In what ways has Internet changed fashion journalism - Essay Example

? In what ways has the Internet changed fashion journalism? BY YOU UNIT HERE HERE ID HERE In what ways has the Internet changed fashion journalism? Introduction Traditional fashion journalism relies on a series of media intermediaries in order to distribute fashion content, which is slowly being replaced by a more modern-focused consumer audience that relies on Internet-based media for their media consumption needs. Keen (2008) suggests that the new models of online journalism are taking economic value from traditional fashion media and its traditional cultural content. However, others consider the convergence of traditional media with new media sources pose considerable advantages for the fashion marketer. This paper explores how the Internet is changing fashion journalism, taking into consideration the advantages and disadvantages of this intermediary as a consumer source of fashion information. The role of the Internet in fashion journalism Social technologies are no longer a niche market of lifestyle activities for the user of the Internet. Blogs, video-sharing applications and social networks are becoming mainstream activities globally, thus changing the methodology of relationship with media and fashion (Smith, 2009). The mainstream properties of Internet usage are dominating the distribution and flow of information in very wide demographic audiences. Traditional fashion journalism, such as fashion magazines, provided limited opportunities for gaining market interest or disseminating information as these sources of journalism were targeted as specific, homogenized groups of potential buyers that were restrained through geographics. Fashion industry marketers now have a much broader audience to target using blogs, Facebook, YouTube and Twitter (as several examples) in order to promote their information and products. The mainstream aspects of Internet usage no longer constrain the fashion industry in gaining market interest, which can lead to higher profitability or establish a quality fashion brand. Traditional fashion journalism relied on cultural intermediaries, individuals in society “who transmit information from those engaged in the creative and production processes of fashion design to consumers” (Crane, 2008: 3). These include photographers, journalists, ad agencies, salespersons and celebrity models. Cultural intermediaries bring value to the fashion content or marketing strategy as it relates to targeting customers or providing valuable fashion information. For instance, the usage of celebrity models gains sales advantages from the consumer culture under social learning theory. This theory describes that individuals in society will model the beliefs or behaviours of role models who are deemed credible and attractive in the eyes of the receiver so long as they witness the model being rewarded for these actions (Neubert, Carlson, Kacmar, Roberts and Chonko, 2009). This has been one of the fundamental aspects of providing equity and value for fashion journalists as the legitimacy, in the eyes of society, of the cultural intermediaries provides reproduction of similar values and attitudes. This has, traditionally, led to higher sales for fashion merchandise through fashion journalism and associated print or televised media. The Internet, despite those who believe it is eroding traditionalism in fashion journalism, is still modelled against the value of cultural intermediaries. Why is this? Consider the fashion blog as a relevant example. Fashion blogs allow for interactive commentaries to be posted by a variety of consumers where compliments or complaints can be searched by hundreds of thousands (if not millions) of Internet users worldwide. “Peers listen to and trust these reviews” (Fichter, 2007: 27). Under Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, a model that is intended to serve as a template for universal foundational motivations and needs, individuals in society are motivated by affiliation with peer groups (Gambrel and Cianci, 2003). The fundamental needs for a sense of social belonging can be satisfied through many different social media platforms, especially fashion blogs, as it provides an affiliation-based environment where shared values and attitudes are readily available and consistent with lifestyle factors. Niche marketing or specific psychographic lifestyle targeting has been one of the most fundamental aspects of traditional fashion journalism, common in fashion magazines or television advertisements. The goal of major fashion brands are to establish a position in the minds of their homogenous consumer groups and make an impact that promotes replication of values or create demand at the consumption level. The Internet’s immediate interactivity between groups that share common lifestyle traits improves relationship-building with the fashion brand in a way that traditional media could not prior to mainstream usage of the Internet and associated social media platforms. A case study of handbag designer Rafe Totengco in New York highlights the development of a fashion blog as a means to create new intimate relationships with consumers in a way that traditional journalism could never accomplish. Totengco offers, “consumers get to voice their opinions and are a more personal and immediate medium that is a diary of sorts” (Harilela, 2007: 1). Traditional fashion journalism made it necessary for one to simply infer how consumers viewed fashion symbolism and then make interpretive changes to the journalistic style and content in order to gain loyalty to the fashion concept or brand. Fashion blogs provide a new type of communication platform for diverse consumers that essentially expand fashion visibility in a way that traditional media cannot accomplish. There is now no margin for misunderstanding about consumer sentiment and values as they are clearly listed in many fashion databases that can be used for advertising or relationship-development. When a fashion-oriented citizen gains feelings of recognition and affiliation from peers in the virtual world, it leads to higher perceptions of self-esteem and prestige (Gambrel and Cianci). According to theory associated with peer group affiliation, “individuals need to feel that they have some affect on their environment” (Gambrel and Cianci, 2003: 147). This is what the Internet provides that traditional fashion journalism could not: a sense of empowerment. The Internet, unlike traditional fashion journalism that relied heavily on intermediaries for the dissemination of information, does not rely on organisations to mediate the exchange of information between the fashion entity and the receiving audience. This cuts out distributors and allows for conversation to occur directly with the audience (Roberts, 2008). Allowing a forum for a variety of audiences to post commentaries and influence the future direction of Internet-based fashion journalism empowers the receiver to take a form of governance role in journalism without intermediaries impacting the direction of advertising or the level of intimacy with the fashion entity. Why is the Internet empowering, fundamentally? The Internet provides unique opportunities for the audience to organize digital media in a way that they prefer, especially on sites such as YouTube and Flickr that add personal meaning for the audience and then allow for ease of dissemination to peers sharing similar values related to fashion (Holtz, 2006). Feedback stemming from the fashion entity or the receiver then becomes participatory and socially driven, thus satisfying basic human needs for affiliation and also fashion brand intimacy. With traditional fashion journalism, individuals could still organize content, but generally not without expense for purchase of multiple fashion content such as magazines. Thus, it should be said essentially that the Internet is both empowering and contributes to psychological fulfilment to the receiver. Furthermore, in order to spread information about fashion, journalists relied on the geography of fashion culture in order to establish a global brand presence. This process is recognised as “a symbolic ordering of cities” that leads to higher sales and consumer interest (Bruzzi and Church Gibson, 2008: 9). Fashion journalists attempting to sell a product spend considerable investment on market research in order to determine which regions of the world would best suit their distribution needs and gain receivership acceptance of the content or fashion brand. The Internet, for those companies that understand how to utilise web-based marketing targeting processes, removes these traditional sanctions and no longer rely on geographic segmentation to distribute vital or valuable information about fashion content. However, herein lies difficulties with the Internet as a platform for dissemination of fashion-related content: Journalists must understand the dynamics of Internet marketing in order to make effective blogs or advertisements that will target their desired consumer most likely to make purchases or find satisfaction and interest in the fashion-related content. It should also be recognised that the Internet has not completely replaced traditional fashion journalism, rather this industry is experiencing convergence between traditionalism and new media presence. Jenkins (2006) offers that convergence is an advantage for the fashion journalist as it creates more channels for selling content to receivers and can also build a new type of loyalty to the fashion entity in markets that were once fragmented and restricted by geographic boundaries. Some organisations are using this convergence of technology and traditionalism to create new methods of actually shaping consumer behaviour (Jenkins). Thus, fashion companies can use the Internet as a supplement to their brand or sales strategies to build a new demand for their products or influence new patterns of consumption that should be able to lead to higher revenue production or brand loyalty. Thus far, the fundamental advantages of the Internet as a platform for revolutionized fashion journalism have been described. There are opponents to the Internet as a tool for fashion journalism who believe it is stripping away profitability from journalistic sources and also limits effective semiotic research regarding receiver assessment of symbolic fashion imagery and content. Negative aspects of Internet Some fashionistas argue that the Internet is democratizing fashion, essentially cheapening it by exposing fashion journalism to receiving markets that are not likely to make purchases, but will be readily willing to post comments about fashion-related content. Pierre Bourdieu, a renowned fashion expert, refers to a new generation of Internet users as “service class” individuals, a faction of middle-class audiences, a petite bourgeoisie, who are essentially “disaffected”, “bohemian” and low brow (Negus, 2002: 3). Traditional fashion journalism typically targets fashion-conscious individuals that share similar values and attitudes of the fashion brand or content provider. The Internet, however, creates a broader receiving audience that consists largely of middle-class citizens that do not necessarily share the conventions of the fashion journalist, thus creating the opportunity to negatively exploit the fashionista. Blogs and social media platforms are often littered with negative critiques of many organisations that stem from individuals with limited or no experience with the organisation whatsoever. Thus, democratization occurring on the Internet can limit the brand reputation of high-end fashion merchandise brands and even limit traditional efforts to utilise fashion journalism to create an air of exclusivity and rarity for particular fashion brands. Consider the following perspective on fashion consumption from a cultural theorist in fashion merchandising, “Consumers dress up, now as skiers who never ski, now as pilots who cannot fly, now as soldiers who never see army life, in search for expression of individualism bound up in a fantasy status” (Carroll, 2009: 147). This author attempts to illustrate the fashion consumer as both delusional and fanciful in relation to their attitudes and values related to fashion merchandising. The democratization of the Internet exposes many fashion journalists to these markets that seek fashion content or merchandise to fulfil their radical flights of fancy in the pursuit of self-confidence or individual self-expression. With this, then, would come considerable risks to reputation, especially in the blogosphere where comments and appraisals are readily available in multiple social media platforms. One of the fundamental aspects of fashion journalism, traditionally, was being able to create illusion or chimera through the use of distributed photography or creative arts presentations in a variety of journalistic sources. Though always moderated by advertising regulations in the international environment, such visionary production of symbolic imagery provided opportunities for fashion journalists to differentiate their content or fashion brand from competitors. For some high-end merchandisers, these illusions created by artistry were fundamental selling points for their fashion products, disseminated through more traditional media formats that are targeted at specific consuming audiences. However, Lloyd (2008) offers a new risk associated with this type of creative, illusionary journalistic content. The Internet provides a new type of transparency that is manifested through all of the different mechanisms that reside on the Web. There is a new type of media literacy and analyses occurring from consuming audiences that are driving out false information with demand for sources that are trustworthy and dependable (Lloyd). Even though creative imagery has been a selling point for promoting symbolism related to journalism and the fashion merchandise, such imagery when meeting with the new petite bourgeoisie is likely to be criticized or driven out by democratic middle-class consumers of information. When journalists rely on this fantasy-based creative imagery as key selling points for their concept or fashion merchandise as a differentiation strategy, the transparency and low-brow consumer incapable of understanding the creative intention create a variety of peril for the fashion journalist. These risks come in the form of economic losses or negative word-of-mouth, even if the sources of these fashion critiques do not represent any aspect of the journalist’s target audience. Thus, it should be said that the broad aspects of information dissemination occurring online when combined with service class receivers creates negative transparency issues that impact positive discourse online. Crane (2008, p.8) refers to this creative artistry as symbolic capital development, “avant garde creations” that serve to actually influence changes within the fashion industry. There is a theory associated with buyer behaviour of fashion merchandise referred to as utility, or the level of personal satisfaction that a buyer receives from fashion purchases. Utility is a major element that determines the commercial value of fashion merchandise (Crane). Fashion journalists that provide such intellectual capital in a variety of fashion magazines choose this form of media in an effort to reach their desired audience that is interested in avant-garde productions and will be likely to make purchases of fashions highlighted in such artistry. They rely on the utility associated with similar values and lifestyles in order to make a positive impression. With this concept in mind, take into consideration a wedding gown or a ball gown, both are functional for consumer purposes, however they provide little utility (Crane). Creative fashion journalists attempting to highlight symbolic imagery containing these products in an effort to boost sales on the Internet may select Facebook or YouTube to showcase their avant-garde designs. However, most consumers on the Internet that utilise social media behave according to social norms in society, following typical conventions of semiotic analysis to imagery or peer-influenced decision-making about what constitutes legitimate artistry. Utilising the Internet as a means to broadly display creative capital production creates a perception of transgression in some receiving audiences, a violation of prescribed norms associated with routine social conventions (Crane). Such presentations can also create what is referred to as subversion, a satirizing of normal social conventions through unique and creative couture, fashions common on Paris catwalks and other fashion venues. It would be virtually impossible for the fashion journalist to segregate these creative couture designs from the broader, norm-driven audience when selecting websites for display that contain high usership and the ability to share content. When user-generated content can be freely posted, the reputation damage stemming from satirization of these fashion creations can be extensive. Why is this important in understanding how the Internet has changed fashion journalism? Individuals who understand the socio-cultural elements associated with the new Internet content receiver, the petite bourgeoisie, may be reluctant to post their creative illustrations or photography online for fear of blog-oriented chastisement or criticism, thus reducing their exposure to key or new markets. However, competitors that are more well-versed in understanding how to target and segment receiving audiences may find significant competitive advantage. Thus, the first way that the Internet has changed fashion journalism is through the many competitive advantages that can be achieved by fashion entities when their education about social principles and effective targeting increases. Protection of intellectual property and other cultural capital for the fashion journalist is also a risk issue associated with the Internet as a platform for dissemination journalistic information. In traditional journalism, it is more difficult to imitate creative content because of the specific mediums chosen for dissemination (i.e. magazines and television). However, today, the Internet as a new media sources allows for instant transmission of images and content that can be delivered anywhere across the globe. In the long-run, this can create problems with intellectual property protection or create a new competitive force financially that can copy fashion concepts or merchandise quickly and use more investment capital to ensure a better advertising strategy utilising similar fashion ideas with more concentrated ad space. Therefore, short term capital protectionism becomes a legitimate issue in this environment. Conclusion This paper described the many different advantages and disadvantages associated with use of the Internet for a fashion journalism platform. It was identified that many different socio-cultural differences reside online that change the semiotic analysis of symbolic imagery with a shift that can be unfavourable for the fashion journalist or fashion marketer. Broad market availability provides new opportunities for relationship-building and/or revenue growth, but also complicates the process of sustaining a positive word-of-mouth reputation in a variety of Internet channels. Despite the disadvantages, the ability of the Internet to empower consumers appears to be the most important aspect that has changed fashion journalism. By creating a connection with receivers who are able to take a governance role in fashion production, journalists gain new perspectives on the social attitudes residing in key sales markets and can develop more effective content or advertisement based on this feedback. Even though the petit bourgeoisie represents a new type of consumer that can work against the journalist’s intentions, with enough education fashion journalism changes in favour of the fashion entity with increases in Internet-based education related to targeting and market segmentation. In general, despite drawbacks, the Internet has changed fashion journalism positively and opened many different opportunities for expanding fashion presence to key markets and new markets as well. Convergence between traditional fashion journalism and new media presence can build more receiver loyalty, something every fashion journalist hopes to accomplish whether creatively or through knowledge transfer. 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