How influencer ‘mumpreneur’ bloggers and ‘everyday’ mums frame presenting their children online

Abstract

The rise of mum/mom/mommy bloggers has been a worldwide trend, with some mum bloggers now earning a significant income from their personal ‘brand’ and role as social media influencers. As ‘prosumers’ (i.e. consumers turned producers), successful mum bloggers are often courted by international brands and organisations. While mum bloggers were early adopters in the digital landscape, everyday (non-blogging) mums have also embraced technology and have become avid users of social media, in particular Facebook, and are sometimes influenced by the bloggers they follow. Invariably, as pro-am mothers, mumpreneur bloggers use their families (in particular, their young children) as characters in their story posts and also co-opt them in sponsorship and other money-making opportunities. These posts help the audience identify with the bloggers, increasing their social capital and influence. Everyday mothers may also follow the example set by the mumpreneurs, sharing images and stories related to their offspring, sometimes from the first ultrasound scan. This article investigates and compares the motivations, hesitations and justifications of both influencer mumpreneur bloggers and everyday mums related to sharing their children’s images and stories.