Influencer marketing and health repercussions: a literature review on the impact of influencers on eating behavior and body self-perception

The aim of this article is to review the scientific literature regarding the impact of influencer marketing on eating habits and the development of attitudes related to body cult. For this purpose, the authors conducted a systematic review to identify empirical articles focused on Influencer Marketing strategies related to food or body cult published within the last 10 years. Using specific keywords, 80 articles were retrieved from PubMed, Scopus, and WoS databases. Finally, a content analysis of 34 selected articles was performed. The findings show that the most common objective of these studies was to examine the characteristics of influencers in terms of message effectiveness, followed by assessing the impact of influencers on eating behaviours. Regarding study results among influencer marketing strategies on eating habits, no article included positive conclusions on influencer marketing and food

Thematic trends and social networks in Spanish doctoral theses relating to mass media and health (1979/2020)

Se presenta un análisis bibliométrico de las tesis doctorales (TD) españolas sobre medios de comunicación y salud (1979-2020). El objetivo es evaluar el peso de esta temática en el ámbito académico e identificar a los actores clave. Las bases de datos consultadas fueron Teseo, Dialnet Plus y Google Académico. Se encontraron un total de 70 TD. La mayoría fueron defendidas en la Universidad Complutense de Madrid (20%) y la Universidad de Alicante (12,9%). Los temas más estudiados fueron el tratamiento mediático de temas de prevención y/o promoción de la salud pública (32,9%) y de nutrición (22,9%). Existe gran dispersión de directores-as y el alcance de las TD es moderado en términos de citas. En términos globales, las TD sobre esta temática han sido escasas respecto al total de las TD defendidas en este periodo. La dispersión de los directores-as puede implicar falta de referentes académicos especializados en esta materia.This paper is a bibliometric analysis of the Spanish doctoral theses (DT) on communication media and health (1979-2020). The aim is to evaluate the weight of this issue in the academic field and to identify the main actors. The databases consulted were Teseo, Dialnet Plus and Google Academic. A total of 70 DTs were found. Most were defended at the Complutense University of Madrid (20%) and the University of Alicante (12,9%). The topics most studied were the media treatment of prevention and/or promotion of public health (32.9%) and nutrition (22.9%). There is a great dispersion of directors, and the scope of the DTs is moderate terms of cites. In global terms, DT on this subject have been scarce compared to the total of DT defended in this period. The dispersion of the directors may imply a lack of academic references specialized in this matter

Online hate speech and emotions on Twitter: a case study of Greta Thunberg at the UN Climate Change Conference COP25 in 2019

The presence of environmental activist Greta Thunberg at the UN Climate Change Conference COP25 in 2019 prompted reactions on social media, which grew exponentially after she was named Time Magazine's Person of the Year 2019 and even more so after then-president of the United States Donald Trump tweeted his reaction to her accolade. An analysis of 1,395,054 tweets gathered between November and December 2019 through R, network theory techniques, machine learning and natural language processing showed how messages sparking hatred and intense emotions generate posts, mainly negative ones that subsequently serve as catalysts. The results also demonstrate the relevance of the bubble filter and echo chamber theories and the fact that hate springs from a range of sentiments depending on each participant group

Uso de twitter en la comunicación en salud: Una revisión sistemática

Introduction: Social media have become one of the leading health communication channels among the exponents of Health 2.0. Twitter has particularly noteworthy features for providing information quickly and easily. However, there is still controversy about the convenience of its use. Objectives: This paper aims to identify the main topics of health covered, the uses of Twitter in health communication and to characterize the valences (positive and negative) associated with each use. Methodology: To do that, we conducted a systematic review following PRISMA guidelines. Two databases (Web of Science and Pubmed) were searched, and 610 articles were retrieved. After removing duplicates, screening the titles and abstracts and assessing the full texts, 83 papers met the inclusion criteria. Results: The review identified five uses of Twitter: Conversation, Engagement, Information, Prevention, and Awareness, and it established the definitions of the positive and negative valences associated with each use. The most common uses found were Conversation and Engagement. Likewise, the two areas most studied were Public Health and Infectious Diseases. Conclusion: There is no consensus on the usefulness of Twitter as a tool for information or for generating debate, although the platform’s effectiveness for measuring the impact of health campaigns was highlighted.Introducción: Las redes sociales se han convertido en uno de los principales canales de comunicación sanitaria 2.0. En concreto, Twitter tiene características particularmente significativas para brindar información de manera rápida y sencilla, sin embargo, aún existe controversia sobre la conveniencia de su uso. Objetivos: Identificar los principales temas de salud tratados, los usos de Twitter en la comunicación en salud y caracterizar las valencias (positivas y negativas) asociadas a cada uso. Metodología: Revisión sistemática siguiendo las directrices PRISMA en las bases de datos (Web of Science y Pubmed). Se recuperaron 610 artículos, de los cuales analizamos 83 que cumplían con los criterios de inclusión. Resultados: La revisión identificó cinco usos de Twitter: Conversación, Compromiso, Información, Prevención y Conciencia, y estableció las definiciones de las valencias positivas y negativas asociadas a cada uso. Los usos más comunes encontrados fueron Conversación y Compromiso. Asimismo, las dos áreas más estudiadas fueron Salud Pública y Enfermedades Infecciosas. Conclusión: No hay consenso sobre la utilidad de Twitter como herramienta de información o de generación de debate, aunque se destaca la efectividad de la plataforma para medir el impacto de las campañas de salud

Body perception and frequency of exposure to advertising on social networks among adolescents

The marketing actions of influencers promoting unhealthy targeted products can aggravate the problem of childhood obesity and thus generate self-esteem problems. The influence of exposure to this type of sponsored content can also have an effect on the emotional well-being of adolescents. This is the context of this study, which seeks to analyze the relationship between exposure to food or body care advertising on social networks (YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok) of adolescents and their perception of their physical appearance. Online surveys were distributed between April and June 2022 to 1,055 adolescents aged 11-17 years and residing in Spain. The main results show that 16- and 17-year-olds have a heavier figure as an ideal reference, but they are also the group that presents the thinnest evaluation of their current figure. Their level of satisfaction is the lowest compared with the rest of the age groups, and they attach greater importance to the social role of a good physical appearance. Thus, exposure to advertising by influencers on social networks is directly related to lower satisfaction with their bodies. This assessment is based not so much on individual reasons related to health or personal well-being, but rather on fundamentally social reasons, and considers that physical appearance is a determining factor for social success. Therefore, it is advisable to study in more detail the beliefs that directly affect adolescents’ self-esteem to improve their critical competence in the face of this idealized content.Las acciones de marketing de influencers promocionando productos no saludables pueden agravar el problema de la obesidad infantil, y generar problemas de autoestima derivados de ella. La exposición a este tipo de contenidos patrocinados afecta el bienestar emocional de los menores. Este estudio analiza la relación entre la exposición a publicidad sobre alimentación o cuidado del cuerpo en redes sociales (YouTube, Instagram y TikTok) de los menores y su percepción sobre el aspecto físico. Para ello se realizó una encuesta difundida online a 1.055 menores de entre 11 y 17 años residentes en España entre los meses de abril y junio de 2022. Entre los principales resultados destaca que los menores de 16 y 17 años tienen como referente ideal una figura más obesa, sin embargo, es el grupo que presenta una valoración más delgada de su figura actual. Su nivel de satisfacción es el más bajo en comparación con el resto de las franjas de edad y le otorga más importancia al papel social que tiene una buena apariencia física. Así, exposición a la publicidad de influencers en redes sociales se relaciona de manera directa con una menor satisfacción con su cuerpo. Esta valoración se ve fundamentada, no tanto por razones individuales, relacionadas con la salud o el bienestar personal, sino fundamentalmente por razones sociales, al considerar que el físico es un condicionante del éxito social. Por ello, conviene profundizar en las creencias que afectan directamente a la autoestima de los menores con el objetivo de trabajar su competencia crítica frente a los contenidos idealizados

Analysis of the engagement of the main popular science youtubers from a gender perspective

[ES] La participación de las mujeres en YouTube es menor que la de los hombres, tanto en forma de audiencia como produciendo y divulgando contenidos. A través del análisis de los principales youtubers científicos españoles diferenciados por género, esta investigación calcula sus tasas de engagement (likes, dislikes y comentarios) y su alcance en términos de visualizaciones, así como el tipo de materia abordada en cada caso. Se evidencia que los hombres copan los canales científicos en YouTube, que mayoritariamente proceden de disciplinas STEM, siendo más productivos y obteniendo mayor alcance, seguimiento e impacto. Sin embargo, a pesar de que los videos conducidos por mujeres tienen menos suscriptores y visualizaciones, todos ellos tienen un mayor número de interacciones y mayor engagement comportamental.[EN] The participation of women on YouTube is lower than men, both in terms of audience and in terms of producing and disseminating content. Through the analysis of the main Spanish scientific youtubers differentiated by gender, this research calculates their engagement rates (likes, dislikes and comments) and their reach in terms of views, as well as the type of subject matter addressed in each case. It shows that men dominate science channels on YouTube, which are mostly from STEM disciplines, being more productive and obtaining greater reach, follow-up and impact. However, despite the fact that the videos led by women have fewer subscribers and views, they all have a higher number of interactions and greater behavioral engagement

Understanding of the News Published in the Press about COVID-19 by University Students of Careers in Communication Area in Alicante (2021)

A raíz del COVID-19 los periodistas han tenido que difundir información sobre cuestiones sanitarias siendo los encargados de traducir términos complejos a un lenguaje comprensible por la población general. Objetivo: Evaluar la comprensión lectora de los estudiantes de grados en comunicación sobre noticias publicadas en prensa relacionadas con el COVID-19; concretamente 1) Identificar su frecuencia de exposición a noticias; 2) Determinar su percepción de riesgo y 3) evaluar la comprensión terminológica específica. Metodología: Cuestionario online a estudiantes de grados en Periodismo, Publicidad y RR.PP. y Comunicación Audiovisual, de la UA y de la UMH. Resultados: El 79,6% (n=225) leyeron frecuentemente noticias relacionadas con el COVID-19 para mantenerse informados sobre problemas de salud. Menos de la mitad declaran conocer términos como “prevalencia” o “cribado”, y menos del 20% identifica correctamente la definición del concepto. Conclusiones: Baja comprensión de la terminología específica, lo que puede implicar una percepción incorrecta del riesgo.As a result of COVID-19, journalists have had to disseminate information on health issues, being in charge of translating complex terms into a language understandable to the general population. Objective: To assess the reading comprehension of communication degree students on news published in the press related to COVID-19; specifically 1) Identify your frequency of exposure to news; 2) Determine their perception of risk and 3) assess their understanding of specific terminology. Methodology: Online questionnaire for students of degrees in Journalism, Advertising and Public Relations and Audiovisual Communication, from the UA and the UMH. Results: 79.6% (n=225) frequently read news related to COVID-19 to stay informed about health problems. Less than half of them declared knowing terms such as “prevalence” or “screening”, and less than 20% correctly identified the definition of the concept. Conclusions: Low understanding of specific terminology, which may imply an incorrect perception of risk

Content Analysis From a Gender Perspective of Comments Received by Spanish Science YouTubers

One of the main features of videos that popularise science on YouTube is the ability to interact with the videos and the YouTubers who generate them. However, some types of interaction are often not gender neutral. In order to identify whether there are gender differences in the type of comments posted on YouTube channels that popularise science, a content analysis of nine such channels hosted by Spanish macro influencers was conducted. A total of 221 videos and 18,873 comments were analysed to identify and classify comments of a personal nature relating to physical appearance, tone of voice, or intellectual capacity, among other aspects. The results show that 7.5% (1,424) of the total number of analysed comments were comments of a personal nature addressed to the channel’s host. Of the videos hosted by women, 95.3% contained at least one positive comment related to their physical appearance, compared to 27% in the case of men. Gender differences were mainly found in negative comments regarding the presenter’s intellectual ability or personality, with women most likely to receive them. These results show that women who face media exposure are more vulnerable to negative sexist comments, which may deter them from professionalisation in this area

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