#BREW: Influencer Experiment in the Third Wave Coffee Community of Instagram

Abstract

The aim of the #BREW-experiment, started in November 2015, was to test the working logic and mechanism of the social media platform designed for sharing images, Instagram. The researchers opted for an immersive, qualitative approach, focusing on the subculture of third wave coffee enthusiasts (including professionals like roasters, cafés and baristas, along with educated connoisseurs and aesthetically oriented fans). Employing tools developed by digital ethnographers but aiming to explore marketing and visual aesthetics as well, the experiment finetunes and relativizes (at the same time adding a new layer to) Lev Manovich's recently published results that were based on cultural analytic methodology involving big data as a source. The result of our research brings novel approaches both in terms of marketing and digital ethnography, creating an interdisciplinary dialogue with the history of photographic aesthetics and anthropology as well.