Social media influencers have indeed become significant players in shaping consumer behavior and purchase decisions. Studies have shown that influencers impact purchase intention through various factors such as source credibility, source attractiveness, product match-up, and meaning transfer (Lim et al., 2017). Platforms like TikTok have seen a surge in influencer marketing, where influencers play a crucial role in influencing consumer perspectives and purchasing decisions (Tartaraj, 2024). Additionally, social media influencers on platforms like Twitter can affect consumers' source credibility perception, buying intention, and social identification with celebrities (Jin & Phua, 2014).
The role of social media influencers extends beyond just marketing products; they also influence organizational performance, consumer behavior, and even societal issues. Social media influencers are noted to influence audience attitudes through various social media channels like blogs and tweets (Hidayati et al., 2019). Furthermore, influencers have been found to impact consumer purchase intentions, especially in sectors like cosmetics and beauty (Kasuma, 2024).
In conclusion, social media influencers play a crucial role in shaping consumer behavior, purchase intentions, organizational performance, and even societal attitudes. Their influence spans across various sectors and issues, making them key players in modern marketing strategies.
I `d like to remember the phenomenon of The President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi. He started his career as a media star. After the beginning of the hot stage of russian-Ukrainian war he won the first round of information conflict in volodimir putin (Dyczok & Chung Yerin (2022). His daily performances will support a high level of mobilization of Ukrainian society because classical military theory predicts a decrease in readiness for resistance due to the prolongation of the war (Bukkvoll & Brundtland (2023). His foreign visits and speeches helped him raise more money for defense than the country's state budget for 2 years in a row. And his Instagram account is the most popular in Uanet.
Streampunks-YouTube-Rebels-Remaking-Media by Robert Kyncl&Maany Peyvan
In my opinion it will be better if you wouldn`t search the global answers will find a unique type of influencer in your country/culture.
For exemple Swami Prabhupada as a type of the first of influencer-guru.