Graduate Studies, UNL

 

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents from University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

First Advisor

Heather Akin

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

Committee Members

Frauke Hachtmann, Kelli Boling, Susan Burton

Department

Human Sciences

Date of this Version

2025

Document Type

Dissertation

Citation

A dissertation presented to the faculty of the Graduate College of the University of Nebraska in partial fulfillment of requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

Major: Human Sciences

Under the supervision of Professor Heather Akin

Lincoln, Nebraska, December 2025

Comments

Copyright 2025, the author. Used by permission

Abstract

This phenomenological study explores the meaning of the influence of Kim Kardashian on millennial women based on their followership on social media platforms, exploring the intersection of leadership studies, celebrity capital, and popular culture. Social media has democratized influence and transformed power dynamics through access and immediacy of information allowing the celebrity-turned-influencer-turned leader Kim Kardashian to build a billion-dollar empire spanning entertainment, and the media, beauty, fashion, and retail industries. Through qualitative interviews and analysis with 11 millennial women, this research sought to understand the meaning of her influence in their lives.

Explored through the theoretical frameworks of French and Raven’s bases of power, Barbuto’s influence triggers, and Driessens’ celebrity capital theory, four themes emerged. First, Kardashian generates a sense of belonging and social capital by ensuring participants are current on popular culture and trends in conversations with their peers. Second, content posted to her social media platforms influence consumer behavior and self-perception, specifically with body image and online shopping behavior. Third, Kardashian’s power is primarily acknowledged from her legitimate position in society, however her wealth and perceived political alignments prompts ethical and moral concerns in tandem with values misalignment for the study participants. Lastly, participants demonstrate a disconnect on Kardashian and her leadership. Participants assigned traditional leadership characteristics to Kardashian including vision, strength, business acumen, and influence, however, many hesitated to assign the label of “leader” to her. Instead, they contextualized her leadership within specific elements of her life or rejected the designation completely.

The findings showcase how digital platforms have evolved influence beyond traditional organizational and social-movement contexts, highlighting a complex experience between inspiration and criticism, relatability and aspiration, feminism and capitalism. This dissertation contributes to leadership scholarship by expanding the understanding of power and influence across digital spaces to demonstrate how celebrity capital functions as social currency to generate target compliance. This research challenges traditional leadership studies’ frameworks to integrate influencer culture and the power over follower behavior, beliefs, and consumption patterns, while prompting questions of authenticity, relatability, ethics of wealth, and the positioning of leadership in a media-saturated society outside the walls of an organization.

Advisor: Heather Akin

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