Influencers Using Instagram to Promote Change in the Knitting Community

Introduction

On January 7, 2019, a blog post by a prominent businesswoman unintentionally sparked a conversation about white privilege that disrupted perceptions in the fiber crafting community and businesses serving them. The post was the catalyst that opened eyes and began a discussion on how the community, both online and offline, treated its Black and Indigenous People of Color (BIPOC) members. The words in the blog were “not wrong, per se, just that the tone felt like [she] thought India only existed to be all those things for” her (Saxena, 2019). The post was criticized for perpetuating white privilege and a colonizing agenda. The conversations that followed on social media and the impact of those conversations on business practices are the focus of this chapter.

It is well established that online discussions can be used as a way of presenting information to shape discourse and influence the public through the selection of words and phrases. Often, influencers and businesses use social media as a way to directly communicate with their audience without others interpreting or changing the message. This direct, real-time communication, added to the fact that the person presenting the information may be seen as a trustworthy member of the online community with whom they are communicating, may make for a larger impact than messages from those outside the community. The more trust an audience places in a source, the more likely the audience members will respond to the messages used in the conversation (Druckman, 2001).

Social media platforms have made it increasingly easier for less-heard voices to have an outlet to share their views and build a following in which their opinions are not only shared by them, but amplified by others. Thus, minority voices can be heard without being translated and they can become community influencers promoting their message in their own words. This kind of message is privileged among online communities as 92 percent of people surveyed said they trusted influencers over traditional advertising (Linquia, 2019). It is clear that community members trust community insiders for messages of products, services and viewpoints online.

Instagram had long been a platform embraced by the fiber-crafting community as a place that allowed businesses to show their products (yarn, fiber, and related items) and for crafters to show their skills. For many small businesses selling fiber products, Instagram is the primary way to gain awareness of their products and services through self-promotion and user promotion. The company, Fringe Supply Co, was no exception. Bags sold through Fringe Supply Co. owned by Karen Templer, a maker in the fiber crafting community, were seen as the “Birkin of knitting bags” (Saxena, 2019). However, Templer’s blog post, “2019: My year of color,” triggered a community discussion that went in a direction that Templer neither intended nor anticipated. For Templer, the post focused on her excitement about her plans for the new year, which included a trip to India. She shared her story of growth, but also that international travel was still “so daunting” (Templer, “My Year,” 2019). Templer added “This year’s resolution: Wear color. Be color. Live in color” (2019). She brought the color and travel threads together by informing readers that a trip to India was one of her 2019 goals. She mentioned that she passed up a trip to India when she was younger because “[t]o a suburban midwestern [sic] teenager with a severe anxiety disorder, that was like being offered a seat on a flight to mars[sic]” (Templer, “My Year,” 2019). Due to Templer’s words and the popularity of Fringe Supply Co.’s products, members of the community saw and commented on the blog post. However, not all the comments were positive. Although Templer did issue an apology for her blog post and explained how she was going to make changes to herself and her business, Fringe Supply Company closed its doors in August 2020.