AUTHENTICITY IN SOCIAL MEDIA

Ingrid Chua-Go's exploits as a fashion blogger during the onset of the digital era

is a story worth retelling

Iwas one of the earliest adopters of social network sites. I began a bag blog in 2005 because apart from looking for people who would relate to my love for bags, I also wanted to supplement my designer bag resale business with an online marketing outlet. Having recently left the magazine publishing industry shortly after I had given birth to my second baby, I had no grand plan for the blog when I began writing on it, except that I wanted to share my thoughts, personal diarystyle. I also wanted to use the blog to announce upcoming events and sales for my business.

I wrote every day without fail, sharing my thoughts on the latest bags and almost everything else under the sun that I can think of writing. After 10 years of religiously writing on the blog, I received an email from an online fashion retailer based in Italy, inviting me to fly to Florence for its 10th year anniversary. My good friend Claudette Vitug, enabled me further and said she would be happy to join me on this travel adventure. So, off we went. Little did I know that my Florentine adventure would change the course of my life over the next decade.

Luisaviaroma.com invited 30 other bloggers to the event, which included blogging heavyweights like Jane Aldridge of the Sea of Shoes, Tommy Ton of Jak and Jil, Andy Torres of Style Scrapbook, Wendy Lam of Nitrolicious.com, and then-localrising-star Chiara Ferragni of The Blonde Salad. Apart from Tommy who was a photographer, I was the only non-style blogger in the group. I was trying to establish myself as a bag blogger, but I never “packaged” myself as a style blogger.

I preferred to write and to feature topics about fashion, travel, and food. I was never really keen on being the subject of the photographs, preferring to take them instead. I reckon this was also because of my background as a journalist—I had wanted to document rather than be the one documented. Because I

enjoyed writing and reportage, I was chosen by the executives of Luisaviaroma.com to represent and write collection reviews for them during fashion week in Paris. This was my official entry into the world of fashion in Milan and in Paris.

When I began attending fashion weeks in these two major European cities, bloggers were the “shiny new thing.” Brands were putting them on the front row alongside editors from top fashion magazines. Here was an outsider (me) finally given access to exclusive shows, shows that I’ve only seen on Fashion TV and read about in international magazines. I found myself sitting next to editors whose faces I recognized only because I must’ve pored over thousands of pages of fashion magazines (while sitting on the aisle floors of my neighborhood supermarket) during my college years in the US.

The shows were very hectic—locations between them were not walking distance from each other, and there was also very little time in between. Bear in mind that this was over 8 years ago—there was no private car service (there were, but they were so expensive). Pocket WiFi devices were not even available yet at the time. I had to adapt to getting around in these two cities by learning about the routes I would take the night before, using the WiFi in the hotel—I would order taxis by phone after each show (it was impossible to flag one down because there were a hundred other show-goers competing for the same ride), or would use the public metro if there was a nearby station.

Most of us were all dressed to the nines in high heels (athleisure was not yet an on-trend look), which were really a great look for street style photos but was a nightmare for our feet. Being in heels was also a major impediment to get to the next destination on time. Running in heels in cobblestones without tripping or worse, breaking an ankle was a “skill” I eventually acquired in Milan. My legs and feet suffered—cramps, blisters. Name it, I had it. It was a tough job—one that many still do not see or understand today, because of how we portrayed ourselves and our work on social media.

I remember having as little as two hours of sleep everyday because I would come home late from attending work events, suffered from jetlag, still had to steam the clothes I was going to wear for the next day, had to choose photos from the day’s shoots, had to write reviews for the collections I attended for the company I worked for, and also had to write for my own blog. I also had to keep tabs on my finances and budget—I had to document each day’s expenses so they don’t accumulate at the end of each season, leaving me wondering which receipt was for what. I was mentally drained and physically exhausted at the end of each day. But this job is one that was without question, exciting and fun—especially when you are still young.

At that time I began, I was the oldest blogger running around during fashion week—I was 35. I was not exactly in the best physical shape either, but I wanted to be part of something that so many people have only dreamed of becoming a part of, so every day while I griped about the physical pains and difficulties of the job, I remained unconditionally grateful for the opportunities. The work I put in, the eventual access to shows I had, the friends within the industry that I had made, and the working relationships I had managed to cultivate all contributed to the projects I bagged with international brands like Dolce and Gabbana, Harrods of London, Ermenegildo Zegna, and Samsung USA among others. I was also fortunate to have two European

"It was a tough job— one that many still do not see or understand today, because of how we portrayed ourselves and our work on

social media."

campaigns with Safilo, the second largest sunglasses company in the world that manufactures eyewear for renowned brands like Fendi, Dior, Givenchy, and Max Mara. The work I did also resulted in a contract as the producer and host of my own TV show, The Bag Hag Diaries, a program that aired for three seasons on Star World, Fox Networks Group.

When Instagram became part of mainstream social media, many bloggers were quick to adopt. In the short time since its inception, fashion bloggers shifted to Instagram and used it as their main sharing platform. Blogs began taking a backseat. And voila, the Instagram influencer was born. Having a huge Instagram following became legal tender in the fashion industry. With blogs, “influence” was easily measured by brands through affiliate program link click-throughs and sales that were redirected from blogs to their respective e-commerce websites. Instagram influence, on the other hand, cannot be tangibly measured. Many influencers are guilty of bloating their follower count by buying followers, likes, and even comments because they realize that brands spend a sizable amount on influencer marketing. Being an Instagram influencer became an actual profession!

Even some of the more established influencers continue to buy followers either on their own or through the agencies that represent them just to keep their social media relevance in the industry. Brands who are interested in making a big “splash” and want brand name recall would spend as much as $20,000 per post on big-name influencers. The amount they spend though does not automatically translate to sales.

Of late, brands with more sophisticated social media/ influencer marketing teams are already aware of this practice and are taking steps to ensure they spend their budget properly, with the promise of a better “return.” They have access to reports that indicate follower patterns of influencers—establishing whether growth is artificial or organic. They have also managed to gather more data on their influencers’ demographics: many boast of high follower count, but the social demographics of their following reflect that their followers are not the brand’s intended target market. So it is not surprising that certain brands (even the more renowned ones) that don’t check demographic following of influencers they contract for product activation projects fail to see spikes in their merchandise sales.

More disturbing today is influencer behavior. According to my industry colleagues in international brand PR, the number of influencers who email them regularly (asking for show invitations, product samples, or free merchandise in exchange for a post) is increasing in the hundreds by the week. Bagging big project collaborations is a badge of honor for every successful influencer, and while a bulk has remained humble, having this badge of honor has also bloated the egos of many. “They developed a sense of entitlement, acting like they do us a favor so we should give them what they ask for,” shares a Londonbased PR agency owner who asked not to be named. Another designer brand PR shared an email of a fairly known influencer who asked for a free pair of shoes without any promised media value in exchange. “This person wanted our merchandise. For free. It was not even about asking for a discount. For us in the industry, we need to know what media values we can get out of giving our merchandise to influencers. The irony of it all was, this same influencer was someone we reached out to some years ago but said influencer ignored us because we never offered to pay to attend our events.“In the end, the influencer’s request for the free shoes was ignored.

The social media landscape has changed so much since

2005, and I have barely scratched the surface here. Today, the underlying rhetoric revolves heavily around authenticity—which influencers have 100% organic following? Who is as authentic as their posts on their Instagram feed in real life? Which of their posts are paid or sponsored? There were no precedents in the past, so there is still very little regulation on disclosure of paid/ sponsored posts—and if there were regulations that have been set, they are not yet globally (and legally) enforced. Almost everything that social media users and influencers post for the public are beautiful, aspirational, and continue to leave their followers “wanting.” There are accounts that share the grim reality in photos, but a majority of the accounts don’t.

Who wants to follow posts that remind them of their reality these days? Most people go on Instagram to escape reality and to live vicariously through others. And because of the easy access to a plethora of photo editing apps today, reality has become so distorted. Instagram “reality” is so far from its raw and unfiltered original. And so, the discourse on authenticity remains.