The Effects of Social Media Influencers' Self-Disclosure, Source Credibility, and Parasocial Relationships on Brand Trust and its Consequences

Abstract

The availability of social media to most of the population has significantly increased in the present era. Social media users now have many options to access all kinds of information for their personal and job-related information. Many users seek opinions from social media influencers about goods and services because of their prosocial relationships. Past studies document that, besides other factors, an essential precursor of social media influencers is "intimate relationships between social media users and followers." Thus, the study has examined the effect of "self-disclosure on parasocial relationships and source credibility." It also examined the effect of "parasocial relationship and source credibility on brand trust." In addition, it examined the effect of "brand trust on commitment and brand loyalty." The study has collected a sample of 472 students from leading local universities in Karachi. It focused on them because the students are active users of social media. The study documents that self-disclosure positively affects parasocial relationships and source credibility. Parasocial relationships and source credibility promote brand trust. In addition, brand trust is a significant precursor of commitment and brand loyalty. These findings are crucial for understanding the dynamics of social media influencers and their impact on brand trust and loyalty. It also provides valuable insights for marketers and researchers in the domain of social media influencers.