During my 2013 Tumblr addiction, I stumbled upon micro-celebrity 22-year-old Tash Bonniface. As a lover of fashion Tash rose to “Tumblr fame” by posting her own fashion pics to her Tumblr blog specklesoftash, as well as ‘reblogging’ pictures from other well-known blogs. From Tash’s Tumblr fame came her Instagram fame. While still an active user of Tumblr, Tash posts all of her everyday outfit pics to her Instagram where she now has a massive 16.5 thousand followers.
After becoming incredibly popular on these social media platforms, Tash has moved her love of fashion to her blog. Through her blog and her various forms of social media, Tash has created a life for herself by “self-branding”. Alice Marwick defines the concept of self-branding as “primarily a series of marketing strategies ap- plied to the individual. It is a set of practices and a mindset, a way of thinking about the self as a salable commodity that can tempt a potential employer.” This is exactly what Tash does every day.
People are enticed by Tash’s image on her social media platforms and as she keeps up her “brand” and gains followers, she also gains the business of other people wanting to use her ‘brand’ to benefit their own. By collaborating with other brands and tagging all of her clothing items in pictures, Tash is not only building her own empire, but her image is also very important to the brands who are employing her to sell their products.
Alice Marwick also states in her article “social media allows people to strategically con- struct an identity in ways that are deeply rooted in contemporary ideas that the self is autonomous and constantly improving.” Because Tash is keeping up with all the latest trends she has constructed an identity that keeps her relevant and ensures that her number of followers continue to increase.
Media104 