Reducing Resistance: The Impact of Nonfollowers’ and Followers’ Parasocial Relationships with Social Media Influencers on Persuasive Resistance and Advertising Effectiveness

Abstract Although social media influencers have become popular brand endorsers, previous research on this new form of advertising has neglected to analyze how the followers of these influencers are persuaded. Based on a key mechanism proposed by the entertainment overcoming resistance model, long-term parasocial relationships (PSRs) should reduce the amount of persuasive resistance in the forms of reactance and counterarguing. Consequently, the persuasive effects should be enhanced. To empirically test these assumptions, two online studies were conducted. The first experimental study (N = 151) confirmed that followers experienced stronger PSRs than did nonfollowers, which resulted in higher perceived source trustworthiness and reduced levels of both perceived freedom threat and counterarguing after exposure to a sponsored Instagram post. The second study (N = 225) further confirmed the enhanced persuasive impact of PSRs in terms of brand evaluations and behavioral intentions. The theoretical and practical implications for advertisers, consumer advocates, and future research are discussed.

International Journal of Innovative Research in Engineering & Multidisciplinary Physical Sciences ◽

Impact of Influencer Marketing on Consumer Purchase Behavior during the Pandemic

10.37082/ijirmps.2021.v09i04.018 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (4) ◽

Keyword(s):

Social Media ◽

Sample Size ◽

Brand Identity ◽

Purchase Behavior ◽

Research Survey ◽

New Form ◽

Traditional Marketing ◽

Social Media has turned from our regular photos and thought dumping platform to a marketing space mainly led by influencers. Influencers, the ones who influence, hold a firm grasp on people all over social media through their content, views, thoughts, and uniqueness that they have to offer. These influencers are known to impact people especially the younger generations. We can mark them as a new form of marketing that works beyond traditional marketing and is not limited to just selling a product but broadens the horizon to building a brand identity and creating a trustful relation between the audience, the brand, and the influencer. As the number of people who use social media grow, so grows the number of influencers and so does the number of companies choosing to use influencer marketing. The scope is big, the audience is endless and the influencers are professionals at creating engaging marketing content that is a long-term investment for any company big or small. The aim of this paper is to bring to light the recent uproar of Influencer Marketing on social media during the pandemic and how it has had an impact on companies and on the audience’s purchase behavior. The data for this paper has been taken through a small research survey that has also been done on a sample size of 50 consumers to study the impact of influencer marketing on their purchase behavior and decisions. All data used is particular to the pandemic and hence data post-2020 to now has been used.

Misinformation on Misinformation: Conceptual and Methodological Challenges

10.31234/osf.io/edqc8 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Sacha Altay ◽

Manon Berriche ◽

Alberto Acerbi

Keyword(s):

Social Media ◽

Big Data ◽

Social Science ◽

Future Research ◽

Reception Studies ◽

The Internet ◽

Research Needs ◽

Methodological Challenges ◽

The Impact ◽

Alarmist narratives about online misinformation continue to gain traction despite evidence that its prevalence and impact are overstated. Drawing on research questioning the use of big data in social science and reception studies, we identify six misconceptions about misinformation and examine the conceptual and methodological challenges they raise. The first three misconceptions concern the prevalence and circulation of misinformation. First, the internet is not rife with misinformation or news, but with memes and entertaining content. Second, scientists focused on social media because it is methodologically convenient, but misinformation is not just a social media problem. Third, falsehoods don’t spread faster than the truth, how we define (mis)information influences our results and their practical implications. The second three misconceptions concern the impact and the reception of misinformation. First, people don’t believe everything they see on the internet: sheer volume of engagement should not be conflated with belief. Second, misinformation’s influence on people’s behavior is overblown since it often preaches to the choir. Third, people are more likely to be uninformed than misinformed, surveys overestimate misperceptions and say little about the causal influence of misinformation. To appropriately understand and fight misinformation, future research needs to address these challenges.

Consumer responses to covert advertising in social media

Marketing Intelligence & Planning ◽

10.1108/mip-11-2016-0212 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 35 (5) ◽

pp. 578-593 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Fabian Göbel ◽

Anton Meyer ◽

B. Ramaseshan ◽

Silke Bartsch

Keyword(s):

Social Media ◽

Unique Contribution ◽

Persuasion Knowledge ◽

Knowledge Model ◽

Content Type ◽

Consumer Responses ◽

Brand Evaluations ◽

The Impact ◽

Factorial Design Experiment ◽

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to contribute to marketing communications literature by exploring consumer responses to covert advertising (CA) in a social media context. Design/methodology/approach The persuasion knowledge model was used to explore the impact of CA on brand evaluations. A factorial design experiment was conducted in a social media context (YouTube). Findings The results of the study show that triggering knowledge about CA changes the way consumers respond to unfamiliar brands that use such tactics. This implies that for unfamiliar brands, with future development of persuasion knowledge, CA in social media will not only be ineffective but also detrimental with damaging effects on the brand. Research limitations/implications An important contribution of this study lies in the application of the persuasion knowledge model to social media context. Practical implications The results indicate that firms should desist from covert product and brand communications in social media contexts, and instead employ disclosed brand communications. Originality/value Given that the effects of CA have not been investigated in an online context, this study makes a unique contribution to brand communications research by providing valuable insights and better understanding of the effects of CA in social media, specifically YouTube.

A systematic review of the literature on industrial divestment

Baltic Journal of Management ◽

10.1108/bjm-01-2018-0040 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 14 (3) ◽

pp. 443-461 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Pedro Silva ◽

Antonio Carrizo Moreira

Keyword(s):

Primary Data ◽

Future Research ◽

Short Term ◽

Content Type ◽

Process Outcomes ◽

Review Protocol ◽

The Impact ◽

The Relationship ◽

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to review the existing research on industrial divestment in order to identify the reasons for it, the process whereby it is achieved, and the outcomes of industrial sell-offs and closures. The study reports the main findings that have gained acceptance in the literature, gaps in the research and potential directions for future research. Design/methodology/approach A three stage systematic literature review protocol was used to conduct this review. The results are organized according to an “Antecedents – Process – Outcomes” framework. Findings The traditional accounts of industrial divestment have been framed in terms of firms’ weak performance and over-diversification as antecedents to divestment, leading to corporate governance issues. However, the list of antecedents of industrial divestment is more extensive. There is no consensus over the impact of some factors on divestments, as is the case of firm and unit size. The results are not conclusive as to whether firm performance improves after divesting. Research limitations/implications Future research should analyze the relationship between the antecedents of investment and divestment. The divestment process is not well studied and more studies that engage in theory building are needed, namely, on primary data and examining the short-term and long-term impacts of divestment on performance. Practical implications This review offers a comprehensive synthesis of the antecedents, the process and outcomes of divestment through sell-offs and closures. Factors such as environmental conditions and the entry mode strategy are important in determining the divestment of subsidiaries. Divestments may be positively or negatively regarded by shareholders, depending on the context of the firm. Promoting managerial changes facilitates divestment. Originality/value This paper synthesizes knowledge of the main reasons as to why firms completely dispose of their assets, contributing to this under-researched field.

Effect of Barley Sowing Density on the Integrated Weed Management of Lolium rigidum (Annual Ryegrass) in Mediterranean Dryland: A Modeling Approach

Agronomy ◽

10.3390/agronomy11081565 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (8) ◽

pp. 1565

Author(s):

María Belén D’Amico ◽

Guillermo R. Chantre ◽

Guillermo L. Calandrini ◽

José L. González-Andújar

Keyword(s):

Weed Management ◽

Life Cycles ◽

Integrated Weed Management ◽

Future Research ◽

Seed Removal ◽

Weed Infestation ◽

High Control ◽

Weed Dynamics ◽

Population models are particularly helpful for understanding long-term changes in the weed dynamics associated with integrated weed management (IWM) strategies. IWM practices for controlling L. rigidum are of high importance, mainly due to its widespread resistance that precludes chemical control as a single management method. The objective of this contribution is to simulate different IWM scenarios with special emphasis on the impact of different levels of barley sowing densities on L. rigidum control. To this effect, a weed–crop population model for both L. rigidum and barley life cycles was developed. Our results point out: (i) the necessity of achieving high control efficiencies (>99%), (ii) that the increase of twice the standard sowing density of barley resulted in a reduction of 23.7% of the weed density, (iii) non-herbicide-based individual methods, such as delayed sowing and weed seed removal at harvest, proved to be inefficient for reducing drastically weed population, (iv) the implementation of at least three control tactics (seed removal, delay sowing and herbicides) is required for weed infestation eradication independently of the sowing rate, and (v) the effect of an increase in the sowing density is diluted as a more demanding weed control is reached. Future research should aim to disentangle the effect of different weed resistance levels on L. rigidum population dynamics and the required efficiencies for more sustainable IWM programs.

Dryland Food Security in Ethiopia: Current Status, Opportunities, and a Roadmap for the Future

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su13116503 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (11) ◽

pp. 6503

Author(s):

Yu Peng ◽

Hubert Hirwa ◽

Qiuying Zhang ◽

Guoqin Wang ◽

Fadong Li

Keyword(s):

Food Security ◽

Current Status ◽

Future Research ◽

Systematic Research ◽

Security Assessment ◽

Security Issue ◽

Sustainable Development Goal ◽

Zero Hunger ◽

Given the impact of COVID-19 and the desert locust plague, the Ethiopian food security issue has once again received widespread attention. Its food crisis requires comprehensive and systematic research to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal of zero hunger. This review discusses the current situation and the causes of food security in Ethiopia. We focus on the challenges in the food security assessment field. The article lists seven typical causes of food insecurity and three roots of food security in Ethiopia. Long-term food security assessment and a comprehensive understanding and manageability for food security causes are considered as the main existing research challenges. Climate-resilient management, water management, and long-term ecosystem network monitoring and data mining are suggested as potential roadmap for future research.

Intellectual capital disclosure on Twitter – empirical evidence from the world’s largest companies

Meditari Accountancy Research ◽

10.1108/medar-02-2021-1211 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽

Author(s):

Łukasz Bryl ◽

Justyna Fijałkowska ◽

Dominika Hadro

Keyword(s):

Social Media ◽

Intellectual Capital ◽

Recent Literature ◽

Future Research ◽

Corporate Disclosure ◽

Content Type ◽

Management Philosophy ◽

Business Units ◽

Structural Capital ◽

Purpose This study aims to examine intellectual capital disclosure (ICD) on Twitter by 60 of the world’s largest companies and explains the main themes communicated to stakeholders. The second objective is to determine which topics provoke most stakeholders’ reactions. Design/methodology/approach The authors perform content analysis on more than 42,000 tweets to examine ICD practices along with the reactions of stakeholders in the form of retweets and “favorites” toward the information disclosed. Findings Intellectual capital (IC) is an important theme in corporate disclosure practices, as more than one-third of the published tweets refer to IC. The world’s largest companies focus on relational capital information, followed by human and structural capital. The main IC themes disclosed were management philosophy, corporate reputation and business partnering. Tweets related to IC are of greater interest to stakeholders than other tweets and provoke more reactions. There is no complete consistency between the topics most intensively disclosed by companies and those that elicit the most vivid responses from the addressees. Practical implications This study offers an understanding of the world’s largest companies’ practices that refer to ICD via social media and has implications for organizations in the creation and use of communication channels when developing a dialogue with stakeholders on topics regarding IC that may lead to better management of IC performance. Originality/value This paper is a response to the call for studies on ICD via social media, which is strongly highlighted in the recent literature concerning future research on IC and until now was almost absent in the field of business units. This research provides in-depth insights into the use of Twitter to disclose IC elements and indicates which fields and topics of this disclosure provoke stakeholders’ reactions, which is a novelty in ICD studies.

Understanding the Experiences of Anger in the Onset and Progression of Psoriasis: A Qualitative Study Using Social Media (Preprint)

10.2196/preprints.33920 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Olivia Hughes ◽

Rachael Hunter

Keyword(s):

Social Media ◽

Qualitative Interviews ◽

Psychosocial Interventions ◽

Skin Condition ◽

Future Research ◽

Social Media Platforms ◽

Chronic Skin ◽

Skin Conditions ◽

BACKGROUND Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory skin condition, which can be affected by stress. Living with psoriasis can trigger negative emotions, which may influence quality of life. OBJECTIVE This study explored the experiences of people with psoriasis with attention to the potential role of anger in the onset and progression of the chronic skin condition. METHODS Semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted with twelve participants (n=5 females, n=7 males) recruited online from an advert on a patient charity’s social media platforms. Data were transcribed and analysed using thematic analysis. RESULTS Four key themes were identified: (1) ‘I get really angry with the whole situation:’ anger at the self and others, (2) the impact of anger on psoriasis: angry skin, (3) shared experiences of distress, and (4) moving past anger to affirmation. CONCLUSIONS Findings suggest that anger can have a perceived impact on psoriasis through contributing to sensory symptoms and unhelpful coping cycles and point to a need for enhanced treatment with more psychological support. The findings also highlight the continued stigma which exists for people living with skin conditions and how this may contribute to, and sustain, anger for those individuals. Future research could usefully focus on developing targeted psychosocial interventions to promote healthy emotional coping with psoriasis.

Fake news on Facebook: examining the impact of heuristic cues on perceived credibility and sharing intention

Internet Research ◽

10.1108/intr-10-2019-0442 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽

Author(s):

Khudejah Ali ◽

Cong Li ◽

Khawaja Zain-ul-abdin ◽

Muhammad Adeel Zaffar

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Social Media ◽

Design Methodology ◽

Fake News ◽

Content Type ◽

Perceived Credibility ◽

News Credibility ◽

The Impact ◽

Practical Implications ◽

Active Processing

PurposeAs the epidemic of online fake news is causing major concerns in contexts such as politics and public health, the current study aimed to elucidate the effect of certain “heuristic cues,” or key contextual features, which may increase belief in the credibility and the subsequent sharing of online fake news.Design/methodology/approachThis study employed a 2 (news veracity: real vs fake) × 2 (social endorsements: low Facebook “likes” vs high Facebook “likes”) between-subjects experimental design (N = 239).FindingsThe analysis revealed that a high number of Facebook “likes” accompanying fake news increased the perceived credibility of the material compared to a low number of “likes.” In addition, the mediation results indicated that increased perceptions of news credibility may create a situation in which readers feel that it is necessary to cognitively elaborate on the information present in the news, and this active processing finally leads to sharing.Practical implicationsThe results from this study help explicate what drives increased belief and sharing of fake news and can aid in refining interventions aimed at combating fake news for both communities and organizations.Originality/valueThe current study expands upon existing literature, linking the use of social endorsements to perceived credibility of fake news and information, and sheds light on the causal mechanisms through which people make the decision to share news articles on social media.

Post-occupancy evaluation of outdoor spaces on the campus of the Federal University of Juiz de Fora, Brazil

International Journal of Architectural Research Archnet-IJAR ◽

10.1108/arch-09-2020-0204 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽

Author(s):

Ana Clara Carvalho Tourinho ◽

Sabrina Andrade Barbosa ◽

Özgür Göçer ◽

Klaus Chaves Alberto

Keyword(s):

Critical Role ◽

Future Research ◽

Content Type ◽

University Campuses ◽

Post Occupancy Evaluation ◽

Outdoor Spaces ◽

The University ◽

The Impact ◽

PurposeUsing the campus of a Brazilian university as case study, this research aims to identify which aspects of the outdoor spaces are the most significant in attracting people.Design/methodology/approachThis research relies on the application of different post-occupancy evaluation (POE) methods, including user tracking, behavioural mapping and questionnaires, on one plateau of the campus.FindingsThree group of aspects (socialization, proximity and infrastructure) were identified as key elements in explaining the impact of the campus physical characteristics on users’ behaviour. The results indicate that having characteristics of at least one group of aspects in those spaces can guarantee their vitality and, if there is presence of attributes of more than one group, liveliness can be increased.Research limitations/implicationsFurther studies should be conducted on an entire campus to identify other spatial elements in the three groups.Practical implicationsThis research contributes to the planning of future campuses and to solutions to the existed ones, indicating the most relevant spatial characteristics to be considered. Additionally, the combination of different methods may be useful to future research.Originality/valueMost of the investigations on the university campuses focus on the buildings, and little research has investigated the outdoor spaces, although they play a critical role in learning and academic life, where people establish social, cultural and personal relationships. In addition, studies using several POE allowed a consistent and complete diagnostic about the aspects of the campus, giving recommendations for future projects.