An integrated systematic review and bibliometric analysis of parasocial interaction from social media influencers’ perspective in the hospitality industry

Parasocial relations and social media influencers' persuasive power. Exploring the moderating role of product involvement

Sosyal medya etkileyicileri ürettikleri lüks marka içerikleri ile takipçileriyle etkileşim yaratmaktadır. Aynı zamanda bilgi aktarımı, yeni fikir üretimi ve trend takibi açısından lüks marka içerikleri etkileşim sürecinde önemli bir unsur olmaktadır. Dünya genelinde sosyal medya etkileyicileri ile takipçileri arasında bir etkileşim vardır. Takipçiler önerilen bir ürünü ve markayı deneyimleme, deneyimin bir parçası olma eğilimine gitmektedir. Bu çalışmanın amacı bireylerin takip ettikleri sosyal medya etkileyicileri tarafından üretilen lüks marka içeriklerine yönelik düşünce ve yönelimlerini irdelemektir. Sosyal medya kullanımının yoğun olduğu gençlere yönelik yapılan araştırma kapsamında 20 Aralık 2021-6 Ocak 2022 tarihleri arasında 13 katılımcıyla derinlemesine görüşme yapılmıştır. Araştırma sonucunda; sosyal medya etkileyicilerinin ürün paylaşımlarının, katılımcıların satın alma davranışlarını doğrudan etkilemediği ancak önerileri değerlendirme sürecinde etkili olduğu saptanmıştır. Ayrıca sosyal medya etkileyicisine duyulan sevgi ve güvenin yani parasosyal ilişkinin önemli bir rol oynadığı saptanmıştır. Katılımcılar, sosyal medya etkileyicilerinin marka işbirlikleri ve kendi önerileri arasındaki farkı kavrayabilmekte ve iş birliği olduğu halde belirtilmeyen içeriklerden rahatsız olmaktadırlar. Katılımcılar, etkileyicilerin lüks marka tüketimlerinin onların statüsünü yükseltmediğini belirtirken lüks marka ile etkileyici uyumsuzsa markaya olumsuz tutum geliştirildiği saptanmıştır.

“Stop the unattainable ideal for an ordinary me!” fostering parasocial relationships with social media influencers: The role of self-discrepancy

Consumer Response to Social Media Influencers: Effects of Social Media Attachment, Parasocial Interaction, and Susceptibility

Extensive research conducted notes that no researchers holistically consider these problems. This research focus on the role of influencers in digital marketing, and the framework consist of a (Hwang, 2018) model with a UGT (User and Gratification Theory), and some variables are influenced by the Persuasion Knowledge Model (Friestad, Wright, 1994). Additionally, researchers have done their research on one YouTube video for a particular brand, so there is a need to research a public domain in which the focus is on all platforms of social media so that the result can be holistic. Further, researchers have conducted their research on generation Y, so there is also a need to conduct this research holistically. The paper used the SEM (Structural Equation Modeling) technique to analyze the data we have collected. The present research is based on a broad framework; this is why the paper has used PLS (Partial Least Square) to evaluate the hypothetical model. The findings reveal that social media users' para-social relationship with the social media influencers has a positive and significant relationship with EWOM by social media users and a negative and not significant relationship with the purchase intention of the social media users. Thus, it shows that para-social relationships increase EWOM, not purchase intention. Moreover, social media users' para-social relationship also depicts a positive and significant relationship between influencers' credibility and EWOM. Moving further, results reveal that para-social relationships with (Parasocial Relationship -> Influencer Credibility -> Brand Trust) and (Influencer Credibility -> Brand Trust -> Purchase Intention) have a partial mediation relationship. Lastly, moderation analysis indicates that there is a two positive (MOD (PR with IC)_ -> Influencer Credibility), (MOD (IC with Willingness)_ -> Willingness to search) and 1 (MOD (IC with PK)_ -> Product Knowledge) moderation relationship. The findings serve as essential evidence for social media influencers that their credibility impacts the purchase intention of the social media user as well as their excellent para-social relationship with the social media users will highly impact their EWOM. This study indicates that the para-social relationship of social media users with the social media influencers enhances the consumers' purchase intention and increases the EWOM (electronic word of mouth) between the social media users.

Metaverse promises new frontiers in mobility, collaboration, and connectedness in a digital universe poised to digitize our world of workplace and marketplace. The current study aims to explore the effect of consumer neuroticism, parasocial relationships, social media influencers' credibility, and openness to Metaverse experience on the intention to use the Metaverse digital marketplace. Prominent theories, including elaboration likelihood model and personality traits notion, supported the development of a multi-path model for the intention to use Metaverse digital marketplace. Drawing on extensive data of social media active users (N=1861) and covariance-based structural equation modeling (CB-SEM), the novel findings revealed that parasocial relationships and social media influencers' credibility positively trigger intentions to use the Metaverse digital marketplace. Moreover, a higher tendency of openness to Metaverse experience intensifies the effect of parasocial relationships on the intentions to use the Metaverse digital marketplace. Interestingly, openness to Metaverse experience is negatively associated with consumers' neuroticism. The study implications offer new insights into parasocial relationships and the credibility of social media influencers in determining followers' intention to use the Metaverse digital marketplace. Transition to the digital marketplace can be accelerated if consumers (prone to neuroticism) are offered professional support to overcome negative emotions (e.g., fear and helplessness) toward emerging digital technologies such as the Metaverse.

Metaverse promises new frontiers in mobility, collaboration, and connectedness in a digital universe poised to digitize our world of workplace and marketplace. The current study aims to explore the effect of consumer neuroticism, parasocial relationships, social media influencers' credibility, and openness to Metaverse experience on the intention to use the Metaverse digital marketplace. Prominent theories, including elaboration likelihood model and personality traits notion, supported the development of a multi-path model for the intention to use Metaverse digital marketplace. Drawing on extensive data of social media active users (N=1861) and covariance-based structural equation modeling (CB-SEM), the novel findings revealed that parasocial relationships and social media influencers' credibility positively trigger intentions to use the Metaverse digital marketplace. Moreover, a higher tendency of openness to Metaverse experience intensifies the effect of parasocial relationships on the intentions to use the Metaverse digital marketplace. Interestingly, openness to Metaverse experience is negatively associated with consumers' neuroticism. The study implications offer new insights into parasocial relationships and the credibility of social media influencers in determining followers' intention to use the Metaverse digital marketplace. Transition to the digital marketplace can be accelerated if consumers (prone to neuroticism) are offered professional support to overcome negative emotions (e.g., fear and helplessness) toward emerging digital technologies such as the Metaverse.

In recent years, social media influencers (SMIs) have become independent entities capable of influencing their audiences. Businesses look towards SMIs on Instagram as a marketing communication tool due to their popularity and effectiveness. In tourism, few studies investigate the role of SMI in influencing travel behaviors. The study examines how SMI can influence Instagram followers' travel behaviors. This study determined SMI based on attractiveness, similarity, and expertise. SMI can generate parasocial interactions with followers and build trust by promoting destinations based on these three dimensions. This study tested the research hypothesis on 364 respondents using a dual-approach analysis of structural equation modeling and fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis. The results of the SEM analysis confirm that consumers were more likely to trust SMI based on their expertise and similarity. Also, this study demonstrated that highly attractive SMI and similarity with followers can lead to parasocial interactions. When consumers trust and feel parasocial interaction with SMI, they are more likely to consider traveling. FsQCA results confirm the presence of two configurations with high travel intention. The causal conditions configuration presented in this study demonstrated the interdimensional relationship between SMIs (attractiveness, similarity, and expertise), trust, and parasocial interaction in terms of travel intention. This study also achieved theoretical contributions and managerial implications on how scholars and tourism managers leverage SMIs to create high travel intentions. Doi: 10.28991/ESJ-2023-07-01-02 Full Text: PDF

Purpose With growing concerns about users’ well-being on social media, research stresses the importance of threat appraisals as a crucial first step in motivating self-protective actions. This study, in view of the prevalence of parasocial relationships between followers and social media influencers, aims to unravel the complex dynamics of followers’ threat perceptions within these relationships. Specifically, it examines how factors such as perceived self-efficacy to disengage and the positive affect of social media use influence threat appraisals. Design/methodology/approach A theoretical model is proposed based on appraisal theory to examine the impact of parasocial relationships on threat perception in engagement. It is empirically tested with data from 186 Instagram users. Findings The study reveals an overall positive relationship between parasocial relationships and perceived threat. This relationship is moderated by followers’ perception of self-efficacy to disengage – followers with a high sense of self-efficacy to disengage experience a decrease in threat perception as their parasocial relationships strengthen, whereas followers with a low sense of self-efficacy to disengage report an increase in threat perception with higher levels of parasocial relationships. This interplay is pronounced when followers experience average or below-average levels of positive affect on social media but diminishes when the positive affect is high. Originality/value This work contributes insights into social media influencers, threat appraisal dynamics and digital well-being research. Bridging a critical gap in existing knowledge, the study identifies the pivotal roles of followers’ self-efficacy to disengage and positive affect in shaping their threat appraisals toward parasocial relationships with social media influencers. This not only advances theoretical frameworks but also enhances our understanding of the nuanced dynamics of user reactions to parasocial engagements. Our findings offer practical insights for researchers, practitioners and platform developers aiming to cultivate healthy and responsible social media engagement in the digital era, ultimately contributing to individual well-being.

With the rapid development of the sharing economy and the progress of social ecological civilization, social media influencers (SMIs) have garnered significant from academia and practitioners for their pivotal role in fostering pro-environmental behavioral intentions within the tourism consumption context. Drawing on the two-step flow theory, social influence theory, and social learning theory, this study establishes an integrated analytical framework to elucidate how SMIs facilitate the balance between tourism development and ecosystem preservation by activating pro-environmental behavioral behavior. This study conceptualizes the SMIs’ multi-traits as a higher-order construct (a third-order reflective structure), which integrates content-determined and personality-determined attributes, viewing SMIs’ effectiveness as a coherent system of influence rather than a series of fragmented traits. Based on survey data collected from 598 Chinese social media users, the study utilized Covariance-Based Structural Equation Modeling (CB-SEM) to test the proposed model. The results demonstrate that SMIs’ multi-traits exert significant positive effects on parasocial relationships and wishful identification, which in turn enhance individuals’ willingness to mimic. This willingness to mimic serves as a core behavioral conversion mechanism, bridging digital influence on three pro-environmental behavioral intentions: general, specific and online advocacy intentions. Furthermore, robustness analyses reveal marked heterogeneity across education- and income-based groups, indicating that the efficacy of SMI traits and the psychological-to-behavioral conversion efficiency are contingent upon the recipients’ socioeconomic resources and cognitive capital. Overall, this study characterizes social media influencer marketing as a scalable, socially driven phenomenon that can effectively activate and promote pro-environmental behavioral intentions, providing valuable insights for environmental education and sustainable tourism development in the digital age.

Current research on parasocial relationships has a focus on the media consumer and the media personae in television or film where the media consumer exerts time and emotional energy into the relationship while the character is unaware of their existence. The purpose of this study is to explore the Influencers and further conceptualize the term parasocial relationship to include these online mediated relationships and interactions. This study explores parasocial relationships and what is associated with them in the context of social media with respondents who consistently engage with social media Influencers. Social media Influencers address their audiences personally and share content that entices people to continue following or interacting with them. This mutual awareness between the social media Influencer and the media consumer strengthens the parasocial relationship. I hypothesize that people who consistently engage with specific social media Influencers will report positive associations between parasocial relationships, homophily, identification and wishful identification with the Influencer. The possibility and amount of interaction between the Influencer and the individual would also entice people to engage with the Influencer more frequently.

The power of social media influencers (SMIs) as effective endorsers for destinations and tourism products have been widely acknowledged. Despite being characterised as content generators by prior research, little has been done to examine how consumers perceive content produced by SMI, a key component of destination marketing campaigns. Moreover, parasocial relationship between SMI and the follower has been proven to enhance the persuasive impact of SMIs. Hence, this study aims to shed light on how consumers would assess the SMI and the content the SMI produced, as well as the effect of parasocial relationship on processing SMI destination marketing campaigns. Findings (N = 501) have highlighted that argument quality of SMI content has a stronger direct impact on campaign attitude, destination image and travel intention, as compared to source credibility. With the application of the Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM) as a framework, this study illuminates consumers’ interaction with the SMI destination marketing campaign and extends prior studies in understanding the importance of SMI content and parasocial relationship as a significant tool for future destination marketing.

In a marketing environment where consumers trust each other far more than they trust companies’ marketing communications, social media influencers have become important mediators in consumer decision making, particularly for younger consumers. A social media influencer is an opinion leader or tastemaker in one or more areas of consumption, who has a considerable following in social media. Previous research has revealed that when consumers form a one-sided relationship that has an illusion of intimacy with the influencer – a parasocial relationship – they are more likely to be influenced by them in their purchasing decisions. The purpose of this chapter is to identify and analyze the nature and types of parasocial relationships formed between consumers and influencers on social media. This purpose is addressed through an interpretive, qualitative study (n = 29) of Generation Z consumers who can be considered as “social media natives.” The findings contribute to an in-depth understanding of how consumers form relationships with influencers and what these relationships mean to consumers in their daily lives.

Purpose The purpose of this study is to explore which content characteristics of social media influencers (SMIs) posted from Facebook brand pages (FBPs) can impact millennial consumers’ engagement by drawing on the advertising value model, source credibility model, parasocial interaction (PSI) theory and consumer engagement theory. Design/methodology/approach This research implements structural equation modeling (SEM) and mediation analysis as the data analysis method, using non-probability purposive sampling of 252 millennials who have followed fashion and beauty micro-SMIs content posted from FBPs. Findings Established on hypothesis testing, PSI strongly mediates consumer engagement with the indirect effects of entertainment value and trustworthiness rather than informativeness value. Research limitations/implications This research extends the influencer marketing literature on the advertising value model, source credibility model, parasocial interaction (PSI) theory and consumer engagement theory by conceptualizing an integrated model with the mediating role of SMIs’ PSI with millennials on FBPs, which resulted upon cognitive, affective and behavioral engagement, which was overlooked earlier. Practical implications Following the worthy recommendations in this research, the fashion and beauty brand owners and other stakeholders collaborating and following SMIs’ contents on FBPs benefit from reciprocal closeness affecting consumer engagement. Originality/value The researchers have identified antecedents from four separate models and theories regarding consumer engagement as a model inclusively for SMI content characteristics reinforcing PSI on millennial consumers’ engagement regarding FBPs with the practical orientation.

Social media influencers (SMIs) are figures who have cultivated an online following by commercializing their social media content, establishing credibility, and building parasocial relationships (PSR) with their followers. SMIs can be categorized by their follower count: mega (<1m), macro (100k-1m), micro (5k-100k), and nano (>5k). The purpose of this study is to investigate (1) how PSR and influencer credibility vary across nano, micro, and macro SMIs, (2) how credibility in different levels affects the development of PSR, and (3) how PSR affects brand attitude. The findings of this study show that credibility is linked to PSR development among SMIs but is not significantly different across SMI levels. PSR is also found to be significantly higher among nano-influencers than the micro and macro levels, and positively influences brand attitude. The study extends existing research on follower count and offers new theoretical and practical insights into nano-influencer marketing.