Healthy Mind on Sale: Conflicts in the Legitimation Process of Social Media Influencers

Ferreira and Chimenti examine the legitimation process of social media influencers (SMIs), specifically focusing on Instagram profiles of psychiatrists who have become influencers in the field of mental health. They explore the tensions and conflicts involved in constructing and maintaining legitima...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inAdvances in Consumer Research Vol. 48; pp. 66 - 71
Main Authors Ferreira, Daniela, Chimenti, Paula
Format Conference Proceeding
LanguageEnglish
Published Urbana Association for Consumer Research 01.01.2020
Subjects
Critics
Influencer marketing
Legitimacy
Social networks
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Summary:Ferreira and Chimenti examine the legitimation process of social media influencers (SMIs), specifically focusing on Instagram profiles of psychiatrists who have become influencers in the field of mental health. They explore the tensions and conflicts involved in constructing and maintaining legitimacy for these SMIs. Legitimacy is conceptualized in three dimensions: pragmatic, moral, and cognitive. They identify two groups of actors involved in the legitimation process: defenders and critics. Defenders include ordinary followers, facet-to-face followers, and prominent social media influencer followers, who advocate for the SMIs and provide personal testimonies about the impact of their content. Critics, on the other hand, refute defenders' arguments and question the legitimacy of the SMIs, often based on ethical concerns and professional standards. They also highlight the network effect, where the voices of both defenders and critics are amplified within the social media environment, influencing the legitimation process.
ISSN:0098-9258