Autenticidade Padronizada? O papel do design e sua virada gestorial na produção de subjetividades e discursos estéticos no Instagram

Abstract

This paper investigates how the production of subjectivity and aesthetic consumption on Instagram are shaped by the dynamics of contemporary neoliberalism, highlighting the central role of the partnership between design and branding in the standardization of discourses and aesthetics. Theoretically grounded in Michel Foucault's Archaeology of Knowledge and Genealogy of Power, the study explores the discourse of authenticity and how it operates as a tool for visual standardization, reinforcing hegemonic standards aligned with the neoliberal logic that holds values such as intangibility, exclusivity and aesthetics at the center. The analysis is in-depth on the @coolmmerce profile, revealing the discursive structures that sustain this hegemony and the elements that ensure its dissemination as a market strategy, leading to the hyper-aestheticization of everyday life, marked by the valorization of intangible aspects and the creation of intensely visualized and performative experiences. The aim is to understand the historical and cultural conditions that allowed the emergence of such dynamics, from the neoliberal managerial shift to transaesthetic capitalism, highlighting the role of standardized knowledge as a discourse of authority. Finally, we propose a reflection on the implications of these dynamics in the creation and blind reproduction of subjectivities by designers, questioning the limits between authenticity and control in the digital environment and in everyday life.