No filter: navigating well-being in troubled times as social media influencers
Faculty Advisor
Date
2023
Keywords
social media influencers, troubled times, COVID-19, well-being, self-determination theory, autonomy, relatedness, competence
Abstract (summary)
Social media influencers have the ability to impact the behaviours and attitudes of others (i.e., their followers), affecting people’s feelings of connectedness, and well-being. This has become particularly apparent during troubled times such as the COVID-19 pandemic, which has highlighted the importance of relationships and social interactions for people’s well-being. However, less attention has been paid to influencers’ own well-being in a monetised attention economy, which imposes tensions between the desire for authenticity and the self-presentations of influencers in online interactions. Using in-depth interviews and netnography as methodology, in this study we examine how the decision to engage with the topic of COVID-19 on social media impacted influencers’ well-being during the pandemic. We build on self-determination theory to reveal how the contentious nature of the subject led to internal struggles of influencers’ self-presentation, and elucidate how influencers navigated the boundaries of autonomy, competence, and relatedness in a quest for well-being.
Publication Information
Levesque, N., Hachey, A., & Pergelova, A. (2023). No filter: Navigating well-being in troubled times as social media influencers. Journal of Marketing Management. 39(11-12), 1098-1131. https://doi.org/10.1080/0267257X.2023.2218858
Notes
Item Type
Article Post-Print
Language
Rights
Attribution-NonCommercial (CC BY-NC)
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Embargoed Until:
December 13, 2024