Tidsaspekter och visualitet i modetrender : en studie om Snapchats påverkan och betydelse för spridningen av modetrender inom modesystemet

Sammanfattning: Speed and visual influence on fashion trends – a study of Snapchat’s impact and significance on the spread of trends in the fashion system through visual images. Today’s fashion system has reached its climax due to technological advances and increasingly speedy nature of how fashion trends are conveyed to consumers. The tool used to examine the thesis of this study was a qualitative text analysis in addition to already existing research. This study uses sources including website articles, Snapchat mobile application, and fashion and culture studies literature. These sources combine with and are enhanced by the use of theoretical theories. The aim of the study is to examine the genesis of the speed of fashion communication and the effect it has on the spread of fashion trends in relation to communication technologies from the past. Previous research has shown that lifestyle was important to illustrate fashion in the past through visual images. This study shows that it is still important to demonstrate a lifestyle in visual images, but today’s images are spread much faster to consumers. This study also shows the effect fast images have on the fashion system. In the past, there was a delay in the spread of fashion trends where fashion companies had the power and could decide which trends will be shown to consumers. Among the new social media methods of communication, Facebook and Instagram are two examples of two-way communication platform, which allow consumers to be involved in the spread of fashion trends. In the case of Snapchat, it is different from other social media because it is used by companies as a one-way communication platform as it does not feature a “like” button to allow interaction with consumers. The study demonstrates that the rapid spread of visual images that are sent from fashion influencers and fashion companies leads to consumers having no influence in the spread of fashion trends anymore. Snapchat is the ultimate medium for the “here- and-now” which satisfies the immediate needs of users and serves as a tool for fashion companies to regain the power to decide which trends to convey to consumers. Paradoxically the study shows that the faster the new fashion communication is, the slower the fashion production and industry become. The time aspect of the “slide-shows”, a prominent tool used on Snapchat, thus leads to more exclusive fashion trends where fashion companies and fashion influencers have the power to convey to consumers.