A construção social do mercado de influência digital no campo esportivo

Abstract

Due to the consolidation of new media in the digital market, and the emergence of influencers, it is notable to observe that the social construction of the influence market was shaped according to the needs that emerged in these new social relations of power. The phenomenon of digital influencers, that is, individuals engaged in their social networks who exert influence on the decision-making of their followers, is currently responsible for the commercialization of a large part of brands' products, which is no different from Olympic athletes who use their social networks and promote the construction of the image required by their sponsors. This research seeks to identify the logic of this new market within the social network Instagram based on the analysis of profiles of Brazilian athletes who competed in the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, through literature that observed the economic variables of the sports field as well as the role of pseudo intimacy in the construction of this Influence market. In conclusion, the data from this research indicated the existence of the use of pseudo intimacy as a means of legitimizing and reaffirming the athlete as an elite in the digital sports field who, through the study of Pierre Bourdieu's capitals, attributes a symbolic and economic character to their profession.