The Negotiation and Governance of (In)Authenticity on Social Media

Khli-in, Apisara and Piacentini, Maria and Awanis, Sandra (2026) The Negotiation and Governance of (In)Authenticity on Social Media. PhD thesis, Lancaster University.

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Abstract

The growing prevalence of manipulated images and fictitious narratives on social media is blurring the lines between fact and fiction, as well as reality and fantasy, raising questions about individuals' perceptions of authenticity in digital spaces. This research explores what authenticity means in contemporary society by examining its multifaceted nature within the context of social media. Drawing on Foucault's concepts of power, discipline, and governmentality, as well as institutional theory's notion of legitimacy, the study aims to understand the complex dynamics of authenticity, how it is perceived and enacted among social actors, and the wider implications for society. Using a netnographic approach, the study analyses nine exemplars of (in)authenticity through media coverage, revealing the diverse ways in which authenticity is expressed and negotiated within the social media landscape. Focusing on the components of accuracy, consistency, and legitimacy, the research refines these into empirical dimensions, identifying veracity and content staging as facets of accuracy, and scrutiny as the mechanism of consistency, to investigate how social actors govern perceptions of authenticity. Crucially, the research reveals that transparency and proximity to reality often serve as mitigating factors that allow relational honesty to outweigh objective veracity, thereby securing legitimacy and transforming perceived inauthenticity into a form of conditional authenticity. Furthermore, the findings uncover a system of three overarching governance strategies – reward, punishment, and resistance – employed by social actors to enforce or contest institutional legitimacy. As they navigate the governance of authenticity, these actors use such strategies to maintain, reinforce, and challenge perceptions in accordance with established social norms and dominant discourses. This research offers valuable insights into how authenticity is constructed, negotiated, and contested in the digital age, providing a theoretical foundation for understanding its governance within the social media landscape.