Influencer Culture and Neoliberal Identity : A Sociological Critique of Self-Branding on Social Media

Abstract

This paper examines the phenomenon of influencer culture as a manifestation of neoliberal subjectivity, analyzing how social media platforms facilitate the commodification of personal identity through self-branding practices. Drawing on Foucauldian theories of governmentality and Marxist critiques of capitalism, this study investigates how the rise of social media influencers reflects broader shifts toward entrepreneurial selfhood and the colonization of intimate life by market logics. Through analysis of content from 500 Instagram and TikTok influencers, surveys of 1,200 social media users, and in-depth interviews with 45 aspiring and established influencers, we explore three key dimensions: (1) the construction of authentic personal brands as commodified identities, (2) the disciplinary mechanisms that shape influencer labor and self-presentation, and (3) the psychological and social consequences of treating the self as an entrepreneurial project. Findings reveal that influencer culture represents a sophisticated form of neoliberal governance that transforms personal relationships, creativity, and authenticity into market resources while obscuring the structural inequalities that determine success in the attention economy. The paper concludes by examining resistance strategies and alternative models of digital selfhood that challenge dominant neoliberal frameworks.