Social Attraction Research Articles

Pathways to persuasion: The impact of social media influencers’ self-disclosure and follower size on persuasion outcomes

A 2 (influencer type: nano with 5000 followers vs mega with 1.1 million followers) × 2 (influencer self-disclosure: low depth vs high depth) between-subjects online experiment tested the different pathways social media influencers take to achieve persuasion outcomes in one model. Participants viewed an Instagram influencer’s profile page with either 5000 or 1.1 million followers, and a post from the influencer with either low or high depth self-disclosure. Participants then answered questions regarding social attraction, parasocial relationship, perceived expertise, persuasion outcomes, covariates, and demographic information. Results showed three serial pathways facilitate persuasion: two pathways through self-disclosure depth by way of social attraction and parasocial relationship development and another pathway through follower size by way of perceived expertise. This research advances understanding of the influencing process by using theory and empirical precedent to derive and test an integrated model of the influencing process.

“Influencers” e intención de compra centennial. Efectos pioneros persuasivos desde el atractivo físico y social

Social networks have proliferated in the paradigms of mass communication. The figure of the influencer becomes of high interest due to its impact on new types of consumption. In the diversity of consumers, the centennial generation stands out for its profile involved in the digital environment. The importance of the influencer in consumer decisions becomes relevant in the study. Physical and social attractiveness are determinants in the formation of effects on the purchase intentions of this generational segment. The objective was to analyze the effect of physical attractiveness on social attractiveness and purchase intention and to confirm the mediating effect of social attractiveness. A sample of 132 generation Z university consumers was analyzed. Through a regression model with mediation, the direct persuasive effects of physical attractiveness on purchase intention and the catalytic effect of social attractiveness between such variables are confirmed.

Testing the Effect of Sending an Evaluative Message on Perceiving Others in Computer-Mediated Communication

ABSTRACT Interpersonal mediated communication research has demonstrated that exchanging cues during online interactions can change message receivers’ perception of the senders in socially desirable ways. Building from previous self-transformative work, this work explores how perceptions of others are also shaped by the messages we write evaluating others. More specifically, the research examines the effects of sending different types of evaluative messages on attitude, social attraction, physical attraction, and task attraction toward a hypothetical CMC partner. The first experiment (N = 193) prompted participants to view a post of a video game player and then provide a confirmatory or disconfirmatory evaluation or no evaluation. Results indicated that providing positive evaluations caused a positive change in attitude toward the target, while providing negative evaluations negatively affected attitude but did not necessarily affect social, task, or physical attraction. The second experiment (N = 129) conceptually replicated the first experiment’s design in the context of an Instagram post. The results generally replicated those of the first study but additionally produced significant results on social attraction. Providing an evaluation caused significant changes in the receivers’ perception of attitude and social attraction, with the direction of change corresponding with the valence of the evaluations given to the target.

Students’ attitudes towards an instructor’s foreign accent and non-standard language variety

Abstract This study reports the outcomes of a speaker evaluation experiment conducted in a higher educational context in Flanders, in which we investigated the influence of language variety (Standard vs. Colloquial Dutch), accent (Flemish vs. Eastern European) and name (Flemish vs. Eastern European) on students’ perceptions of a female university instructor. The results suggest that participants exhibited a relatively high level of tolerance toward both non-conforming speech and non-conforming speakers. Whereas Colloquial Dutch scored lower than Standard Dutch on standardness, we observed no negative effects of Colloquial Dutch on the teacher’s didactic competence, status, or social attractiveness. We did not find any evidence of a negative bias triggered by an Eastern European name. Whereas the Eastern European accent did have a negative impact on the teacher’s social attractiveness, we did not find any evidence of an accent bias affecting judgements of the teacher’s didactic competence and status.

Tolerant mothers: aggression does not explain solitary living in the bush Karoo rat.

Many mammal species are thought to adopt solitary living owing to mothers becoming intolerant of adult offspring and the occurrence of social intolerance between adults. However, field studies on how solitary mammals interact are rare. Here we show that solitary living can occur without social intolerance. Over 3 years, we recorded interactions between free-living bush Karoo rats (Otomys unisulcatus) and conducted dyadic encounter experiments between kin and non-kin female neighbours, both in a neutral test arena and in field intruder experiments. Social interactions were rare (230/2062 observations), and they were aggressive in only 34% of cases. In dyadic encounters, mothers interacted amicably with young offspring. Aggression between mothers and offspring was almost absent. This mother-offspring relationship remained amicable even after adult offspring had dispersed. Aggression between neighbouring adult females was low in neutral arena tests, independent of kinship and season. However, in the field, females reacted more aggressively towards non-kin than kin intruders, especially during the breeding season. Tolerance between mothers and adult offspring indicates that aggression is not the mechanism leading to dispersal and solitary living. We found a solitary social system characterized by social tolerance, suggesting that dispersal and lack of social attraction rather than aggression can lead to solitary living.

MIGRATION IN THE NORTH AND THE SOUTH CAPITALS OF KAZAKHSTAN: THEORY, FACTORS AND ECONOMETRIC ANALYSIS

The article reveals the theoretical positions that influenced the development of migration processes in the Northern and the Southern capitals of Kazakhstan during 2001-2021. The novelty of the work lies in the comparative analysis of the main causes or factors that influenced migration processes in the both capitals of the country. As part of the mathematical formalization of the social attractiveness of the immigration city, the Social Attractiveness Index has been developed and proposed for use. The main tool of research and analysis was econometric data analysis based on Pooled OLS model using the STATA program. As a result, conclusions were drawn that an important factor immigration to the Northern capital was the geographical factor or the close distance of the city of Karaganda. An important factor immigration to the Southern capital was a relatively high index of attractiveness of social infrastructure or the presence of a more numerous and developed educational infrastructure (schools, universities, colleges and healthcare systems (medical institutions, hospitals).

EUROPEAN PRINCIPLES OF UNIVERSAL DESIGN AND THEIR APPLICATION IN THE ARCHITECTURE OF UKRAINIAN CITIES

The values of a solidary and democratic society, based on the principles of equality, significantly influenced the conceptual and practical principles of design throughout the Modern era. To a large extent, the formative base of modernism – the leading worldview trend that defined the architecture of the 20th and early 21st centuries – is connected with them. One of the important stages in the development of this process was the spread since the 1980s "universal design" concept that aimed at creating a more inclusive space, avoiding various forms of isolation and inequality depending on the physical abilities of a person. Currently, theoretical and practical achievements in this area make it possible to talk about a holistic system of views on design, which, however, still remains largely unrealized to the extent that the goals of universal design can be considered generally achieved. Nevertheless, thanks to the implementation of a number of initiatives and programs, inclusive and friendly environments for different groups have begun to emerge in many European cities, which testify to the benefits of the "design for all" concept. In addition to the purely humanistic aspect, it also gives cities advantages in terms of a more complete use of human potential, maintaining a high economic and social attractiveness, which ultimately increases the competitive indicators of the city. This article consists of three principle parts, two of which are reflective and one analytical. In their sequence, they have the following form: a) an outline of the current concepts of universal design, which are present in various initiatives and programs of the European Union and a wider range of sources that create the relevant discourse; b) assessment of issues related to the equality of space in domestic analysis and practice; c) determination of the local specificity of Ukraine, which determines the perspective of applying the principles of universal design. Based on the analysis, have been outlined the main features of a possible strategy for the development of universal design principles in Ukrainian cities, including taking into account the consequences of full-scale russian military aggression, which began in February 2022.

Exploring and Clustering the Influence of Social Media Influencers

Industry practitioners and academic researchers have accorded social media influencer marketing considerable attention. Marketing professionals must identify potential social media influencers as endorsers. A well-known social media influencer is not always a good endorser. The popularity of social media influencers does not imply their influence on their followers. In this paper, we present a survey of the influence power of social media influencers based on their followers' attitudes toward trustworthiness, expertise, likability, social attractiveness, physical attractiveness, opinion leadership, enjoyability, similarity, interactivity, identification, fitness, originality, informativeness, entertainment, and self-serving. We gathered 4,919 responses to a user survey regarding the influence of Taiwan's leading social media influencers. Based on the survey results, we categorized social media influencers into five groups: high-impact influencers, knowledge influencers, entertainers, content creators, and product promoters.

Exploring the Associations Between Early Maladaptive Schemas and Interpersonal Attraction: A Cross-Sectional Study Among Lebanese Female University Students

Interpersonal functioning is impacted by various schemas; early maladaptive schemas (EMSs) can negatively impact interpersonal relationships in adults, yet no prior research has explored the link between EMSs and interpersonal attraction. To address this gap, we conducted a cross-sectional study among Lebanese female university students using an online questionnaire. We also controlled for common mental health issues such as depression, anxiety, and stress. Our study, implemented across ten university campuses and with a sample of 662 cisgender and heterosexual female students, revealed significant associations between EMSs and different forms of interpersonal attraction. Specifically, punitiveness was found to increase the likelihood of high task attraction, while enmeshment was associated with higher social attraction. In contrast, none of the early maladaptive schemas were significantly associated with physical attraction. Our findings emphasize the critical role of EMSs in shaping women’s interpersonal attraction and highlight the potential utility of schema therapy in promoting healthy human interactions. This study fills an important gap in the literature and sheds light on a previously unexplored aspect of human behavior that has implications for promoting women’s well-being in diverse settings.

A wrap-around movement path randomization method to distinguish social and spatial drivers of animal interactions.

Studying the spatial-social interface requires tools that distinguish between social and spatial drivers of interactions. Testing hypotheses about the factors determining animal interactions often involves comparing observed interactions with reference or 'null' models. One approach to accounting for spatial drivers of social interactions in reference models is randomizing animal movement paths to decouple spatial and social phenotypes while maintaining environmental effects on movements. Here, we update a reference model that detects social attraction above the effect of spatial constraints. We explore the use of our 'wrap-around' method and compare its performance to the previous approach using agent-based simulations. The wrap-around method provides reference models that are more similar to the original tracking data, while still distinguishing between social and spatial drivers. Furthermore, the wrap-around approach results in fewer false-positives than its predecessor, especially when animals do not return to one place each night but change movement foci, either locally or directionally. Finally, we show that interactions among GPS-tracked griffon vultures (Gyps fulvus) emerge from social attraction rather than from spatial constraints on their movements. We conclude by highlighting the biological situations in which the updated method might be most suitable for testing hypotheses about the underlying causes of social interactions. This article is part of the theme issue 'The spatial-social interface: a theoretical and empirical integration'.

Do recently translocated black‐footed Albatross (Phoebastria nigripes) chicks respond to artificial social attraction?

AbstractTranslocations of chicks are increasingly being used in seabird restoration projects, along with social attraction of adults using acoustic and visual cues, to establish new colonies or re‐establish extirpated colonies. Many seabird species exhibit high rates of natal philopatry, where most chicks return to the nesting colonies from which they fledged. This makes them ideal candidates for translocation projects since they have a high likelihood of returning to translocation sites if they are relocated prior to imprinting on a natal site. Starting in 2017, Black‐footed Albatross (BFAL) chicks were translocated from populations in the low‐lying Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, where they face habitat loss due to sea level rise, to the higher elevation island of O‘ahu, in an attempt to establish a new colony for this species. Additionally, social attraction was utilized at the site to attract potential nesting adults and provide social stimuli for the translocated chicks. Our study examined the response of translocated BFAL chicks to visual and audio stimuli inside a mammalian predator exclusion fence at James Campbell National Wildlife Refuge on the island of O‘ahu. Decoys constructed in two different poses, representing courtship and resting postures of adult BFAL, were placed in various combinations with playback speakers around the perimeter of artificial shelters. Motion‐activated cameras were used to record and compare the number of visits by chicks to different combinations of visual and acoustic stimuli. We found the number of visits was highest at setups that included a combination of a decoy pair and a playback speaker, suggesting that a combination of visual and audio cues of adult BFAL are most attractive to the chicks. Future studies are needed to evaluate the long‐term impacts of exposure to artificial visual and audio stimuli as chicks on return rates to translocation site and social behavior as adults.

Investigating the role of metaverse influencers’ attributes for the next generation of services

PurposeThe purpose of this research is to identify the most important attributes of metaverse influencers and examine their impact on customer engagement and social glue.Design/methodology/approachThree studies (one qualitative and two quantitative) were conducted to understand the phenomenon better. The qualitative study (Study 1) was conducted to identify the antecedents of the theoretical model, which was tested in Study 2 using the covariance-based structural equation modelling (CB-SEM) technique. Study 3 then divided the respondents based on the metaverse influencer attribute preferences.FindingsResults of Study 1 revealed the six most influential attributes of metaverse influencers: physical attractiveness, social attractiveness, perceived credibility, metaverse-influencer fit, intimacy and attitude homophily. Further, Study 2 validated that attractiveness and perceived credibility enhance engagement. Also, the results revealed that intimacy, perceived credibility and homophily enhance social glue. Moreover, parasocial relationships mediate the association between intimacy, attitude homophily, perceived credibility and (engagement and social glue). The conditional indirect effect of physical attractiveness, social attractiveness and metaverse–influencer fit on (engagement and social glue) via parasocial relationships at different high and low levels of self-discrepancy was significant. Finally, Study 3 used latent class analysis to reveal different clusters of metaverse users.Originality/valueThis research enriches our understanding of metaverse influencers, contributing to the influencer marketing literature. It offers actionable insights for marketers by elucidating key influencer attributes, aiding in enhancing engagement and social glue.

Impressive insults: How do consumers respond to self‐deprecating advertisements?

AbstractMost advertisements highlight a product's positive attributes to attract consumers. Yet, some brands deliberately criticize themselves by employing self‐deprecation within their communications, such as Carlsberg's “Probably not the best beer in the world” campaign. This research examines whether, when, and why consumers react more favorably to self‐deprecating advertisements. In six experiments, we demonstrate that when the self‐deprecated attribute holds less importance to consumers, self‐deprecating (vs. self‐promoting) advertisements enhance brand trust by elevating the brand's social attractiveness and diminishing consumer skepticism. Importantly, self‐deprecation in advertisements also lowers consumers' tendency to avoid them. We empirically rule out several alternative explanations (i.e., consumer engagement, sentiment, nonconformity, and novelty) for these effects. Our research builds on prior studies in impression management and social psychology, contributing to the literature on advertising, self‐deprecation, and consumer skepticism by promoting the strategic use of self‐deprecating advertisements to bolster brand trust and reduce advertising avoidance. We offer actionable insights for managers and practitioners, highlighting how self‐deprecation can effectively address the challenges of building trust in diverse consumer‐facing marketing contexts.

Emotional banking with a digital avatar: A PLS-SEM based study based on para-social relationship theory

Purpose: The major objective of this study is to measure the impact of various attributes, such as social attraction, physical attraction, and task attraction on para-social relationships. The study also seeks to measure how the para-social relationship mediates the association between the three attributes (above-mentioned) on perceived credibility and informational influence, and consumers’ intention to purchase banking products. Study design/methodology: PLS-SEM has been used as it is believed to be most suited for the study due to the multivariate non-normality in the data, and the small sample size. Data has been collected using the 5-point Likert scale from approximately 151 respondents, who were selected using the non-random sampling method based on purposive sampling coupled with convenience-based sampling. The data was collected from January 2023 to August 2023. Findings: Largely, the findings reveal that both social and physical attractions do have a positive impact on the para-social relationship, further leading to perceived credibility and informational influence. Notably, this perceived credibility and informational influence lead to consumers’ intentions to purchase banking products, albeit with the use of artificial intelligence-based chatbots and digital assistants. Originality: This is possibly among the first-ever studies extending the para-social theory for purchasing banking products and services using artificial intelligence-based chatbots and virtual assistants.

Pelatihan Capacity Building Bagi Perangkat Desa Kampung Baru dan Koto Sentajo Kabupaten Kuantan Singingi

Capacity building can be done in two ways, namely through hard skills (work skills) and soft skills (personal and behavioral skills). Soft skills is a sociological term that refers to personality characteristics, social attractiveness, negotiation skills, personal habits, caring, and optimism. Soft Skills are personality and behavioral abilities and skills. These soft skills complement hard skills as technical requirements for a job. The objectives of the service activities that will be carried out include (a) providing understanding to village officials about the capacity building needed in community service and (b) providing skills in community service in the form of personal skills and behavior so as to improve the quality of community service. Village officials and other community servants have not been able to provide maximum services due to lack of discipline and responsibility, lack of cooperation both among officers and with the community. Village officials and other community servants such as posyandu officers, members of village PKK mobilizers, are officers who provide services to the community. Village officials and other community servants have not been able to provide maximum services due to lack of discipline and responsibility, lack of cooperation both among officers and with the community. This phenomenon is an indicator of a lack of ability or capacity as a public servant. Their main tasks and functions related to village government are quite well understood, but the supporting factors for their tasks which are directly related to their personal capacity as servants are still lacking. Capacity building through outbound activities is an outdoor activity which is training in the form of games to build personal abilities and behavior in improving the quality of service to the community. Capacity building activities can build aspects of personality and behavior of village officials as soft skills which are an inseparable part of basic skills in the form of basic tasks (hard skills) and functions as village government officials.

Displays of Parasocial Interaction in K-Pop: A Content Analysis of YouTube Comments on BTS’s Music Videos

abstract: This study explores the prevalence of parasocial interaction between the South Korean band BTS and their fans. Using content analysis, 1,114 fan comments on BTS’s YouTube videos were examined. Approximately two-thirds of analyzed comments displayed at least one of the four indicators of parasocial interaction explored: authenticity, affability, social attraction, and fandom. Furthermore, there was a significant difference between how parasocial interaction (PSI) indicators appeared in the music videos compared to the personality-driven nonmusic videos. The music videos had comments that displayed affability and fandom more frequently, while the personality-driven nonmusic videos displayed higher amounts of social attraction. Social attraction was also the most frequently displayed PSI indicator, implying that fans consuming content through YouTube are more likely to focus on the visual appeal of the content. This research fosters a deeper understanding of the nature of parasocial interaction between fans and celebrities in the context of online media.

Influencer marketing: explaining the effects of influencer self-presentation strategies on brand responses through source credibility

PurposeSelf-presentation is an important aspect of influencer marketing. Drawing upon self-presentation theory and source credibility theory, this study aimed to unravel how the self-presentation strategies of a layperson, opinion leadership and micro-celebrity influence source credibility (i.e. trustworthiness, expertise, physical attractiveness and social attractiveness) and how source credibility, in turn, affects brand responses.Design/methodology/approachAn online experiment among female participants (N = 229) was conducted. Participants were shown a sponsored blog in which the influencer presented herself as either a layperson, an opinion leader or a micro-celebrity.FindingsThe study demonstrated that the presentation strategy of a layperson was more persuasive than a micro-celebrity presentation because of higher levels of (1) trust and (2) social attractiveness. In addition, opinion leaders were perceived as having more expertise than laypeople and, therefore, positively enhanced brand responses.Research limitations/implicationsThe current findings provide relevant insights into the theoretical mechanisms (i.e. expertise, trustworthiness and social attractiveness) that explain the effects of self-presentation strategies on brand responses.Practical implicationsOur findings imply that credibility perceptions determine the persuasiveness of the SMI. This study showed that layperson and opinion leadership self-presentation strategies are relatively more persuasive.Originality/valueThis study is the first to show that influencers’ self-presentation strategies determine how people respond to the brands that influencers promote. In addition, we show that these effects are explained by the influencers’ trust, social attractiveness and expertise.

Problematic consumption of psychoactive in pregnancy: A systematic review of a threat to maternal-fetal life

Background: Although the consequences of the use of psychoactive substances of abuse are often linked to the media in a subtle way and clarified by the doctor in routine consultations, the use and abuse has been taking uncontrollable growth proportions to the point of generating a problem of the Today's world with immediate needs for interventions in order to minimize the damage caused. Due to this transformation of society's habits, many age groups have been significantly affected. The main and most worrying social group susceptible to drug abuse is the female society, since due to the great coincidence between the reproductive age and the period prone to the use of social attractions, occasionally in a gestation situation, the joint use in any dose generates and potentiates the consequences to fetal maternal life. The little-known social effects go through, when death does not occur, due to malformation of the fetus, nervous compromise, up to the manifestations after birth in the daily life of the child of a user mother. Taking this situation into account and facing this problem of the current world that threatens health, the study will demonstrate the most diverse maternal and fetal manifestations due to the use of substances or drugs of abuse, suggesting as a final objective the creation of information media. capable of keeping the potentially reproductive female society informed about the hidden curses to fetal life in gestation. Material and methods: Systematic review based on searches in the PubMed, Google Scholar, and TripDataBase databases. Scielo and others, with the identification of articles that present the proposed theme as the central theme with the identification of the determinant factors for the development of substance abuse and its different forms of affectation in the gestational period with some scores of the consequences in the puerperal period. Results: With the corresponding search strategies, 73 articles were found in the Pubmed database, 10 articles in the Google Scholar, TripDataBase and Scielo databases. Directing the selection according to criteria, 22 articles were chosen and used for analysis of the systematic review. Conclusion: The problematic use of substances potentially harmful to pregnancy continues to be a challenge for public health. With this, it is of fundamental importance to raise awareness through the creation of health promotion programs based on rational, comprehensive, and multidisciplinary consultations, which guarantee the reduction of consumption and maternal-fetal protection

Examining perceptions and outcomes of AI versus human course assistant discussions in the online classroom

ABSTRACT As technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and other forms of machine communication become more popular and readily available, the opportunities for use in an online class increase. This replication and extension sought to understand and test the use of AI versus human communication in an online learning space—specifically the learning management system (LMS) discussion board. More specifically, the differences in student perceptions and outcomes between those with a human course assistant and those assigned to an AI course assistant were examined. These perceptions were studied through the presence and absence of the identity heuristic and helper heuristic as outlined in previous literature. The study employed a four-condition randomized quasiexperimental design. Outcomes of interest included credibility, task attraction, social attraction, computer-mediated competence, student communication satisfaction, affect toward instructor, and affect toward taking classes with the instructor. Findings supported previous work regarding importance of helper heuristics and highlighted the preference for a human over AI/machine educational agent.

Shaping Brand Loyalty through Social Media Influencers: The Mediating Role of Follower Engagement and Social Attractiveness

This study explores the relationship between social media influencers (SMIs) and followers’ engagement, social attractiveness, and establishing brand loyalty. The study seeks to redefine current theoretical frameworks and provide practical insights for marketers by investigating the mediating role of followers’ engagement (FE) and social attractiveness (SA) and the moderating influence of parasocial interactions. The present study utilized a quantitative research methodology. The researchers employed the Smart PLS 4 structural equation modeling (SEM) technique to analyze the data. The data was obtained from the participants using the convenience sampling technique. This study’s findings reveal that the sole influence of social media influencers’ homophily on brand loyalty was insignificant; the presence of a substantial mediator, namely consumer engagement, suggests that engagement plays a role in channeling the impact of homophily on brand loyalty. Furthermore, the SA played a crucial role in mediating, emphasizing the significance of aesthetic and emotional appeal. The study revealed that parasocial relationships did not have a significant moderating effect on FE. However, they significantly modified the association between SMIs’ homophily and brand loyalty. These study findings highlight that marketers operating within the laptop industry specifically utilize engagement activities, emphasize visual harmony, and foster parasocial relationships to maximize the influence of influencers on brand loyalty.