Crafting the Athlete-Influencer Image: A Multimodal Analysis of Student-Athletes’ Social Media Profiles

Abstract

This study examines how the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) student-athletes, as an emerging group of social media influencers (SMIs), curate their Instagram biographies. We identified multimodal textual and visual elements, with particular attention to variations based on follower size (Macro vs. Micro). Our study found significant differences in profile image quality, textual biography length, and thematic content. Specifically, micro-influencers combined professionally oriented (Frontstage) textual elements with relatable personal-life (Backstage) imagery, whereas macro-influencers utilized more abstract (Offstage) visuals accompanied by detailed biographies. Additionally, subtle gender differences emerged; female macro-influencers chose images with greater color diversity, while male micro-influencers selected brighter profile images. Nonetheless, overall thematic profiles remained consistent across genders. These findings extend self-presentation theory and the Model of Athlete Brand Image (MABI), offering novel insights for student athletes’ personal branding strategies within the influencer marketing context.