was

everywhere […]” (00:10:53). When Josefina talks about how others would describe Bianca

Ingrosso she says that they would think she is “[…] maybe a little bit annoying as a person.”

(00:26:24). Following up on this, all respondents talk about other people having negative opinions about Bianca Ingrosso. Lara explains that “Most people would think that, well maybe if you’re not that into it, many would think that maybe she [Bianca Ingrosso] got everything handed to her and that she wouldn’t even have become an influencer without her famous family.” (00:21:28). Annette adds “[…] a lot of people say that she’s super stupid.” (00:15:39). These quotes show that the respondents seem to be aware that there are people that do not find Bianca Ingrosso to be socially attractive.

However, the respondents’ answers show that they generally find Bianca Ingrosso to be socially attractive. When explaining what her friends would think of Bianca Ingrosso, Julia says “They would probably be very curious and be like… But that’s because she’s [Bianca Ingrosso] a public person, so they would be like we know about this person that’s very exciting. How is she actually?

They want to get to know her maybe.” (00:29:18). She also adds that Bianca Ingrosso “[…] could probably contribute with a lot of fun and craziness. Like add a little spice to the group.” (00:28:38).

What Julia shares also highlights the notion that social attractiveness could be inherit in celebrities and famous people. Josefina also talks about famous people being socially attractive when she describes how people could view her if she was friends with Bianca Ingrosso; “Because maybe people would say that I want to be famous and that’s why I want to hang out with her maybe.”

(00:28:25). Further Lara adds that Bianca Ingrosso would fit into her circle of friends “[…] she seems like a lovely person so I don’t really know why she wouldn’t fit in.” (00:23:21). Annette believes that her friends “[…] would probably think it was very fun […]” (00:18:05) and that “[…]

they would probably be curious about her life […]” (00:18:16).

In sum, the respondents seem to identify Bianca Ingrosso as attractive in their circle of friends and therefore she is perceived as being socially attractive. Nonetheless, the respondents recognize that some people also have negative opinions about Bianca Ingrosso which makes her socially unattractive.

6.1.4.4 Attitude Homophily

In the interviews, three of the respondents first express differences between themselves and Bianca

Ingrosso, they only describe similarities when prompted. Lara explains that “We have pretty

different lives. And I could probably not put myself in her life. I would probably not like it. To be an

influencer.” (00:20:12) and Josefina adds “[…] I would say that she [Bianca Ingrosso] has a lot of

money that I don’t have.” (00:24:44) and she adds that “I wouldn’t like express myself like she does and she is maybe a little bit more open than I would be.” (00:25:34). Annette further comments

“Well we live these super different lives.” (00:12:28). Contrary to this, Julia mentions similarities before differences “We use the same brands, we use the same products, we have a summer place in the same country in Spain, in the same city. She loves going out for dinner a lot. I do that a lot with my family too. She has a really close relationship with her family. I have that too.” (00:26:17).

Further, the other participants express that they to some extent are able to relate to Bianca Ingrosso.

Annette says “[…] it’s not like she’s [Bianca Ingrosso] someone that feels super far away.”

(00:13:28) and Lara adds “She’s like a normal girl on the inside and in that way you’re always a girl too and I mean she, like I said with all her mood swings and how she was like a teenager with eating disorders and everything like that you can say that I recognize myself in when I was younger.” (00:40:40). Finally, Josefina relates to Bianca Ingrosso saying that “[…] her feelings could be my feelings too.” (00:37:19).

In sum, three of the respondents express several differences between Bianca Ingrosso and themselves before mentioning any similarities. However, all respondents are to some extent able to relate to Bianca Ingrosso.

6.1.5 PSI

PSI is defined as an illusionary experience, yet the respondents in this case seem to be fully aware of the realistic mechanics of their relationship with Bianca Ingrosso. In relation to this awareness, Julia expresses how all the respondents feel when she says “[…] she [Bianca Ingrosso] is just an external person that you can relate to and that you can get inspired by and that I get influenced by in different ways. If I talk about our connection, it’s very passive not a very active connection but still it’s an ongoing connection.” (1:04:59).

Nonetheless, the respondents share inconclusive statements that indicate that there might be feelings

of intimacy and an emotional bond with Bianca Ingrosso. Annette expresses what could be an

emotional bond in her support for Bianca Ingrosso “Well I think it’s sad to see if she writes that she

gets all these nasty comments […]. So that touches me.” (00:22:13). She further shows an

indication that there could be feelings of PSI through her desire to know more about Bianca

Ingrosso; “I would be much more eager to swipe up because usually when I read posts on blogs I

only read the full thing if it’s like more serious post. […]. It’s more maybe like get to know the person.” (00:11:46). This quote also shows a possible relationship between engagement and PSI, since the willingness to learn more about the persona directly leads to consuming.

Being able to relate more to Bianca Ingrosso could enhance the feeling of intimacy as explained by Julia when she says that Bianca Ingrosso shares private information that “[…] you would tell your best friends” (00:24:26). The finding that Julia also experiences the most similarities with Bianca Ingrosso could therefore explain her emotional connection which is expressed when she feels the need to defend Bianca Ingrosso; “I was like! You can’t just like decide that she’s annoying just because she’s public. So I thought that was a bit unfair.” (01:08:41). Likewise, Josefina comments

“I feel bad for her but I think that when she’s […] writing about something, something bad or something that is affecting her, I feel bad for her and I think that it’s strong of her to write about it.” (00:35:43). From these quotes it can be assumed that two respondents experience an emotional bond with Bianca Ingrosso, albeit a rather week one. It is however notable that in contradiction to the definition of PSI, none of these quotes demonstrate that the respondents have an illusionary experience with Bianca Ingrosso. Lara expresses no feelings of intimacy and emotional bond when explaining how she feels when Bianca Ingrosso shares her emotions; “I absolutely think that it’s interesting to read but I don’t get personally affected by it. No not really.” (00:29:11).

In sum, only one respondent expresses an indication of feelings of PSI. Three of the respondents show some feelings of intimacy and emotional bonds, yet no signs of any illusionary experience.

Since the respondents acknowledge the presence of the variables of perceived interactivity,

openness in communication and social attraction, the rather weak attitude homophily could explain

why the respondents do not express an illusionary experience between Bianca Ingrosso and

themselves.

In document BEYOND PICTURE-PERFECT BRUNCH PLATES (Sider 51-55)