Background: Advanced media technologies have become an integral part of people's daily lives, providing them with new tools and environments for the formation and enactment of their identities. To date, the literature acknowledges that media technologies, such as social networking sites, are used to form and enact online identities, and that these platforms can simultaneously pose challenges to individuals' identity work. However, we know little about the precise online identity work strategies that individuals employ in response to the challenges they face over time. Objective: This paper examines the online identity work dynamics of Instagram micro-influencers, for whom social network sites enable and guide them in forming and enacting their online identities on a daily basis. The study was guided by the following research question: what are the challenges that Instagram micro-influencers perceive online and what are the online identity work strategies that they employ in response to these challenges over time? Methods: This study employs an extreme case approach to rigorously explore the lives of seven micro-influencers on Instagram. We combine in-depth data from narrative interviews, longitudinal data from online autobiographical narratives revealed through the participants' Instagram timelines, and follow-up interviews. Results: Our analysis revealed three main themes that highlight the challenges that Instagram micro-influencers face online: (1) amplified social expectations, (2) feelings of inauthenticity, and, as a result thereof, (3) psychological distress. We found that these challenges were viewed as catalysts for their online identity work processes. We identified three key online identity work strategies that the Instagram micro-influencers employed in response over time: (1) experimenting with their online identities, followed by either (2) segmenting between their online and offline identities, or (3) adding identities through online multiplicity. Conclusion: Our research provides new insights into how individuals may respond to the challenge of managing their online identities over time by engaging in different online identity work strategies. This study highlights the importance of designing online media technologies that enable individuals to cope with online challenges. We emphasize the need to design online spaces for (1) the expression of authentic identities, (2) community building, and (3) online multiplicity.
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Wat is de beroepsidentiteit van sociaal werk, wat behoort zij te zijn? Sociaal werk wordt wel omschreven als een professie maar ook als een ambacht, vaak zonder duidelijk onderscheid tussen en wellicht zelfs door impliciete gelijkstelling van deze kwalificaties. Met behulp van de ideaaltypische benadering kan echter worden aangetoond dat deze twee typen beroepen niet alleen veel overeenkomsten delen maar ook op enkele punten fundamenteel van elkaar verschillen. Op basis van het werk van Freidson (2001) en Sennett (2008) kan worden aangetoond dat het ideaaltypische doel van professies het realiseren van een abstracte waarde (zoals rechtvaardigheid) is, terwijl ambachten gericht zijn op het manipuleren van concrete materialen (bijvoorbeeld steen). Bijgevolg zijn (enkel) professies beroepen met een morele identiteit. In alle zelfdefinities van sociaal werk is deze morele identiteit, deze humanitaire kern aanwezig (zie bv. IFSW, NVMW). Daarom moet sociaal werk worden beschouwd als een professie en niet als een ambacht. Dit is niet louter een academische discussie maar beïnvloedt bijvoorbeeld de positie van dit beroep in de samenleving, zoals aan de hand van de ministeriële richtlijnen betreffende Welzijn Nieuwe Stijl kan worden geïllustreerd.
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Dit artikel gaat in op en reflecteert op de dissertatie En wat kan ik dan later worden? (Slijper, 2017). Het betreft een longitudinaal onderzoek naar het studiekeuzeproces van 89 studenten HBO-Rechten en Sociaal Juridische Dienstverlening, en de betekenis daarvan voor studiesucces.
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A major challenge in the textile sector is achieving true circularity while preventing fraud, including false sustainability claims and material mislabelling. The complexity of supply chains and outdated certification systems have resulted in a lack of accountability and transparency. This project addresses these issues by developing and implementing Digital Product Passports, integrated with digital trust mechanisms as verifiable credentials, to create a transparent, responsible, and accountable textile supply chain. The project traces the journey of a corporate fashion t-shirt from cotton sourcing in India to production and distribution in the Netherlands, ensuring full transparency and traceability. Its goal is to drive a shift towards a circular economy by fostering collaboration across the supply chain and empowering stakeholders, particularly Tiers 3 and 4 in the Global South. Schijvens Corporate Fashion leads the effort with regenerative cotton sourcing through Raddis®Cotton, utilising Aware™’s technology solution. Adopting a ‘Fibre-Forward’ approach, the consortium ensures traceability by integrating data from raw material sourcing to end-user. This approach benefits all stakeholders, from farmers to garment producers, by providing verifiable information on fibre origins, social conditions, and ecological impacts. By tracking each fibre and collecting direct data, the project removes the opacity that can undermine sustainability claims. The project enhances accountability and sustainability compliance by utilising decentralised technologies for product verification. Integrating digital identity wallets for individuals and organisations, secured with verifiable credentials, enhances trust and accountability, fostering circular economy practices. Rather than seeing DPPs as the end goal, the project views them as catalysts for systemic change. It prioritises continuous improvement, collaboration, and shared benefits, aiming to establish a regenerative circular economy. Through a practical toolkit, the project will help organisations and policymakers navigate DPP adoption, strengthening transparency and creating a scalable, inclusive system for supply chains across the Global South and -North.
