Who composes, what capitals hold and what sells the virtual elite formed from Instagram: identifying and rooting the elite that forms the market via social networks

• Grant number: 22/11515-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• Start date: March 01, 2024
• End date: February 28, 2027
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - Sociology - Other specific Sociologies
• Principal Investigator: Maria Aparecida Chaves Jardim
• Grantee: Luana Estela di Pires
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências e Letras (FCL). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Araraquara. Araraquara , SP, Brazil

Abstract

This project focuses on the new markets generated through social media, with Instagram as the empirical space. Considering digital influencers as key players in shaping the markets within this platform, our research aims to empirically understand who they are and how they drive the virtual market through images portraying luxurious lifestyles. To achieve this, we will employ prosopography to trace the trajectories of these influencers and imagetic analysis to identify what resonates with thousands or millions of followers. We believe that by grounding these agents in their life stories, we can gain clearer insights into who they are and the type of intimacy they portray in their lifestyles, aiming to determine whether we are witnessing a new form of elite- a digital elite. The research draws inspiration from economic sociology and the sociology of elites.