Describe Emmy's life as an influencer.

Compare Emmy’s use of social media in the text at hand with Cleo’s in seven methods of killing kylie jenner.

Choose one of the following tasks:

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inhaltliche Aspekte:

Emmy

• leads a comfortable lifestyle

• first checks her social media in the morning

• has film teams come to her house to create content for her Instagram account

• prepares for the filming by rearranging her home, turning it into a less orderly place so as to appeal to her followers

• strategically plans her outward appearance for her Instagram stories as a means to attract sponsors

• makes up her stories, only including some correct information

• incorporates involvement strategies for her followers to gain the financial support of more companies

• posts material, which has been prepared beforehand and carefully edited, in the evening to reach as many followers as possible

mögliche inhaltliche Aspekte:

similarities

Emmy and Cleo

• use social media to express themselves (Emmy: e.g. “Mamabare is nothing if not relatable,” ll. 13f.; Cleo: posts her criticism about privileged individuals, using Kylie Jenner and methods of killing her as a metaphor)

• are very frequent users of social media (Emmy: e.g. “I can only tackle the mess-making, of course, after I’ve seen to my social media feeds,” l. 15; Cleo: keeps on checking and posting on her account all day and all night)

• seek confirmation, responses, and attention on social media (Emmy: e.g. “a classic engagement trick, pushing them to post a response,” l. 40; Cleo: talks to Kara about the replies she receives)

differences

• level of professionalism:

  • Emmy has made posting on Instagram her profession (e.g. “Prime posting time is after the kids go to bed,” l. 19)

  • Cleo is a student who uses Twitter [now named X] in her free time

• purpose:

  • Emmy uses social media to make money (e.g. “ten thousand pounds from Pantene,” l. 56)

  • Cleo expresses her opinions on social injustice (e.g. racist misogyny)

• character of posts:

  • Emmy’s Instagram stories are light-hearted (e.g. “Anyone else have one stubborn piece of hair with a mind of its own?!” l. 54)

  • Cleo’s posts are provocative in tone and content (by mentioning death threats to celebrity Kylie Jenner)

• topic of posts:

  • Emmy focuses on her life as a mother (e.g. “maternal misadventures,” l. 34)

  • Cleo sheds a light on current political issues like white supremacy, cultural appropriation and racial discrimination

• method of creating posts:

  • Emmy plans her posts very carefully (e.g. “So that’s when I schedule my seemingly off-the-cuff, in-the-moment, but actually pre-photographed, already-written posts,” ll. 21f.)

  • Cleo’s posts originate spontaneously, often out of negative emotions like rage or desperation

• degree of anonymity:

  • Emmy reveals parts of her personal life (e.g. “a photo of me […] with a screaming Bear strapped to my front,” ll. 23-25)

  • Cleo hides behind the pseudonym INCOGNEGRO

• attitude:

  • Emmy shows a cynical attitude (e.g. “when my million followers have poured their first glass of wine and dived headfirst into a scroll hole instead of summoning the energy to talk to their husbands,” ll. 19-21)

  • Cleo is critical towards Twitter and its users, which is shown in the way she replies to the reactions she receives online

→ although both are very involved in social media, they use it towards different ends

mögliche inhaltliche Aspekte:

positive aspects concerning suitability of influencers as role models

• influencers as relatable people

  • authenticity (e.g. by sharing glimpses of their daily lives), thus creating a sense of intimacy

  • shared interests (through published content related to e.g. fashion and lifestyle) resonating with their audience

  • accessibility through interactive communication, making them more approachable than traditional celebrities

• influencers providing inspiration

  • promotion of positive messages (e.g. about self-improvement or body positivity), thus supporting self-respect

  • encouraging followers (e.g. to pursue their passions, to embrace their uniqueness), thus strengthening self-confidence

  • guiding followers (e.g. in how to achieve goals, in how to deal with problems), thus serving as personal coaches and enabling self-realization

• influencers promoting awareness about important social issues (e.g. climate change, mental health, equality)

concerns regarding suitability of influencers as role models

• influencers presenting curated lives, thus possibly leading to unrealistic expectations or harming self-esteem

• commercialization of influencer industry

  • promotion of products for financial gain, thus exploiting influence on followers and creating hypes

  • blurred lines between genuine recommendations and paid advertisement leading to questions about authenticity

• influencers shaping opinions and behaviour without supervision or accountability (e.g. possibly spreading false or harmful content)

mögliche inhaltliche Aspekte:

• accessibility: anyone with internet access can create a social media account and post content

• range: social media users can reach a worldwide audience, which allows activism and can enable social change or create unrest

• interaction:

  • people from diverse backgrounds can communicate on social media and thus learn about other lifestyles (e.g. Emmy in text at hand and her followers)

  • danger of promoting extremist views

• representation: minority groups can use social media to share their perspectives and raise awareness for their concerns (e.g. Cleo about the treatment of Black women in seven methods of killing kylie jenner)

• networking: people can find communities that help them pursue their interests and develop their personality

• anonymity: people can choose to be active anonymously, which can protect your privacy (e.g. Cleo using a pseudonym), but can also lead to misuse of social media for hate speech, cyberbullying, misinformation, criminal acts, etc.

• veracity: users can edit photos and content according to their needs (e.g. Emmy’s curated content), but can also create false content

• lack of censorship: there are only few regulations and mechanisms to avoid fake news and offensive content