New kids on the blog

This study investigates the effects of consuming fashion blogs as perceived by the audience of these blogs. The examination focuses on the relationship between the perception of blog influence and demographics, consumption behavior and motivation. For this purpose fashion magazines are utilized to enable a comparison of consumption and reading motives of the audience. The research is motivated by the research question: To what extent do fashion blog readers perceive to be influenced by fashion blogs? It has the goal of outlining new media perception and in particular of generating an understanding of fashion blogs, their audience and the relationship between both. As new media becomes more and more interactive, the individual reader plays an important role in the creation of content and the existence of (fashion) blogs overall. Literature on blog audiences has focused almost exclusively on one specific country and blogs of diverse content. It must be however differentiated between the different types of content of blogs to understand the audience. Additional this study is aimed at the international readership of fashion blogs. This study advances our understanding of blog readers and their interactive connectivity with the blogger and content of the fashion blog. Using an exploratory online survey, the data of 175 international fashion blog readers was collected and investigated using both descriptive and inferential analysis. To describe the relationship between the consumption and the perceived influence, correlations and multiple regression was conducted; for examining the motives of blog and magazine consumption according to U&G theory factor analysis was performed. The findings from the research illustrate how the audience of blogs comprehends the influence fashion blogs have upon them in respect to their communication and purchasing behavior as well as their perception of importance of fashion in their lives. Furthermore the outcomes offer new insights in motivations of new media consumption: fashion blog readers access fashion blogs for motives of entertainment, inspiration, information seeking, interaction and interest in the blogger. Contrary to prior expectations, magazines are still very popular and frequently read, mostly for motivations of professionalism, the fixed non-interactive design, information seeking and entertainment. The results create an understanding of blog audiences and their perception of influence via blogs, in particular fashion blogs. By this means the study adds value to the research of new media and helps grasping the shift from traditional media to interactive, participatory new media and its requirements towards the blogger and the audience.