Two essays on the influencers’ behaviors in social media

Abstract

In the modern digital era, social media has emerged as a key platform for personal expression and information exchange. These platforms have empowered individuals to exert a significant influence and openly share their ideas and opinions. Consequently, this shift has given rise to influencers - individuals who leverage their personal experiences and insights to engage with a broad audience. Influencers have notably altered the dynamics of social media marketing, moving away from traditional advertising approaches to a more personalized and interactive form of audience engagement. The first essay examines the impact of Parasocial Interactions (PSI) and Parasocial Relationships (PSRs) between influencers and their followers on sales. It emphasizes the significance of finding the inflection point of engagement for effective influencer marketing, using empirical data from social media interactions. The second essay focuses on the relationships between influencers themselves. Drawing upon the social capital theory, we assess how networking among influencers has an effect on sales. Our analysis shows that the networks among influencers for information sharing have a negative impact on sales while networks established on emotional support among influencers have a positive effect on sales. Moreover, the essay investigates the moderating influence of social presence, revealing that social presence strengthens the impact of social capital in the networking activities among influencers. In summary, this thesis shows a detailed analysis of the intricate dynamics in the social media landscape, focusing on both influencer-follower relationships and the interactions among influencers themselves. It highlights how these relationships shape marketing strategies and impact sales, providing valuable insights into the complex social media environment.