Social Media Influencers Defined by Adolescents

Social media influencers have emerged as digital celebrities, positioning themselves as role models for different audiences, particularly young people. Due to the inherent social and psychological immaturity of adolescents, they are considered a more vulnerable group, and thus, their digital behaviour and its potential impact on their identity development should be carefully studied. This study aimed to explore how adolescents perceive social media influencers. Sixtytwo adolescents between the ages of 11 and 17 living in Spain participated in 12 focus groups. The study attempted to understand how adolescents define the concept of social media influencers and which profiles they follow in order to identify the attributes they prioritised. This study describes the categories proposed by the adolescents, as well as the influence generated by social media influencers based on the age and socio-economic status of the interviewees. Additionally, the study reveals that adolescents from lower socio-economic levels and adolescents between 16 and 17 years old expressed a desire to become social media influencers

Do I question what influencers sell me? Integration of critical thinking in the advertising literacy of Spanish adolescents

Engaging with influencer posts has become a prevalent practice among adolescents on social media, exposing them to the combined elements of promotional content and entertainment in influencer marketing. However, the versatile and appealing nature of this content may hinder adolescents’ ability to engage in critical thinking and accurately interpret this hybrid form of advertising. This study aims to investigate adolescents’ capacity to critically process persuasive content shared by influencers, utilizing the five components of digital critical thinking outlined by Van Laar (2019): clarification, evaluation, justification, linking of ideas, and novelty. To analyze minors’ online experiences, a qualitative approach was employed involving twelve discussion groups with a total of 62 children and adolescents aged 11 to 17 in Spain. The findings indicate that the exercise of critical thinking in response to influencer marketing is closely associated with the cognitive and affective dimensions of advertising literacy in adolescents, while wamong them

Analysis of the ability of minors in Spain to recognize commercial content published by influencers

Minors are exposed to various contents when browsing the Internet, this study specifically explores those created by influencers, who stand out for sharing advertising in a hybrid format and represent a greater challenge to be identified as such. The objective of the research is to find out the criteria by which minors process information when they consume advertising content shared by influencers, paying special attention to those elements of the publication that arouse their questioning. To answer the questions raised, 12 discussion groups were held where 62 minors between 11 and 17 years of age from private, concerted and public schools in Spain participated during the first semester of 2021.The results show that in general minors identify a commercial link between brands and influencers, however, and especially with the youngest, they are not able to identify when paid content is presented to them, if it is not marked as such; For their part, adolescents have certain resources that activate their critical attitude towards influencer marketing: the profile of the influencer and their degree of affinity with the promoted product.Los menores están expuestos a diversos contenidos en su navegación por internet y el presente estudio explora específicamente aquellos creados por influencers en formatos híbridos que mezclan diversos fines, incluidos los comerciales, y que además representan un reto mayor para ser identificados correctamente. Desde la óptica de la alfabetización publicitaria tal y como la articulan Roozendal et al. (2011), la investigación tiene como objetivo identificar qué elementos de las dimensiones conceptuales y actitudinales de esta alfabetización están presentes en el procesamiento que los menores hacen del contenido generado por influencers. Para ello se realizaron 12 grupos de discusión en los que participaron 62 menores de entre 11 y 17 años, de colegio privados, concertados y públicos en España, durante el primer semestre de 2021. Los resultados expresan que en general los menores identifican un vínculo comercial entre marcas e influencers, sin embargo, y especialmente los más pequeños, no son capaces de identificar cuando se les presenta un contenido pagado si este no está señalizado como tal. Los adolescentes, por su parte, asumieron una actitud crítica ante el marketing de influencia a partir de la coherencia y afinidad del producto promocionado y el influencer, así como la trayectoria o profesión del creador de contenido

Critical consumption of influencers by minors in Slovakia. Comparative study of primary and high school

The experience and maturity of individuals as consumers can determine the ability to critically process and analyze the advertising to which they are exposed (Buijzen et al., 2010; Piaget, 1929). This study exposes the differences in conceptual and attitudinal advertising literacy that minors in primary and high school have for the processing of promotional content shared by influencers. After conducting six virtual focus groups in which 34 minors from various communities in Slovakia participated, the results point to clear age-related differences between the two groups regarding the credibility given to these figures, and their ability to identify persuasive attempts to deceive them. influencers regardless of the creativity and dynamism through which the brands are advertised. The youngest interviewees had difficulty understanding the sales intention when it is presented dynamically, and they perceive that the influencer enjoys what he does; the adolescents affirmed that these characteristics are strategies to encourage them to buy the products. This raises interesting educational considerations about the need to start training in advertising literacy earlier.La experiencia y la madurez de los individuos como consumidores puede determinar la habilidad para procesar y analizar de manera crítica la publicidad a la que se exponen (Buijzen et al., 2010; Piaget, 1929). El presente estudio busca comprender las diferencias de la alfabetización publicitaria conceptual y actitudinal que poseen los menores en primaria y bachillerato para el procesamiento del contenido promocional compartido por influencers. Tras la realización de seis grupos focales virtuales en los que participaron 34 menores de diversas comunidades de Eslovaquia, los resultados señalan claras diferencias relacionadas con la edad entre ambos grupos respecto a la credibilidad dada a estas figuras, y su habilidad para identificar los intentos persuasivos de los influencers independientemente de la creatividad y dinamismo mediante la cual se publicitan las marcas. Los entrevistados más pequeños presentaron dificultad para comprender la intención de venta cuando se presenta de manera dinámica, y perciben que el influencer disfruta de lo que hace; por su parte, los adolescentes afirmaron que esas características son estrategias para incitar a comprar los productos. Esto plantea interesantes consideraciones educativas sobre la necesidad de iniciar antes la formación en la alfabetización publicitaria

Digital Fit: la influencia de las redes sociales en la alimentación y en el aspecto físico de los menores

Este proyecto se sitúa en el vértice de tres ejes: a) los influencers como destinatarios crecientes de la atención y la confianza de los menores online; b) contenidos patrocinados generados por estos influencers sobre hábitos alimenticios y aspecto físico, y c) la capacidad del menor para identificar la intencionalidad persuasiva de estos contenidos. El análisis de la interacción de los tres ejes radica en la incidencia del consumo de estos contenidos en su autoestima y en la adopción de hábitos que pueden impactar en su bienestar personal. Se busca conocer el imaginario alrededor de hábitos alimenticios, actividad física e importancia del aspecto físico, generado en los menores por el discurso patrocinado de los influencers. Se propone una metodología mixta deductiva que incluye la elaboración de un cuestionario dirigido a menores entre 11 y 17 años (1.070 participantes) complementado con 12 focus groups o grupos de discusión. Los resultados serán relevantes para empresas que cuentan con influencers en sus estrategias de marketing, a las familias y educadores, y a las Administraciones públicas