Picturing luxury, producing value: The cultural labour of social media brand influencers in South Africa

Abstract

This article explores the cultural labour of social media influencers who market luxury brands on their Instagram profiles. Through an analysis of brand-relevant material posted by six social media ‘influencers’, this article provides insight into the aesthetic of their cultural labour. As context, a brief summary of literature on the concept of brand ambassadorship is offered alongside a discussion of critical scholarship that defines the work of social media influencers as a form of brand value creation. The article argues that there are three types of value creation evident in visuals created by the influencers: as attempts at celebritization, in telling the story of the brand, and as role of models of aspirational consumer-citizenship. It is argued that the visual work undertaken online by social media influencers contributes in significant ways to the production of the value of global brands, and that this should be contextualized within the unique socio-economic aspirations of consumers based in the global south.