Relationship Between Fashion Culture and Social Media

Fashion Culture and Social Media
Given its role in defining people’s self-image and culture, fashion is regarded as one of the most important facets of today’s society. Throughout history, fashion has been utilized as a tool for shaping culture by defining people’s self-image and how they interact in the society. The role of fashion in defining people’s self-image and culture has grown tremendously in the digital age because of enhanced access to information. Of late, society is being progressively orientated towards consumption. The chief driver in this regard is goods utilization for their applicability as well as the perceived attitude or imagery or story associated with it (this entails image desirability as well)[footnoteRef:1]. The above situation is growing more pronounced on account of the benefits of social media, especially social media reach. Hence, this paper will scrutinize the subject of fashion culture within the social media era, using the example of hair-care products brand ambassador and influential social media personality, Negin Mirsalehi. Additionally, the scrutiny will include the use of articles that have been published on the subject of fashion culture and social media. [1: Alexandra Howson, The body in society: An introduction, 2nd edition. (Polity press, 2013) 115.]
Social Media
Social media is a concept that refers to the assortment of online communication platforms and applications that enable users to engage in community-based interactions and information sharing. This concept also refers to applications and website that enable users to participate in social networking. Social media has not only emerged as a “buzz” word in today’s society but also plays a crucial role in modern communications. The proliferation of social networking websites and applications has made it easy for people to communicate and interact beyond physical boundaries. Therefore, social media has revolutionized modern communications to an extent that it’s used to shape modern businesses and organizations.
Social media has a significant standing and function in contemporary everyday life. It has grown into a key instrument of social networking and communication. In the fashion industry, social media is utilized by brand influencers as a crucial tool towards accessing target markets. Brand influencers employ it as an efficient, powerful and handy instrument in individually accessing their target markets.[footnoteRef:2] For instance, Mirsalehi unsurprisingly maximizes her everyday physical activities’ impact by posting regular updates on social media. This gives rise to a credible and desirable story in favor of whichever brands she promotes; furthermore, buyers relate to her, share in her tales, and buy the products she uses. [2: Brooke Erin Duffy and Emily Hund. "“Having it all” on social media: Entrepreneurial femininity and self-branding among fashion bloggers." Social Media+ Society 1, no. 2 (2015): 2056305115604337]
The significance of social media in modern communications is attributable to the fact that it provides a platform for people to connect with millions of others worldwide regardless of the existing physical boundaries. For brand influencers and marketers across various industries, social media provides a wide-reaching platform for them to reach millions of people with their products and/or services. The capabilities of social media in reaching huge audiences implies that it’s a tool of promoting socio-cultural change. In this regard, social media is utilized as the platform for influencing trends across different societies in the world. These trends in turn shape how people interact with each other worldwide and socio-economic status. Therefore, social media plays two major roles in today’s society given the proliferation of social networking sites. First, social media plays a significant role in modern communications through increasing connections between people from various parts of the globe. Secondly, social media is a tool of socio-cultural change since its used to influence trends and shape opinions worldwide.
Fashion Culture
Fashion is a concept and industry that has existed as long as clothing has existed in the history of mankind. Fashion culture is a concept that refers to the use of clothing to alter the body and give people social value. Since clothing is considered as a second skin, the development of different clothing styles and trends has contributed to the emergence of the fashion culture. In essence, fashion culture refers to the creation of different clothing styles and trends to alter body image and give people social value. Fashion culture has continued to change across every generation because different generations and time periods are characterized by the development of new or improved clothing styles and trends.
The social value associated with different clothing styles and trends is attributable to the link between fashion and identity. Fashion and clothing have a relatively complex relationship or link to identity. [footnoteRef:3] Fashion is utilized as a tool to express identity since the clothes people wear reveals something about their class, socio-economic status, and gender among other factors. Socio-economic status and class are two major factors that have dominated the fashion culture because of the class differences in the society. People choose their clothing styles depending on their position in the social world with respect to being members of certain groups, cultural communities, and classes. This implies that fashion is strongly linked to the demands of the social world in terms of social grouping and classes, personal desires and preferences, and the social class/group where one belongs. Through this process, fashion acts as a tool that connects people in mutual acts of conformity to social structures and groupings. [3: Joanne Entwistle, The fashioned body: Fashion, dress and social theory. (John Wiley & Sons, 2015)]
Since fashion is a tool for social value, an individual’s dressing or clothing affects how he/she is perceived by others and how they respond to him/her. Given its impact on how people view themselves and how they relate with others, fashion has traditionally been utilized to promote sociocultural change and push the boundaries of creativity and innovation. The use of fashion to promote sociocultural change is attributable to the fact that clothing has continued to be a powerful social tool that materializes social value.
As the society develops, fashion culture evolves in terms of development of new clothing styles and trends with different meanings. The meanings associated with the different clothing styles and trends in turn determines social value of the fashion items. Additionally, fashion culture is determined or affected by the existing cultural communities in the society. This is primarily because different cultures interpret and give meaning to different clothing styles and trends in different ways. Therefore, social and cultural factors play a crucial role in determining fashion culture.
Link Between Fashion Culture and Social Media
As previously mentioned, social media has a significant standing and function in contemporary everyday life. It has grown into a key instrument of social networking and communication. Given the significance of social media in contemporary daily life, it has impacted nearly every facet of the society including the fashion industry. Social media has emerged because of rapid technological advancements that have contributed to the emergence of the digital age. The impact of social media on fashion culture is the fact that social media has been utilized as a tool to change fashion. In today’s digital age, fashion has changed and continued to evolve, particularly because of social media and networking. [footnoteRef:4] [4: Azhar (Ali) Fateh, “How Social Media Is Changing Fashion?” The Huffington Post, last modified January 19, 2017, https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/how-social-media-is-changing-fashion_us_587edd29e4b06a0baf64918f]
Social media influences fashion culture through shaping people’s opinion, which in turn becomes the basis for development of clothing styles and emergence of different fashion trends. As a communication tool, social media influences people’s ideas and opinions regarding various things including clothing. These ideas and opinions are then utilized to create clothing styles and trends that determine social value and influence sociocultural change. Therefore, social media is a platform through which fashion ideas and opinions are formulated. However, the formulation of fashion ideas and opinions is not limited to social media though it plays a crucial role in defining fashion in the contemporary society.
Given the strong link between fashion culture and social media, brand influencers in the fashion industry are utilizing social networking websites and applications to showcase their products. Brand influencers’ key aim is garnering prospective customers’ attention, attracting them and making them actual customers. However, when utilizing social media websites and applications, brand influencers in the fashion industry are faced with the need to present items/products that appear genuine and retain every quality and aspect which lends credibility to it. For instance, in the case of Mirsalehi, her idealistic figure and long, perfect locks lend credibility and fulfill the expectations of target customers. After surmounting all obstacles to earning a sizable income online, authenticity remains critical for efforts which traverse social media boundaries.
In today’s digital age, social media is a tool for packaging and presenting different clothing styles and influencing fashion trends. Packaging proves vital to enjoy optimal effects of the message one attempts to convey. Brand influencers employ it as an efficient, powerful and handy instrument in individually accessing their target markets[footnoteRef:5]. Social media stars have emerged in the modern society to influence people’s opinions and views of fashion among other things. Brand influencers utilize social media stars to help package their products and present to wide audiences. For instance, as a social media star, Mirsalehi unsurprisingly maximizes her everyday physical activities’ impact by posting regular updates on social media. This gives rise to a credible and desirable story in favor of whichever brands she promotes; furthermore, buyers relate to her, share in her tales, and buy the products she uses. Through her social media influence, Mirsalehi has entered into contracts with a few key global brands, is co-owner of a web-based shop that yields substantial earnings, and, considering her potential, is anticipated to make ongoing weighty impacts in the fashion world. Her potential is promising given the fact that it conforms to consumption culture, owing to which the contemporary routine life is now consumption-oriented, not production-oriented. With respect to their significant influence, social media stars will continue to influence the future of the fashion industry.[footnoteRef:6] [5: Brooke Erin Duffy and Emily Hund. "“Having it all” on social media: Entrepreneurial femininity and self-branding among fashion bloggers." Social Media+ Society 1, no. 2 (2015): 2056305115604337] [6: Sarah Young, “Why Social Media Stars are the Key to Fashion’s Future”, The Independent, last modified September 15, 2017, http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/fashion/chiara-ferragni-social-media-stars-fashion-future-earnings-los-angeles-mansion-a7949086.html]

Advantages Brought by the Link Between Fashion Culture and Social Media
The strong link between fashion culture and social media has had significant impacts on contemporary daily life. These significant impacts of the link between these two concepts have not only transformed the fashion industry, but has also transformed today’s life. One of the advantages of the link between these two concepts is the fact that social media has changed the way fashion culture is perceived. The proliferation of social networking applications and websites have made it easy for people across the globe to learn about current fashion styles and trends. As people learn about these styles and trends, they provide feedback that is in turn utilized to enhance the fashion industry. Changes in perceptions and view of fashion culture through social media is also attributable to the fact that brand influencers are utilizing social media stars to shape people’s opinions and view. Social media stars in turn play a critical role in how fashion is perceived in today’s society.[footnoteRef:7] Secondly, social media enables people to keep up with fashion styles and trends. Based on an interview conducted on 8 individuals, 6 of whom follow fashion bloggers on Instagram, social media has provided a means for them to keep up with fashion trends and what is promoted by the fashion bloggers or social media stars. Through this process, social media has enabled people to always be in the loop of emerging trends in the fashion industry. Moreover, social media makes it easy for people to find cool projects and dress well in relation to their social class or socio-economic status. Third, social media has provided jobs for many people in the fashion industry with respect to packaging and presenting different items. Fashion bloggers and social media stars make huge amounts of money online through marketing fashion items to the target audience. In this regard, social media gives hope to aspiring fashion bloggers to make money in the fashion industry. This hope emerges from the fact that fashion bloggers can use social media to benefit themselves, make money, and create new products because of their story. [7: Sarah Young, “Why Social Media Stars are the Key to Fashion’s Future”, The Independent, last modified September 15, 2017, http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/fashion/chiara-ferragni-social-media-stars-fashion-future-earnings-los-angeles-mansion-a7949086.html]
Disadvantages of the Link Between Fashion Culture and Social Media
Despite the numerous advantages associated with the link between fashion culture and social media, there are some disadvantages. First, this link has contributed to difficulties for customers to find desired fashion items. The proliferation of different fashion products/items across social networking websites and applications can sometimes be confusing to customers who seek to find such items easily or those who don’t have much time to shop for such items online. The existence of numerous social media stars in the fashion industry and fashion bloggers is sometimes confusing to customers since some of these stars and bloggers sometimes provide contradictory information regarding certain clothing styles and fashion trends. Secondly, the link has created a platform through which individuals and some fashion bloggers create a false sense of reality. 2 of the 8 individuals I interviewed stated that they do not follow fashion bloggers on Instagram because they give a false reality. Third, social media users find it difficult to get free clothes in comparison to the conventional marketing platforms. While its great to get free clothes, social media significantly reduces the chances of getting them.
In conclusion, the fashion industry has continued to evolve over the years and been influenced by societal trends. Some of the major factors that have influenced fashion culture over the years include social structure, social status and class, socio-economic status, and cultural factors. In the past few years, social media has emerged as a major influential factor in the fashion industry because of its impact on modern communication, interactions, and relationships. Social media has a significant standing and function in contemporary everyday life. It has grown into a key instrument of social networking and communication. Consequently, social media has affected nearly every facet of today’s society, which is characterized by the emergence of the consumption-oriented rather than production-oriented culture. There is a strong link between fashion culture and social media given that social impact has changed how fashion culture is perceived. The influence of social media on fashion culture is attributable to the fact that social networking websites and applications help influence or shape people’s opinions.
Bibliography
Duffy, Brooke Erin, and Emily Hund. "“Having it all” on social media: Entrepreneurial femininity and self-branding among fashion bloggers." Social Media+ Society 1, no. 2 (2015): 2056305115604337.
Entwistle, Joanne. The fashioned body: Fashion, dress and social theory. John Wiley & Sons, 2015.
Fateh, Azhar (Ali). “How Social Media Is Changing Fashion? The Huffington Post. last modified January 19, 2017, https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/how-social-media-is-changing-fashion_us_587edd29e4b06a0baf64918f
Howson, Alexandra. The body in society: An introduction, 2nd edition. Polity press, 2013.
Young, Sarah. “Why Social Media Stars are the Key to Fashion’s Future.” The Independent. last modified September 15, 2017, http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/fashion/chiara-ferragni-social-media-stars-fashion-future-earnings-los-angeles-mansion-a7949086.html