Heroic failure narratives: building conveyed authenticity and engagement from downfalls

ABSTRACT This research investigates how heroic failure narratives displayed by a social media influencer are received and signified by online audiences. Based on a netnography, we analyse the journey of a marathonist and social media influencer in his unsuccessful quest to qualify for the Boston Marathon. Our analysis reveals how failure in a heroic quest triggers narratives and meanings related to a humanized heroic archetype. We delineate the concept of heroic failure narratives as those that, despite the failure to perform, perpetuate a prominent and special condition of the protagonist, conveying authenticity, building engagement and humanizing the relationship with the audience. We depict three heroic failure narratives, their meanings and functions: (1) Failure as a heroic process; (2) Failure as an affective bond; and (3) Failure as a tragic human fate. We discuss how heroic failure narratives may affect admired public figures, online audiences, brands, and society at large.