For this collaborative research project, I contributed to “Digital Influence Austria” study, conducted by the University of Salzburg in partnership with RTR Medien.
The project addressed the increasing “hybridisation” of the influencer sphere, specifically how the lines have blurred between organic content creators and traditional institutional communicators. Our project team conducted a multi-stage quantitative and qualitative content analysis, coming to a dataset from 36 prominent Austrian creators.
The project addressed the increasing “hybridisation” of the influencer sphere, specifically how the lines have blurred between organic content creators and traditional institutional communicators. Our project team conducted a multi-stage quantitative and qualitative content analysis, coming to a dataset from 36 prominent Austrian creators.
The project involved 2 stages and was completed in 2 semesters. The 1st stage was literature review and sample selection. During that stage, our 1st interim report containing our theory and sampling methods was written. The 2nd stage was the empirical part, which involved sampling, data collection and analysis of one of the three core typologised domains: the expressive communication sphere.
My role within the project was theory selection, literature review, sampling, coding and analysis of data in my project sub-team.
Through qualitative mapping, our analysis identified 3 prominent influencer archetypes present in the Austrian media landscape:
- The Community Builder: For these creators, the active building of charisma is the central objective. Unlike traditional celebrities who manage existing fame, these influencers construct their status from the ground up by generating authenticity through specific strategies of approachability. Their method of community building is defined by a strongly relationship-oriented demeanour, shifting the focus from passive admiration to active, personal connection with their audience.
- The Prepared: This type is characterized by a large and continuously growing fanbase. Unlike the “Community Builder,” who relies on raw proximity to generate appeal, “The Prepared” possesses an already established charisma that serves as a deliberate strategy. This strategic approach is clearly reflected in their content production, which features a calculated mix of high-quality, pre-produced material and seemingly spontaneous elements. Consequently, their overall demeanor is significantly less personal than that of the “Community Builder,” maintaining a professional distance despite the casual presentation.
- The Celebrity: “The Celebrity” possesses an already established charisma that effectively works for them without requiring constant social media maintenance. Their fame typically originated outside of digital platforms, allowing them to operate with minimal input while achieving maximum control and return on investment. Consequently, the focus lies strictly on image control and exclusivity. Their content maintains a consistently professional perspective, revolving almost exclusively around their specific sphere of excellence. Since their status is already cemented, they function without the need for elaborate strategies—simple posts suffice to generate significant engagement, reinforcing a strong and exclusive Personal Brand. *An exerpt from an interim report, written by our project sub-group; Group members: MAXIMILIAN ERNST, EKATERINA KARTSEVA, SOPHIE LANDRY,
DOMINIC-A. WIRTH
The overall findings suggest a critical public policy concern: while production quality scales up with an influencer’s popularity, explicit advertising disclosures are routinely bypassed in favour of “stealth” product embedding.