Marketing

Erica Stramaglia

The Power of Promotion: How Beauty Influencers Drive Conspicuous Consumption on TikTok

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My name is Erica Stramaglia, and I am graduating from the Professional Communication program at TMU this year. In the Fall of 2026, I will be pursuing a Master’s degree in Professional Communication at TMU. I am eager to continue my professional and research interests in fields like social media communication, public relations, and marketing as a motivated and driven individual.

My research examines how beauty influencer videos on TikTok influence conspicuous consumption and how this appears in comment sections. Drawing on Veblen’s theory of conspicuous consumption, it explores how users seek status, emulate others, and use material goods to express identity. Using a mixed-methods approach, I conducted content analysis on 35 TikTok videos from Laneige, Rhode Beauty, and Summer Fridays, identifying key themes in videos and comments, which were then converted into numerical data to reveal patterns and meaning.

I found that influencer strategies like persuasive language, highlighting new and limited-edition products, and showcasing full collections shape user consumption behaviour. Comments reflected purchase intent, ownership, and public displays of consumption. This research is imperative in understanding the impact of marketing-based language and can encourage individuals to identify when parasocial relationships are occurring. It can also encourage individuals to conduct their own research on a product, rather than relying solely on the opinions of others when making a purchase. 

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