Reflection on Ephemeral Narratives
Ruolan Lin
I choose the Instagram story of the beauty brand Glossier as my ephemeral narrative analysis target. As we can see from the image, the story features a nature-inspired aesthetic, combining serene visuals of landscapes and abstract floral elements. The central message is trying to invite people to complete an interactive poll by asking, "Which moment captivates you?" with two options: "Sunlit blooms by the sea" and "Twilight gardens after rain."
This Instagram story is designed to engage followers by prompting them to choose between two poetic, visually evocative options. Glossier uses this ephemeral format to cultivate emotional and sensory engagement with its audiences. Immersive and aesthetically pleasing images and concise, direct texts on the one hand indicate the brand’s emphasis on aesthetics and personal preferences, and on the other hand may imply that new product launches or activities are determined by the results of customer choices. The interactive nature of the poll ("Which moment captivates you?") enhances consumer engagement, fitting Wakefield’s proposition that ephemeral communication effectively "builds and strengthens relationships" due to their perceived genuineness (2024). At the same time, these relatively simple choices are anonymous, and the things chosen are only about personal preferences for different aesthetics, there is no pressure for the person making the choice, and it can be considered an entertaining interaction. This also aligns with Wakefield's point that this kind of ephemeral content supports "emotional regulation" because "consumers feel less pressure to self-censor"(2024). Thus, the Instagram story creatively utilizes its short-lived nature to foster emotional involvement and momentary contemplation.
All in all, analyzing Glossier’s Instagram story got me thinking about the deeper role that ephemeral narrative in social media plays in shaping consumer sentiment and decision making. The anonymity, ephemerality, and low-stakes nature of voting make participation effortless, reinforcing the appeal of ephemeral media as a tool for escapist rather than information-driven decision making. From a consumer perspective, I found this interaction interesting. And Wakefield also mentioned: Sending online marketing communications with high ephemerality will be a more effective means for firms to build loyalty compared to sending online marketing communications with low ephemerality (2024). However, for a well-known brand, this narrative of ephemeral voting interaction is certainly just one of the ways they use Instagram stories for marketing. This method does capture the attention of followers in the moment, but more methods are needed to cultivate lasting brand influence.
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