The (un)necessity of child portrayal in momfluencer content: exploring mothers’ perspectives on influencer sharenting through in-depth interviews

Momfluencers heavily disclose personal information and pictures of their children on their social media as they aim to share parenting experiences with their followers. Including their children in their content may make them more authentic and increase their celebrity capital. However, empirical research testing this assumption is scarce. Importantly, the portrayal of children in influencer sharenting has raised concern regarding the privacy of the portrayed child and the related consequences for the child's well-being. Through 20 in-depth interviews with followers of momfluencers, we assessed the perceptions of and attitudes towards child portrayal in momfluencer content and privacy-protective behaviors. The mothers in our study appeared to be highly concerned about the risks related to sharenting behaviors. While these mothers believed that portraying children in momfluencer content is essential to enhance their perceptions of credibility, authenticity, and intimacy; they emphasized that this can be achieved while protecting the child's privacy through the use of anti-sharenting techniques. Transparent communication about the choices momfluencers make regarding these techniques appeared to be essential for fostering meaningful relationships. In addition, momfluencers who employ anti-sharenting techniques and transparently explain their reasons for doing so may have the potential to influence changes in followers' own sharenting behavior. These findings emphasize the potential of anonymizing children in momfluencer content, enabling momfluencers to protect their children's online privacy while maintaining the affordances of sharenting.