Through the e-looking glass: three essays on influencer marketing, self-discrepancies and consumer behavior

Abstract

"One of the most popular buzzwords of recent times, influencer marketing has attracted significant attention across academia and practice. However, the impact of exposure to influencers on an individual's self-concept is a crucial yet underexplored area of examination. The influencer-follower relationship is a unique social exchange where an individual may experience self-discrepancies, or a gap between their actual and ideal self, upon exposure to influencers and, at the same time, may follow them for seeking recommendations to achieve that very ideal self. Employing a mixed-methods approach across three essays, this thesis explores how individuals experience and resolve these tensions and examines their implications for consumer behavior. In Essay 1, we thematically analyze seventeen semi-structured interviews, develop a conceptual model, and present a set of propositions describing the relationships between exposure to influencer marketing, self-discrepancies, and consumer behavior, including the role of perceived homophily and authenticity. We report the presence of the theoretically predicted negative affect but also identify situations where self-discrepancy may be associated with positive affect, and describe how self-acceptance and mindfulness shape this relationship. Essay 2 examines these relationships using structural equation modelling with survey data (N=503). While self-discrepancy is linked with both positive and negative affect, positive affect is favorably associated with e-word of mouth and purchase intent, whereas negative affect is not. Further, self-acceptance and mindfulness enhance the link between selfdiscrepancy and positive affect and weaken the link between self-discrepancy and negative affect. Essay 3 examines how individuals reconcile discrepancies, including virtual self-discrepancies, by following influencer's recommendations to attain their ideal self. Across two experiments, we study the implications of such experiences for consumer behavior for offline and virtual self-presentation, and find significant differences in how influencers shape consumer behavior across social spaces. Overall, we contribute to the literature on self-discrepancies, influencer marketing, virtual experiences and consumer well-being. We study the variables shaping consumer behavior in response to influencer marketing, and provide empirical support for more inclusive approaches to marketing. Further, we investigate the differences between virtual and offline experiences and their impact on behaviors, and offer recommendations for effective influencer marketing."