The dark sides of influencers: psychology behind media consumption!

The dark sides of influencers: psychology behind media consumption!

In recent years, the parasocial involvement of users towards influencers has increased significantly. This development has inspired researchers to further examine the psychological mechanisms behind these relationships. A planned research project led by Prof. Dr. Sonja Bröning from the MSH Medical School Hamburg and Prof. Dr. Andreas M. Brandmaier from the MSB Medical School Berlin aims to comprehensively analyze the effects of parasocial engagement on the ability to have relationships in the real world. Loud medicalschool-hamburg.de The intensive use of influencer content could lead to a relationship replacement, which supports the so-called compensatory use theory.

A central element of the project is the development of the “Parasocial Influencer Involvement Scale” (PIInS) questionnaire. This questionnaire aims to map and validate the dimensions of parasocial engagement. Initial results already reveal psychological risk factors and mechanisms of engagement, highlighting the need for prevention measures and further research.

Influence of social media influencers

In addition to the psychological perspective, another study examines the role of social media influencers (SMI) in the information behavior and opinion-forming processes of young people. This study focuses on the use of social media for political discourse and shows that SMI act as important mediators of information and opinion leaders. However, despite the growing influence of SMI, there is a lack of empirical evidence about its relevance in the opinion formation process, especially among the 14 to 24 age group, as in the study by doaj.org was determined.

The study also outlines the role of parasocial relationships (PSB), which can contribute significantly to the persuasive effects of SMI. Further findings show that perceptions and attributed characteristics of SMI exhibit significant gender differences. These differences are particularly evident in the relevance of the SMI for opinion formation, which varies depending on the type of information - whether relevant to everyday life or political.

Functions of influencers

The study results indicate that influencers primarily perform functions of entertainment, inspiration and orientation. Younger people see them not only as sources of information, but also as role models who influence their opinions and behavior. These insights are critical to understanding the influence of social media and the importance of influencers in general.

The combined results of this research provide an urgent call for further scientific investigation to more accurately understand the long-term effects of parasocial relationships on social interaction and individual relationship skills in the real world. These questions are particularly relevant at a time when social media is playing an increasingly central role in young people's everyday lives.