The influencer sent me! Examining how social media influencers affect social media engagement, social self-efficacy, knowledge acquisition, and social interaction

Abstract

This study examined how exposure to social media influencer (SMI) content affects social media engagement (SME), knowledge acquisition, social self-efficacy (SSE), and social interaction. Structural equation analysis indicated that exposure to SMI content improves SME, perceptions of knowledge acquisition, and SSE. In turn, perceptions of knowledge acquisition improved SSE and improved both online and offline social interaction. Perceptions of knowledge acquisition positively mediated between exposure to SMI content and online social interaction, between SME and online social interaction, and between SME and SSE. The study concludes that following an SMI empowers users regarding perceptions of knowledge and SSE, and that these two then improve social interaction with others. These effects are important in the context of social media misinformation and the fact that SMI content is widely consumed and yet remains largely unvetted for accuracy and authenticity.