MSc 2021-22 alumnus Muhammed Alakitan publishes article

Alakitan, M. T. (2025). Redefining social media influencership through followership building. Platforms & Society, 2

How do influencers build followership? Must they all have a niche before gaining popularity? Do they all monetise their engagements? What even happens when an influencer loses their popularity?

While these questions have been attempted in different ways in the literature, in this study, Muhammed suggests a rethink of the definition of social media influencership through them. He argues that if we consider how influencers re-purpose platform affordances and policies to grow popularity across different contexts, we may begin to engage with the practices of influencership differently. He particularly notes that these practices are important to acknowledge for the fediverse (decentralised) and protocol-based social media platforms.

Additionally, this paper is useful for social media researchers, netnographers, or digital ethnographers seeking practical ways to conduct social media qualitative and quantitative research. The study also provides key ethical considerations for researching influencers.

Lastly, in the article, Muhammed expressed his profound gratitude to Dr Doris Okenwa, his MSc thesis supervisor while at the Centre.