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Consumers’ changing media consumption behaviors and skepticism toward traditional forms of advertising have prompted the growth of influencer marketing. Even as regulatory authorities call on brands and influencers to disclose the posts as advertising, no consistent guidelines exist. The distinct effects of self-generated versus platform-initiated disclosures also remain unclear, nor has research addressed the interplay of key influencer characteristics and marketing disclosures. This article reports on findings from the first academic field study of influencer marketing disclosures, as well as three experimental studies, which indicate that disclosure is a double-edged sword. When provided through a platform-initiated branded content tool, disclosure consistently exerts the strongest effect on perceptions of advertising, negatively relating to influencer trustworthiness and consumer engagement. The effects of disclosure type also depend on the number of followers and number of previously endorsed products (i.e., influencer characteristics). Yet consumers also express appreciation for transparency when influencers disclose posts as advertising, which increases perceived trustworthiness of the influencer and engagement with the post. The implications of these findings should inform choices by public policy makers, brand managers, and influencers.

With the rapid development of the influencer marketing industry in recent years, the cooperation between brands and micro-influencers on marketing has achieved much attention. As a key sub-task of influencer marketing, micro-influencer recommendation is gaining momentum. However, in influencer marketing campaigns, it is not enough to only consider marketing effectiveness. Towards this end, we propose a concept-based micro-influencer ranking framework, to address the problems of marketing effectiveness and self-development needs for the task of micro-influencer recommendation. Marketing effectiveness is improved by concept-based social media account representation and a micro-influencer ranking function. We conduct social media account representation from the perspective of historical activities and marketing direction. And two adaptive learned metrics, endorsement effect score and micro-influencer influence score, are defined to learn the micro-influencer ranking function. To meet self-development needs, we design a bi-directional concept attention mechanism to focus on brands and micro-influencers marketing direction over social media concepts. Interpretable concept-based parameters are utilized to help brands and micro-influencers make marketing decisions. Extensive experiments conducted on a real-world dataset demonstrate the advantage of our proposed method compared with the state-of-the-art methods.

Information disorder has become an increasing concern in the wake of the 2016 US presidential election. With the state of the COVID-19 pandemic rapidly evolving in all facets, the vaccination debate has become increasingly polarized and subjected to a form of politics based around identity markers such as nationality, ethnicity, gender, and ideology. At the forefront of this is the COVID-19 anti-vaccination movement that has gained mainstream attention, leading to conflict with pro-vaccinationists. This has paved the way for exploitation by subversive elements such as, foreign state-backed disinformation campaigns, alternative news outlets, and right-wing influencers who spread false and misleading information, or disinformation, on COVID-19 in order to promote polarization of the vaccine debate through identity politics. Disinformation spread sows confusion and disorder, leading to the erosion of social cohesion as well as the potential for real-world conflict and violence. As a result, the article below will generate further understanding of the modern-day spread of disinformation, the strategies and tactics utilized by state and non-state actors, the effects of its exposure, and the social-psychological processes involved in its spread and resonance. Furthermore, in countering this phenomenon, this article recommends a collaborative framework involving emphasis on critical media literacy skills, citizen participation, and development of counter-offensive capabilities towards state-backed information operations.

AIM: This study aims to identify psychological factors against vaccine rejection in Indonesia. The study also provides a review of the group of different factors on psychological factors in social media. METHODS: This study uses secondary data sourced from Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram about vaccines rejection from 2018 to 2019. That text is labeled based on seven psychological factors that influence vaccine rejection. The factor analysis method is used to determine the relationship between vaccine rejection and psychological factors. RESULTS: Dimension 1 focused on individual and group influences, where the correlation value between factors such as vaccine misinformation, health worker trust, perception of side effect is 0.906 (>0.5). Dimension 2 used different factors such as trust in the goverment, negative opinion about vaccine efficacy, and social influence as contextual/environmental influencers,with a correlation value of 0.866 (>0.5). Meanwhile, Dimension 3 with general perception is a factor in vaccine and vaccination specific problems with a correlation value of 0.940 (>0.5). CONCLUSION: Psychological factors are mainly associated with vaccine rejection. Stakeholders need to observe these factors in identifying conditions for childhood vaccines rejection posted on social media in Indonesia.

This article extends sociological and feminist accounts of housework by examining the social significance of the rise of the ‘cleanfluencer’: online influencers who supply household cleaning and organization tips and modes of lifestyle aspiration via social media. We focus on ‘Mrs Hinch’; aka Sophie Hinchliffe from Essex, the ‘homegrown’ Instagram star with 4.1 million followers who shares daily images and stories of cleaning and family life, and has a series of bestselling books, regular daytime TV appearances and supermarket tie-ins. We argue that, within neoliberal culture, housework is now often refashioned as a form of therapy for women’s stressful lives: stresses that neoliberalism and patriarchy have both generated and compounded. The argument is developed through three sections. First, we locate Mrs Hinch in relation to longer classed, gendered and racialized histories of domestic labour and the figure of the ‘housewife’, and the re-writing of domestic narratives to find new ways of ensuring women’s willingness to participate in unpaid domestic labour. Second, we analyse the contradictions of cleanfluencing as a form of ‘digital identity labour’ representing offline housework, which in this case is precarious and classed. Finally, drawing these themes together, we show how ‘Hinching’ recasts housework as part of a neoliberal therapeutic promise to ‘clean away’ the instabilities, anxieties and threats of contemporary culture.

The purpose of this study is to determine the strategy of influencers in attracting tourist visits to Bulukumba Regency. The method used in this research is a qualitative approach. The subjects in this study were the people around the tourist attraction, tourists and the Bulukumba Regency Tourism Office. The research instrument is Observation, Interview and Documentation. The results of this study show. Influencer Marketing is one of the marketing strategies by using efficient social media to promote a product or service offered by the industry. Not only that, using Influencer Marketing can significantly cut costs used for promotions

Asian American women’s beauty practices have been doubly pathologized – not only being stereotyped as passive, dull, unattractive, and foreign, but also stigmatized as non-normative, uneducated, se...

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to assess the influence mechanism of the word-of-mouth reputation of influencers.Design/methodology/approachThis study explored word-of-mouth reputation from four characteristics of information source of influencers: credibility, professionalism, interactivity and attractiveness. The grounded theory was used to extract the characteristic indicators of influencers and used questionnaire surveys to obtain 218 valid samples. The fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) was used for the configuration analysis.FindingsThe results revealed the following: (1) a causal asymmetric correlation exists between the driving mechanism of high word-of-mouth reputation and non-high word-of-mouth reputation; (2) influencers matching high word-of-mouth reputation comprises potential, developmental and almighty types, whereas live streaming influencer matching non-high word-of-mouth reputation comprises elementary and groping types; and (3) all factors must be combined to play a role, and neutral permutations of two solutions were found among the three overall solutions to attain high word-of-mouth reputation; (4) the combination of high user activity and high exposure is the core configuration that results in high word-of-mouth reputation.Practical implicationsThis study provides recommendation for consumers, live streamers, brand and e-commerce platform on how to promote the sustainable and healthy development of influencer marketing.Originality/valueThis study focused on elucidating how the characteristics of information source affect the word-of-mouth reputation of influencers and have a reference value for the research on word-of-mouth reputation in the context of live commerce.

Digital marketing campaigns increasingly utilize social media influencers. Research in influencer marketing has investigated popularity metrics but found conflicting results on how the number of followers and likes on posts might influence consumers' behaviors. The present research investigates green living orientation of influencers as a moderating characteristic that leads to differential interpretation of popularity metrics in the context of green advertising messages. Specifically, lower popularity metrics seem to benefit green influencers or “greenfluencers.” An increased perception of trust in greenfluencers with lower popularity results in enhanced attitudes toward a sponsored product and increased purchase intentions. Additionally, consumers are willing to donate higher amounts to a related charity after exposure to a promotional post by a green influencer with low following. We present the results of three lab studies and discuss theoretical and practical implications.

The present study investigates the effectiveness of nanoinfluencers in persuading consumers on social media platforms. Specifically, we propose that message features, such as message construal and message valence, determine message credibility, which influences behavioral intentions toward the service provider and the nanoinfluencer. Three experiments were carried out to test the hypotheses across different contexts. The study findings reveal that low-construal messages posted by the nanoinfluencer are viewed as more credible than high-construal messages. Furthermore, message valence moderates this relationship, such that positively framed low-construal messages are perceived as more credible than negatively framed low-construal messages, which affects consumers’ behavioral intentions. Theoretically, the present study contributes to the literature on influencer marketing by examining the persuasion process for nanoinfluencers. The study findings provide novel insights for service providers interested in nanoinfluencer marketing and nanoinfluencers looking to increase message credibility and grow their following.

PurposeDrawing on push and pull entrepreneurship theory, this research investigates how and why social media users become social media influencers (SMIs), a specific type of digital entrepreneur.Design/methodology/approachAdopting a phenomenological perspective and following a process approach, a total of 35 semi-structured face-to-face interviews were conducted with SMIs of different ages, follower numbers and associated with diverse areas of expertise. Subsequently, via interpretative analysis of interviewees' narratives and reasons for becoming SMIs, relevant motivations and events were uncovered and described.FindingsThe findings showcase two types of SMIs: “Entrepreneurial Influencers” and “Influential Entrepreneurs”. Their motivations and the path they followed on their entrepreneurial efforts were also uncovered. Finally, based on these findings, a new entrepreneurial motivational driver is proposed.Practical implicationsPublic entrepreneurial incentive policies should consider SMIs as a specific type of would-be entrepreneurs with some advantage in terms of prominence and reputation, which might help them to successfully initiate and consolidate traditional entrepreneurial activities.Originality/valueThis paper is among the first to examine SMIs from an entrepreneurial perspective, contributing to the nascent digital entrepreneurship literature.

Social media influencer (SMI) advertising is on the rise; however, extant theory regarding the determinants of SMI advertising effectiveness is undeveloped. The present research establishes when and how the type of SMI based on the number of followers influences SMI advertising effectiveness. Specifically, the findings of four experimental studies show that micro-influencers (those who have 10,000 to 100,000 followers) are more persuasive than mega-influencers (those who have more than 1 million followers) because endorsements by micro-influencers (versus mega-influencers) bestow higher perceptions of authenticity on the endorsed brand, which “rubs off” from the perceptions regarding influencer authenticity. However, this differential effect of SMI type through influencer and brand authenticity occurs only when the endorsed product is perceived as hedonic (as opposed to utilitarian) consumption. From a theoretical perspective, these findings extend prior research on how endorsements from different SMI types vary in terms of their persuasiveness, shed light on the underlying mechanism, and identify consumption type as an important boundary condition. From a practical perspective, we offer managerial implications for enhancing the effectiveness of SMI advertising strategies by taking into consideration SMI types, consumption contexts, and message framing styles.

A series of three studies explore the endorsement effectiveness of ‘macro’ influencers compared with ‘regular’ celebrities. Using multidimensional scaling, we provide evidence of perceptual differe...

Despite vast research on reality television (RTV) and The Bachelor (2002) franchise specifically, most scholarship focuses on its appeal or negative impact on viewers. The inclusion of social media...

This study investigated the attitude and subjective norms of students on Social Media Influencers (SMIs) towards the behavioural intent on their dietary choices in accordance with the Theory of Reasoned Action. Social media influencers as groups of people have had to some extent constructed a reputation for themselves through applying social media platforms to promote oneself. In completing the study, the final year students in Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) were selected as the respondents. The results of the study showed there is a significant relationship between the subjective norms of students on SMIs with the behavioral intent on their dietary choices. Thus, the study concluded that attitude of students towards the SMIs does not affected their daily dietary choices, however, the subjective norms in the students’ life on the SMIs actually makes a difference in their eating habits. Based on the findings of the study, 97.6% of the students believed that they have healthy dietary choices. This study also shows that, 98.8% of the respondents subscribe to social media influencers on their social media accounts. The findings alone indicated that the students’ live are impacted by them. Furthermore, most of them follow the social media influencers on every social media platform: Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, TikTok and Twitter. However, Instagram is the most used social media platform to subscribe to them.

The massive information on various social media platforms, particularly Instagram, frequently shows the euphoria or attractiveness of young marriages by influencers who may have privileges that may be different from the followers. This study focuses on two primary issues, namely: the background of young marriage among influencers and the youth’s view on the young marriage trend among influencers. This study aims to discover the reasons of young marriages performed by influencer and learn about the youth’s view on the trend of young marriage influencers on social media Instagram. This study uses the basics of mass communication, computer mediated communication theory, new media, symbolic interaction and social reality construction. This study uses a qualitative approach with case study. Data collection techniques are conducted in-depth interviews and the object of research is the content of young marriage influencers and the subjects in this study are young people and influencers. The results of the study show that influencers conducting young marriages are based on the desire to have children quickly, the freedom and the desire to learn responsibility. The youth’s view on influencer young marriage constructs expectations of freedom, romance and happiness of young marriage so that many young people are encouraged to do young marriages that are motivated by influencers and the neighbors.

Este estudo analisa os enquadramentos (framing) e sua relação com a desinformação sobre vacinas contra a COVID-19 em 50 vídeos postados no YouTube em 2020, em canais de influenciadores brasileiros, selecionados a partir do engajamento, considerando visualizações, comentários e likes. Como caminho teórico-metodológico, adota-se a ideia de quadros (frames) como “pacotes interpretativos” que produzem sentidos e têm ressonância na cultura. Os resultados apontam que os quadros “risco e incerteza científica” e “política pública e estratégia política”, apesar de subordinados ao frame dominante “novo desenvolvimento tecnológico”, foram os mais associados à ocorrência da desordem informacional em narrativas de médicos, religiosos, youtubers e profissionais da comunicação. A desinformação presente nos discursos antivacina também ocorre em narrativas que defendem a ciência e a vacina, evidenciando as tensões e/ou ambiguidades que podem ocorrer no enquadramento midiático. O frame “novo desenvolvimento tecnológico” foi predominante na amostra e no enfrentamento à desinformação, destacando-se narrativas de pesquisadores e divulgadores da ciência, que demonstram a importância da divulgação científica.

The existence of social media allows the emergence of social media influencers where in turn they have an impact on social media users. This can happen by bringing up new messages or raising issues about a particular subject. One of them is the topic of the concept of beauty and its relation to self-confidence. Moreover, with the existence of social media influencers who carry out information dissemination activities by compiling and creating content related to the concept of beauty and its relation to self-confidence. By using persuasive narratives, social media influencers build different beauty concepts that can even be contrary to concepts that have been developing in society. The purpose of writing this research is focused on providing an understanding to the wider community, about the narratives used by social media influencers in persuading and penetrating new messages to the public, especially with regard to the concept of ideal beauty related to hairstyles. Through the method of qualitative content analysis techniques to observe the messages conveyed by social media influencers, related to a number of important aspects. The use of qualitative content analysis allows the writer to see the content of the message more deeply, through understanding the meaning of the message.

Advances in today's communication technology have allowed people to interact with each other with foreign cultures. So, in the process, it is not uncommon to find cases which are later found to be put into a category where ethics can be neglected at the regional level which is indirect [12]. The Youtube platform, which in the process, has in fact carried out the function of mass media, for example, by having a significant effect as the main supplier of information needs for the audience, will certainly really need creator content that can prioritize ethics. And, to take it further, users are also part of the industry. It becomes a problem when luxury exhibitions are made into content, because there is an element of social inheritance that the Youtube Platform has in terms of the function of mass communication. Where this condition can then be interpreted as the mass media also has a function as an educator by passing on ideas from figures or in other terms, namely transmitting culture. (Littlejohn, 2005) Is it true that luxury exhibitions are one of the topics of study that would be passed on to future generations? Considering that if you use the lens of relative deprivation—where relative deprivation is described as a situation that does not have a match between the realities of life experienced and the definition of a decent life, between expectations for a job and the life experienced [13]—then it becomes a new question. if the phenomenon of showing off luxury carried out by these influencers is then justified. Because vlogs on the youtube platform in the process are then considered to be one of the benchmarks in living life by digital natives who are filled by the younger generation. If the answer is that luxury exhibitions can increase the motivation of users or viewers to work harder, then know that not everyone has access to become rich and can play this luxury. The reason people at the top level work together to maintain the stratification system is that they benefit from the stratification system and the way in which rewards are distributed [23].

The financial planning and advice industry has been experiencing healthy growth for the past five years and is expected to accelerate this growth following the Covid-19 pandemic (IBISWorld, 2021). The pandemic has led to higher equity yields and appreciating asset value, directly increasing the total value of assets under management (AUM) held by financial planners and advisors. The industry in the US alone has surpassed $52.9 billion in 2021. As the economy is expected to improve, this figure is expected to follow suit. Not included in these figures are the explosion of online personal finance bloggers and influencers. Some YouTube and TikTok videos have raked in billions of views regarding personal finance (Smith, 2021). Many of these online contents have benefitted viewers and prompted them to start making good decisions regarding their personal wealth, spreading financial literacy to the masses. However, poor financial advice may be spread out as easily to viewers. The Wall Street Journal has reported on this issue back in 2005 where blogs and magazines have been found to give both good and bad advice on budgeting, saving, and overall personal finance management (Cullen, 2005). Whatever the net effect of this phenomenon, the easy access through social media has amplified it. This article briefly journeys through the evolution of personal finance management and personal financial planning, including the new trends this industry is moving towards. Subsequently, this article will look into the risk and rewards of the current personal financial planning and advice industry, including certified financial planners and uncertified personnel (social media influencers, financial gurus), as to whether consumers are benefitting as a whole, or otherwise. A disclaimer to this research is that the findings and opinions towards the industry do not encompass all the service providers in the business as there are many other influencing factors such as business models, individual agenda, and unique circumstances of each provider and consumer. Keywords: Conflict of interest; financial planning; financial experts; Influencers; Personal finance

Virtual Hotel Operator (VHO) trend is growing rapidly, especially in Indonesia. Two of the most popular VHO in Indonesia are OYO and RedDoorz, both have been competing to attain the first position. Both OYO and RedDoorz have their own social media marketing strategies. For example, OYO persuades other conventional hotels to collaborate and use the OYO platform in their businesses. On the other hand, RedDoorz was recorded as the most visited Virtual Hotel Operator Platform in 2019, based on the data of Konsumen Jakpat 2019. OYO and RedDoorz also utilize social media to promote their services such as Instagram and Twitter. For advertising their businesses in social media, OYO and RedDoorz often use some social media influencers or known as influencer social media marketing. Influencers should be able to effectively deliver the messages and influence people’s decisions to use the products or services they advertise. This study aims to further explore the social media marketing strategy employed by OYO and RedDoorz. The results of Social Network Analysis by using “oyoindonesia” and ‘reddoorz’ as keywords in social media Twitter showed that RedDoorz has a bigger social network and more users involved in spreading their information than OYO. On the other hand, OYO's official account on Twitter is more efficient in performing its function as marketing media.

India - a land of vast cultural & linguistic diversity, where ‘word of mouth’ plays a crucial role in building brands. Public Relations have strongly emerged as an indispensable function for protecting and enhancing reputation. With 70% population of the nation living within the rural or semi-urban geographies, and nearly 34% of the same, annually migrating to urban cities in search of a better livelihood and employment, the role of regional Public Relations becomes more intrinsic to "Integrated Communications and Marketing strategies” for brands. The research paper attempts to understand the following: a) Evolution of consumer consumption and engagement through the lens of regional Public Relations in India. b) Introduction of the concept of G-LO-RI: Global – Local-Regional. c) Challenges faced by professionals/ agencies. The research aims to emphasize the need and importance of regional Public Relations. With the help of in-depth interviews and secondary data, the research will deduce the opportunities and scope to grow in this unorganized and untapped regional territories pan India. The research paper has considered variables - demographic factors, purchasing power, access and dissemination of information and news, effects of social channels and influencers, regional content consumption patterns, and urbanization. The qualitative study of these factors aims to share an outlook and future of regional Public Relations in India. As per existing information available at the time of drafting this research paper, there was no such material or reporting evidence in the context of the role and relevance of regional Public Relations in India. This research paper aims to highlight the current ecosystem, gaps, and key findings and showcase the importance, growth, and challenges of regional Public Relations in India. Interpretations/Implications: This study found that the Regional Public Relations industry has grown multi-folds in the past two decades. There have been many contributing factors instrumental towards this growth size, scale, and reach. This study included a mix of national public relations agency professionals and regional Public Relations agency owners/founders. They shared their journey and explained the concept, growth and evolution, agency revenue model, team size, opportunities, and challenges on the whole. The level of growth is varied region-wise, while Western, Northern, and Southern regions are hot spots of growth of regional Public Relations business, Eastern and North-East region remain a potential growth market. It was also observed that the affiliate model or the associate model of business is prevalent in the industry. The upcoming trends and practices were also discussed with the participants. The agencies have relied heavily on traditional media for a long time, but there is a gradual shift towards creating more digital content, which is data-driven. In due course of the study, it was evident that industry spending differed from one region to another. FMCG, followed by Automobile and Telecom, were the front runners in spends on regional Public Relations, Government and Education sectors have also caught up. The variation is observed due to the general demand and supply rule and socio-cultural factors, including language, customs, lifestyles & values, playing a crucial role. The researcher also came across some looming challenges that the industry currently faces, and recommendations have also been shared at the end of this paper.

Influencer marketing is a marketing method that more and more companies are using when it comes to marketing brands. The purpose of the study has been to gain a deeper understanding of how social media influencers affect consumers' buying behavior. To understand this, consumers' attitudes and confidence in the phenomenon have been relevant factors to examine. The study also aimed to find out whether Word of Mouth (WoM) or social media influencers have the greatest impact on consumers' buying behavior. The results have shown that social media influencer's impact on consumers' buying behavior depends on whether attitudes are positive or negative. Consumers with positive attitudes towards social media influencers have a greater tendency to acquire what is marketed in comparison with consumers who have negative attitudes towards social media influencers, who instead refrain from buying. Factors that increase confidence in social media influencer are whether the consumer feels connected, honesty and that social media influencer in markets products / services within its area of expertise. What has been shown to play a significant role when it comes to influencing consumers' buying behaviors and attitudes is what the environment's perceptions, opinions and experiences about the phenomenon look like WoM. It has emerged that the respondents have a greater confidence in their surroundings than they have in social media influencers. This study will adopt a qualitative approach towards collection and analysis of data. Hence this study will investigate influencer marketing from a consumer perspective through a qualitative method with the help of semi-structured interviews. The researcher will conduct a minimum of 5 semi-structured interviews and analyze the data to formulate the required findings of this study.

PurposeThis research tests empirically the level of consumer engagement with a product via a nonbrand-controlled platform. The authors explore how social media influencers and traditional celebrities are using products within their own social media Instagram posts and how well their perceived endorsement of that product engages their network of followers.Design/methodology/approachA total of 226,881 posts on Instagram were analyzed using the Inception V3 convolutional neural network (CNN) pre-trained on the ImageNet dataset to identify product placement within the Instagram images of 75 of the world's most important social media influencers. The data were used to empirically test the relationships between influencers, product placement and network engagement and efficiency.FindingsInfluencers achieved higher network engagement efficiencies than celebrities; however, celebrity reach was important for engagement overall. Specialty influencers, known for their “subject” expertise, achieved better network engagement efficiency for related product categories. The highest level of engagement efficiency was achieved by beauty influencers advocating and promoting cosmetic and beauty products.Practical implicationsTo maximize engagement and return on investment, manufacturers, retailers and brands must ensure a close fit between the product type and category of influencer promoting a product within their social media posts.Originality/valueMost research to date has focused on brand-controlled social media accounts. This study focused on traditional celebrities and social media influencers and product placement within their own Instagram posts to extend understanding of the perception of endorsement and subsequent engagement with followers. The authors extend the theory of network effects to reflect the complexity inherent in the context of social media influencers.

The announcement of the State of Alarm in Spain in March 2020 brought with it a period of great information intensity in traditional and digital media. The extraordinary nature of the measure, which provided the Government with exceptional measures to confront the Covid-19 pandemic, gave rise to a tremendously polarized scenario. In this context, some webs known for the dissemination of disinformation campaigns and, even, the promotion of ideas closes to the alt-right, were especially active in networks promoting the dissemination of ideological content with the aim of capturing traffic for subsequent monetization through advertising. This work follows the activity around of two of these webs on Twitter, Caso Aislado and Periodista Digital, with the intention of determinate their role in the political polarization. For more than two months, more than 100,000 tweets were captured, stored and studied using R software and various analysis algorithms to determine their social activity, the possible presence or not of bots or automated profiles, the nature of the content and the emotional charge associated with it. There is an intense organized activity around both portals through a high percentage of apparently automated accounts and the support of influencers profiles. Although with differences inherent around each web, it is possible to glimpse an intentional coordination through campaigns that combine content, use of support accounts and automations. La proclamación del Estado de Alarma en España en marzo de 2020 trajo consigo un periodo de gran intensidad informativa en medios tradicionales y digitales. Lo extraordinario de la medida, que dotaba de medidas excepcionales al Ejecutivo para hacer frente a la pandemia de Covid-19, dio lugar a un escenario tremendamente polarizado. En este contexto, diversos portales conocidos por la difusión de campañas de desinformación e, incluso, promoción de ideas simpatizantes con la extrema derecha, fueron especialmente activos en redes promoviendo la difusión de contenido ideológico con el objetivo de captar tráfico para su posterior monetización mediante publicidad. Este trabajo hace el seguimiento de la actividad alrededor de dos portales en Twitter, Caso Aislado y Periodista Digital, con la intención de arrojar luz sobre su papel en el clima de polarización política. Durante más de dos meses, se captaron, almacenaron y estudiaron más de 100.000 tweets mediante el software R y diversos algoritmos para dilucidar la actividad social, la posible existencia o no de bots o perfiles automatizados, la naturaleza del contenido vertido y la carga emocional asociada a él. Se comprueba una intensa actividad organizada alrededor de ambos portales a través de un alto porcentaje de cuentas aparentemente automatizadas y el apoyo de perfiles influencers que ejercen como redifusores de alta potencia. Aunque con diferencias propias de cada medio, es posible entrever una coordinación intencionada a través de campañas que aúnan contenidos, uso de cuentas de apoyo y automatizaciones.

We explore the utility of social media platforms as marketing tools in dermatology, providing a summary of how these sites are used by the public and dermatologists alike and demonstrating ways these findings may be applied for professional and business development. Recent studies reveal that 80% of patients use the Internet to acquire medical information, yet only 15% of dermatologists employ social media for professional purposes. Use of social media by patients seeking dermatologic care is overlooked among clinicians who are marketing their practices. Unique advertising niches exist among social media platforms, which must be understood by dermatologists for maximal benefit. Facebook offers the greatest engagement with educational content, YouTube allows dermatologists to demonstrate procedural skills, while the most popular dermatology influencers utilize Instagram for promotion. Ultimately, social media represents an avenue for dermatologists to reach a global audience and garner esteem among physicians and the general public.

Sosiaalisen median vaikuttajien seuraajille voi muodostua affektiivisia ystävyyden kaltaisia tunnesiteitä eli parasosiaalisia suhteita seuraamiansa mediapersoonia kohtaan. Sosiaalisessa mediassa on otolliset lähtökohdat parasosiaalisten tunteiden syntymiselle ja kehittymiselle, kun vaikuttajat päästävät katsojat kurkistamaan elämäänsä kuvien ja videoiden välityksellä, kertovat itsestään henkilökohtaisia asioita seuraajilleen ja puhuttelevat yleisöä tuttavalliseen tyyliin.Artikkelissa syvennytään parasosiaalisen suhteen syntyyn ja sitä edistäviin tekijöihin. Tutkimuksen kohteena on sosiaalisen median vaikuttaja Mmiisas eli Miisa Rotola-Pukkila. Tutkimus toteutettiin netnografisella tutkimusmenetelmällä, ja parasosiaalisen suhteen ilmenemistä vaikuttajalle tarkasteltiin seuraajien lähettämistä Instagramin yksityisviesteistä. Lisäksi vaikuttaja kirjasi havaintojaan ja ajatuksiaan parasosiaalisesta ilmiöstä kolmen viikon ajan tutkimuspäiväkirjaan.Tuloksista ilmeni, että ainakin osalla seuraajista saattaa olla hyvinkin vahva parasosiaalinen suhde sosiaalisen median vaikuttajaan. Seuraajien yksityisviesteistä oli havaittavissa monia kuvitellun ystävyyden piirteitä, jotka osoittavat vahvaa yksipuolista tunnesidettä vaikuttajaan. Mmiisas-vaikuttajan lähes kaikki sisältö perustuu itsestäkertomiseen. Tuloksista on nähtävissä, että kaikista henkilökohtaisimmat aiheet edistivät vahvimmin seuraajien parasosiaalisen suhteen ulottuvuuksien ilmenemistä viesteissä.Tulosten pohjalta artikkelissa myös pohditaan, missä mielessä parasosiaalinen suhde on vaikuttajalle tavoittelemisen arvoista, sillä Mmiisas-vaikuttaja rakentaa tiivistä ja lähes ystävyydenkaltaista suhdetta seuraajiinsa yksityisyytensä kustannuksella. Seuraajien vastavuoroinen viestintä ja avoin itsestäkertominen antavat uudenlaista näkemystä siitä, että parasosiaalinen suhde voi olla kuvitellun ystävyyden lisäksi vastavuoroinen ja vahva luottamussuhde vaikuttajan ja yleisön välillä.Avainsanat: parasosiaalisuus, parasosiaalinen suhde, sosiaalinen media, julkisuus, InstagramFriendship or illusion? The appearance of parasocial relationships in followers’ messages to the social media influencerFollowers may develop an emotional, affective, and one-sided friendship-like bond with a social media influencer, also known as a parasocial relationship. Social media creates a good basis for the development of parasocial relationships because followers have an opportunity to peek into influencers’ private lives, while the influencers disclose personal issues and address the audience in an acquaintance-like style.In this article, the formation of parasocial relationships and the elements that foster them are considered. The study aims to investigate an audience’s relationship with Finnish social media influencer Mmiisas (Miisa Rotola-Pukkila). The method used was netnography. The data were collected from private messages, which the followers sent to the influencer on Instagram. The influencer Mmiisas also kept a research journal during the three-week research period.Results revealed that at least some of the followers had a strong parasocial relationship with the influencer. In the private messages, there were many features of imagined friendship that showed a strong one-sided relationship with the influencer. Nearly all of Mmiisas’ content is based on self-disclosure. The results showed that highly personal content seems to foster the characteristics of followers’ parasocial relationships in their messages.The article discusses how beneficial a parasocial relationship is for an influencer. For example, Mmiisas seemed to build a strong friendship-like bond with her followers by sharing pieces of private information. The followers’ reciprocal communication and self-disclosure create the perspective that a parasocial relationship may also be a confidential relationship between an influencer and his or her followers.Keywords: parasociality, parasocial relationship, social media, publicity, Instagram

Health care is at a critical moment. High rates of medical errors and decreasing quality of health care make it crucial that organizations focus on quality improvement (QI). For this work to be successful, it is essential to engage physicians, as they are key decision-makers, leaders, and influencers of care. Despite this fact, few organizations have successfully sustained physician engagement in QI. A scoping review was performed using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses model to understand barriers to and strategies for engaging physicians in QI. The most commonly cited strategies were: (1) having engaged and supportive senior leadership and (2) having data support for QI work. Additional strategies included: dedicated time, resources, and education for QI work; financial incentives; clarifying organizational goals; and developing pathways for promotion. A framework was then created to operationalize physician engagement in QI in the organization.

Social media influencers (SMIs) are increasingly involving in influencer marketing to promote products. However, there are both opportunities and issues with influencer marketing. SMIs’ narrative strategies can be of great value as high-quality eWOM content is vital to maintain influencer marketing effectiveness. This paper adopts the stimulus-organism-response (S-O-R) framework to explore the value of SMIs’ narrative strategies to overcome potential influencer marketing issues within the context of China’s luxury market. A qualitative approach is applied to explore Chinese consumer perceptions toward capabilities of three SMIs’ narrative strategies (brand attribute evaluation, brand love inspiration, self-identity construction) to deal with the issues of cultural barriers, commercial–personal tension, and sponsorship disclosure in SMIs’ eWOM. Based on the research findings, this paper develops a conceptual model to illustrate how SMIs’ narrative strategies benefit the cultivation of influencer marketing on social media.

The rapid spread of COVID‐19 brought about an increased use of face masks among the general public. Focusing on disposable surgical masks in particular, this article examines consumer perceptions of and intentions toward social media influencers who wear such masks amid the pandemic. Drawing on the theory of product symbolism, this research experimentally demonstrates that masked (vs. unmasked) influencers remind consumers of highly competent healthcare professionals, leading in turn to greater competence inferences about and more favorable behavioral intentions toward these influencers. Additional analysis demonstrates that this effect might not hold for other groups of professionals who are considered relatively competent at the outset and/or whose profession is less reliant on external cues. Overall, this research suggests that apart from curtailing the spread of the pandemic, mask wearing might prove beneficial to certain groups of professionals, such as social media influencers, who have traditionally struggled to establish credibility. In a broader context, this research establishes mask wearing as a new form of nonverbal communication that warrants further examination.

This study aims to find out which factors, between the word of mouth (WoM) or marketing promotion programs (MPP), drive motivation (push and pull); to explore the influence of travel motivation toward satisfaction, and to investigate the satisfaction effect of medical tourists with loyalty. This study used a survey method by distributing questionnaires to medical tourists from Indonesia (N = 152) who have visited hospitals in Malaysia for medical care at least once. Data analysis was carried out using several statistical procedures. Firstly, a multivariate test was conducted to find out whether there is a statistically significant difference in the push and pull motives based on the influencers. Second, multiple linear regression is performed to find out the influence of push and pull variables on satisfaction. Finally, a simple linear regression is calculated to find out the influence of satisfaction on loyalty. The findings show that there is a statistically significant difference in the push and pull motives based on the influencers (WoM or MPP). The effect size of both push and pull is almost equal. The relationship between push or pull and satisfaction is also statistically significant as 41.3% of the variance in the satisfaction is explained by the push and 51.8% by pull factors. Finally, satisfaction is a significant predictor for loyalty while 90.2% of the variance in loyalty is explained by satisfaction.

This study aims to identify the market segment of Ibis Styles Bali Legian Hotel and to find out the digital marketing strategy through the mobile application in increasing room sales. This study used descriptive qualitative research methods and used primary data through interviews, observations, documentation and questionnaires. The results showed that the market segments at Ibis Styles Bali Legian were mostly FIT (Free Independence Travelers) from the Distribution and inbound segments, and the majority of tourists from Australia. The digital marketing strategy through the mobile application in increasing room sales were through promotion of products and services for brand awareness, strengthening online reputation and traffic growth, through social media, online banners on the landing page, optimization of SEO, SEM and keywords to facilitate searches/browses, collaborate with influencers and travel bloggers as well as provide extra benefits in transactions made through mobile applications. With this strategy, impacting the reservations via mobile applications is dominating the market segment by 85% of the total market and increase the sales from year to year.

This study is a review of the literature regarding business entrepreneurship and education. The main aim is to study the social and educational factors affecting the creation of self-employment for young people as a contribution to the development of local entrepreneurship, reducing unemployment and leveraging economic development. Of the various social influencers, it was important to understand the role of the family, especially of the parents, in motivating and sustaining the creation of one's own job and in the actions of entrepreneurship. In the same sense, at the educational level, to perceive the consequences of access to new resources that expand and support knowledge and skills acquisition useful for creating one's own job and reducing risk aversion of business activities. Finally, to understand the role of endogenous factors such as intelligence and individual motivation in the pursuit of entrepreneurship activities and their relationship with social and educational influencers.

This article examined the historical evolution of changes in the democratization of fashion, identified its characteristics, and defined ‘fashionocracy - fashion democracy’- by analyzing various phenomena in the global fashion industry. This research will expand the field of fashion research and spark academic debates about fashion democracy. The democratization of fashion can be summarized in five periods; birth, introduction, early growth, growth, and maturity. The characteristics of the democratization of fashion include individual autonomy, accessibility that many people can access and enjoy, and diversity. According to the principles of democracy- “of the people, for the people, by the people” - which are based on freedom and equality, we have achieved fashion of the people and for the people so far. Furthermore, social media has shifted the balance of power to influencers and bloggers; as such, the masses who have consumed and enjoyed fashion democratization are becoming producers and promoters by actively participating in the process of making fashion, creating a new era of fashion democracy (fashionocracy): - by the people. Ultimately, fashionocracy consists of the ‘6P’s’ ; people (active and productive consumers), planet (society and environmental sustainability), products (genderless, ageless, inclusive), price (reasonable), place (multi-channel distribution, virtual spaces), and promotion (horizontal).

This study explores how commodification practices occur through promotional uploads or commonly known as endorsements on social media accounts of public figures (influencers). Influencers, as people who are considered capable of influencing the audience, take advantage of this fame to carry out promotional practices that involve their families, even their children. This economic practice is not only considered as exploitation, but is specifically known as the commodification of children. The presentation of this research was carried out using a case study approach on one of the Instagram influencer accounts, Zaskia Adya Mecca. Uploads on her Instagram with handle called @zaskiaadyamecca were analyzed using the social semiotics method with derivatives of visual communication analysis tools. Document studies were also conducted on Zaskia's promotional or endorsement fee involving her family and children. This information is secondary data to provide validation for arguments regarding commodification practices communicated visually through Instagram. The results of the research based on visual communication and document studies are that the practices on the Instagram account is indicated to be commodifying children.

Social media influencer (SMI) marketing is a strategy that uses the influence of SMIs as opinion leaders to drive consumers’ brand awareness, brand image, and brand-related behavior. In this contex...

Teenagers are avid consumers of social media and also constitute attractive target audiences for influencer marketing (IM). Teenagers can perceive strong, parasocial relationships with influencers, frequently regarding them as being akin to a peer or a friend. Furthermore, influencer endorsements are observed to carry greater credibility and authenticity than traditional forms of advertising. This therefore raises questions about young consumers’ discernment of, and critical evaluation of the overall appropriateness when influencers act as conduits of commercial messages on behalf of brands. This paper reports on a qualitative study of 29 teenagers aged 15–17 years. The aim was to explore the participants’ moral advertising literacy, namely their evaluations of the fairness and appropriateness of IM. The findings indicate whilst the participants were critical and sceptical towards the practice of IM in general (i.e. their dispositional advertising literacy), they were positively disposed towards specific commercial content emanating from specific influencers, (i.e. their situational literacy), often on the basis of the parasocial relationship that was seen to prevail between influencer and follower. This study therefore illustrates a gap between the teenagers’ moral AL in the context of IM in general, and a corresponding willingness to apply this critical reflection, to known influencers.

This research was conducted due to the widespread use of social media as a marketing tool in Indonesia. This phenomenon has led to a social media marketing strategy through Instagram, one of the social media platforms used by a local cosmetic company called Rose All Day Cosmetics. This study aimed to determine the effect of the attractiveness of sales promotion messages on Rose All Day Cosmetics' Instagram account and endorsement by beauty influencers on followers' buying intention. The theories used in this research were the Elaboration Likelihood Model, the attractiveness of promotional messages, endorsement, and purchase interest theory. This research was quantitative explanative research through an online survey distributed using the direct message feature on Instagram to 398 respondents previously determined by the Yamane formula. The data obtained were tested with multiple linear regression. The findings indicated that each variable significantly influences the followers' buying intention partially or simultaneously, with a simultaneous effect of as much as 51,3% impact degree. The company must continue to follow the development of influencers, especially in the realm of micro-influencers

This study aims to find out the equity comparison of Shopee and Tokopedia e-commerce brands, brand equity itself has four dimensions including Brand Asosciation, Perceived Quality, Brand Loyalty and Brand Awareness. This study uses a quantitative method, data collection in this study using questionnaire Sampling Purposive Method by taking samples intercepted by 100 respondents. Data Analysis Techniques using descriptive analysis and Whitney Man Test data using IBM 26 SPSS Statistics. Based on the results of the research that has been carried out, it can be concluded that there are differences in the brand equity of Tokopedia and Shopee based on the dimensions where the store is superior to the Brand Loyalty dimension, while the Shopee itself is higher in terms of the dimensions of Brand Awareness, Brand Association and Perceived Quality from the Tokopedia. Tokopedia can increase these three dimensions by doing promotions using their social media, providing education about their applicationand also using influencers to facilitate promotion about the Tokopedia application while for shopees themselves, they can give gifts to memberships who have long transacted in their application. Keywords: Brand Equity, Brand Awareness, Brand Association, Brand Loyalty, Perceived Quality.

On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization (2020a) declared COVID-19, also known as Coronavirus, a global pandemic. Using a content analysis (N = 3,056) and social network analysis, we explored the role of Twitter in disseminating stigma messages about the disease and the country where the virus originated. In particular, we explored four stigma-related cues and information-related cues in message content during the pre-pandemic period (December 31, 2019-February 10, 2020). Results indicate that in the dataset, 37.6% of the Tweets had stigma cues and 34.1% Tweets contained information messages. Laypersons with Twitter handles were the primary source of stigma messages. Social media influencers were one of the primary sources for both stigma and information messages. Media organizations were also one of the primary sources of information messages. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved)

Given the huge success of fashion influencer marketing in the social media context, it is important to understand which image components of social media fashion influencers (SMFI) are effective in the new fashion adoption process when using a social shopping service such as LIKEtoKNOW.it. Using a 2 × 2 between-subject design in two studies, we investigated the joint effects of apparel product type (novel vs. familiar) and the degree of the SMFIs' high socioeconomic status (HSS) (moderately vs. extremely) on consumers' intentional mimicry consumption process from the curiosity perspective. The results showed that for SMFIs with moderately HSS, consumers' curiosity was higher for novel than familiar fashion products. In contrast, for SMFIs with extremely HSS, consumers had a similarly high level of curiosity for both novel and familiar products. Further, product curiosity was positively related to purchase intentions and intentions to use the social shopping service.

In an aggressively growing market, influencers exploit social media platforms to make videos on their chosen interests in an attempt to attract viewers worldwide. Consequently, the platforms provide monetary rewards to these influencers that are commensurate with the number of views and subscribers. We use the language expectancy theory and the emotional contagion theory in an elaboration likelihood model of persuasion to understand why the financial success of influencers varies so widely. We conduct the analysis with speech-to-text data, survey data, archival data, and structural equation modelling. Contrary to the pre-internet persuasion research, the able, motivated, and focused viewers of superstar social media influencers identify the traditionally peripheral elements of linguistic style and emotional contagion as central to increasing the number of views and subscribers. However, these viewers identify content and production expertise, traditionally central elements, as peripheral to viewing and subscriber performance.

The main goal of this research is to examine how social cues embedded in social media may influence people’s perceptions and behavioural intentions towards influencer messages. Findings from an exp...

Introducción: las redes sociales se presentan como un escenario sobrecargado de información, tutoriales, recomendaciones, bromas, publicidad, noticias falsas, que no siempre alcanzan los estándares de calidad deseables en un espacio mediático. Aprender a manejarse en este entorno es imprescindible para mantener una ciudadanía crítica e informada, particularmente entre los más jóvenes. El presente trabajo indaga sobre la opinión en torno a los contenidos que circulan en las redes sociales y la credibilidad y confianza generada. Metodología: se lleva a cabo un estudio correlacional con una muestra de 935 participantes que fueron seleccionados mediante bola de nieve entre 18 y 25 años utilizando un cuestionario auto-cumplimentado. Realizando un análisis factorial exploratorio se identifican cuatro factores que valoran las redes sociales. Resultados y Discusión: los jóvenes más identificados con la visión polémica y carente de objetividad de las redes sociales muestran mayor nivel de confianza en las fuentes de información en internet y menos en las noticias que aparecen en el perfil. Compartir la visión de las redes como canal alternativo para seguir la actualidad se asocia con dar mayor confianza a los contenidos noticiosos de las redes sociales, a las recomendaciones de usuarios e influencers de las redes. Conclusiones: Los jóvenes tienen una visión de las implicaciones de las redes sociales que refleja varias de las problemáticas que han surgido en este espacio de interacción. La recomendación que se desprende del trabajo incide en mantener el acceso de forma crítica a los contenidos.

This study uncovers parents’ advertising literacy and their mediation strategies of influencers’ commercial videos that contain media character merchandise. Thirty-five semi-structured interviews w...

Rise of internet usage gives a sense of urgency for marketer to develop enchanted promotion methods through the help of social media. This research focuses on analyze the correlation between social media influencer and purchase intention with brand image as mediating variables. Object of this research is Generation Z women since their perspectives are rarely elaborated in previous research. Sample of this research is Generation Z women, actively using make-ups and skincare, and use Instagram in their daily basis. Validity is measured through convergent validity and discriminant validity, while reliability is measured through cronbach’s alpha and composite reliability. Hypotheses are measured using PLS-SEM and considered as significant if t-value > t-table. Results indicate that social media influencer significantly correlated with purchase intention when mediated with brand image. Specifically, numbers of followers, high-activity on social media, and influencer credibility influence brand image and purchase intention in significant ways. Moreover, positive brand image, public awareness, and brand uniqueness determined as mediating factors on the relationship social media influencer and purchase intention.

Making a career decision is often challenging among students for which they are expected to decide on a career in times of uncertainty that will have an impact on the rest of their lives. The purpose of this study is to investigate the factors influencing undergraduate students’ career decision and to propose recommendations aimed to rectify career indecisions. The independent variables chosen for this research are extrinsic factors, intrinsic factors, and interpersonal factors, which is derived based on the tri-dimensional model of career choice proposed by Carpenter and Foster in 1977. An additional independent variable, which is industrial training, was added as an extension of the research framework as it is perceived to potentially influence undergraduate students’ career decision as well. All data were collected from 200 undergraduate students from a private university using questionnaires and analysed by utilising Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS Version 22). The study results indicate that intrinsic factors are the most influential in affecting undergraduate students’ career decision which is followed by interpersonal factors.However, extrinsic factors and industrial training were found to have insignificant relationship with career decision making.

A parceria entre marcas e influenciadores digitais já faz parte do planejamento estratégico de comunicação das organizações. Algumas delas, no entanto, podem se tornar um risco para a reputação das empresas, especialmente no ambiente digital. Assim, o objetivo deste artigo é discutir conceitos de gestão de crises e seus impactos no relacionamento com a opinião pública. Além de propor a categoria de crises geradas por influenciadores digitais e apresentar ferramentas de prevenção para essas situações.