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Instagram Microcelebrities & the Mediatization of Everyday Life
– 3 October 2025 by Samaneh Koohestani

Overview
The digital revolution and the upward push of systems consisting of Instagram have reshaped repute, moving it from an elite area controlled by traditional media to a democratized, networked phenomenon. This doctoral dissertation, “The Mediatization of Everyday Life: A Study on Iranian Virtual Celebrities on Social Networks,” examines how microcelebrities emerge and perform (within Iran’s unique sociocultural context, one of the most pivotal in the Middle East), particular sociocultural context, studying their techniques, societal effect, and the narratives they craft online.

Keywords: Instagram, everyday life, fame, commodification, microcelebrity, resistance

Theoretical Framework                                                      
Grounded in movie star studies, critical theory and cultural studies, the research explores the evolving nature of reputation, commodification in digital interactions, and styles of symbolic resistance in on-line areas. Drawing on mediatization theory, it highlights how media common sense permeates day by day practices. Insights from Turner and Rojek explain the “demotic turn” of movie star; Frankfurt School perspectives body media industries as a “lifestyle industry”; and Stuart Hall’s writings underscore the active role of audiences and their potential for resistance. Together these lenses screen microcelebrities as both sellers of commodification and websites of diffused defiance.

Microcelebrity vs. Traditional Celebrity
Unlike traditional celebrities who upward thrust thru institutions and cultivate distance and mystique, microcelebrities build reputation without delay with smaller, niche audiences. They depend on continuous, intimate engagement and curated glimpses of ordinary existence, developing parasocial closeness instead of aspirational distance. Their power is decentralized and networked, primarily based on customized content material and community constructing in preference to mass appeal or mind-blowing talent.

Methods:
The study immersed itself in the Instagram ecosystem to monitor interactions, discourse, and implicit norms using netnography and dense description (Geertz). It examined 945 posts (pictures, captions, videos, narratives, and reels) from ten well-known Iranian microcelebrities in a variety of categories, including comedy, lifestyle, beauty, education, and food. Additional depth was provided by thirty semi-structured interviews with opinion leaders, digital marketers, and engaged followers. To find the processes of fame, contextual factors, and effects on daily life, the data were coded thematically.

Important Results
Seven Ways Microcelebrity Fame Works

  • Creating an aesthetically pleasing persona in line with aspirational lifestyles and beauty trends is known as aesthetic performance.
  • Using “unscripted” events and personal stories to foster closeness and devotion is known as performative authenticity.
  • Brand integration is the process of using partnerships and sponsorships to combine personal content with business.
  • Niche Self-Branding: cultivating a distinct personal brand and identity to stand out in a crowded space. 
  • Confessional Discourse: revealing struggles and emotions to deepen emotional bonds. 
  • Intimate Engagement: using interactive tools (Q&A, DMs, comment replies) to maintain accessibility. 
  • Perceived Authenticity: managing transparency to foster trust and long-term follower commitment. 

Iranian Context and Consequences Instagram Economy: 

  • Attention converts directly into revenue via partnerships and sales. 
  • Aspirational Escape: curated lifestyles offer relief from economic or social pressures. 
  • Self-Commodification: everyday routines and relationships become marketable assets. 
  • Cultural Tensions: despite filtering, Instagram is pervasive; microcelebrities are alternately seen as superficial or as entrepreneurial success stories challenging norms. 
  • Weakening Institutions: distrust in official channels fuels microcelebrities’ role as alternative sources of information and trends.
  • New Agency: they act as tastemakers and opinion leaders, shaping consumer behaviour and public discourse beyond state-controlled media.

Impact on Everyday Life 

  • Prioritization of visual appeal and quick engagement over depth and nuance. 
  • Continuous aesthetic performance of life and blurring of public/private boundaries. 
  • Different tiers of microcelebrity status with distinct pressures and opportunities. 
  • “Democratized” fame often involves self-exploitation, burnout and loss of privacy. 
  • Virtual, transient recognition built on spectacle and constant production. 

Conclusion
Iranian microcelebrities operate within a dynamic dialectic of commodification and resistance. They transform personal experience into marketable spectacle while simultaneously offering alternative perspectives or subtle critiques of dominant norms. This dual agency makes them a complex and increasingly influential force in shaping contemporary everyday life. 

Nordic Nerds class of 2025 – 1 July 2025 – By Micol Mieli

The second iteration of the Nordic Nerds reading group kicked off on May 30th and the group is excited to begin this collaboration across disciplines and countries. Nordic Nerds is a reading group and for learning, networking, and mentorship focused on the discussion around technology and society. 

The initiative is led by Cory Robinson, and it was born out of a desire to connect academics and professionals who would like to discuss ideas, build connections, and engage in meaningful conversations around technology. Cory Robinson is currently working as an advisor for corporations about data governance and privacy. He has been an Associate Professor in Communication Design and (Docent) Information Systems at Linköping University (Sweden) (2015–2025). In 2020 he founded the Nordic Privacy Center (2020–2023) and the Nordic Nerds reading group. 

The Nordic Nerds network includes members from universities and industry who meet regularly to read, discuss, and support each other’s work. The goals of the group include exploring cutting-edge topics in digital ethics and tech policy, giving and receiving mentorship and exchanging ideas with international peers, growing academic or professional networks within the group.

This year’s group brings together 11 members from eight different countries and ten institutions, with backgrounds in fields such as sociology, communication, political science, law, urban studies, and human-computer interaction. Members come from both academia and applied research, bringing a range of perspectives and professional experience. Among the participants are PhD candidates, postdoctoral researchers, academic faculty and professionals working on the front lines of data policy and digital innovation. Some are collaborating directly with public institutions on AI development, while others are exploring smart cities, citizen participation, and the social dynamics of platform governance.

Many of the members have already published work on topics such as influencer cultures, public opinion analysis, and the mediation of trust in digital environments. Ongoing projects include research on artificial intelligence in public institutions, the politics of Green AI, trust and distrust in the digital society, digital participation in urban environments, and the evolving dynamics of social media platforms. Some members are focused on public opinion and algorithmic governance, while others are exploring questions of influence, visibility, and power in digital culture. Several are working across disciplines, drawing from theory and practice to better understand how technology is reshaping social life.

Members were drawn to the Nordic Nerds network by the prospect of finding an open, reflective space to share ideas and challenges. Many highlighted the appeal of regular discussion with peers from different backgrounds and the opportunity to think through questions that don’t always fit neatly into disciplinary boxes. The group will meet biweekly, with sessions organised around shared readings and ongoing conversations. 

As the 2025 cohort gets underway, the group is already showing signs of what makes the Nordic Nerds network valuable: a mix of curiosity, critical thinking, and commitment to understanding how technology and society are entangled in practice.