It refers to a verbal and informal communication between individuals. In addition, the term may be defined as a form of informal communication between non-commercial persons about a product or brand.
Published in Chapter:
Consumption in the Digital Age: A Research on Social Media Influencers
Eda Turanci (Ankara Haci Bayram Veli University, Turkey)
Copyright: © 2019
|Pages: 21
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-5225-8491-9.ch016
Abstract
In today's world, the digital environment has an influence on consumers' lives, in terms of attitudes, preferences, habits, likes and dislikes, and purchasing practices. It is also observed that throughout history, a variety of professionals have been utilized to influence the public. To the group of individuals who lead as celebrities, role models, or opinion leaders in the digital age, “influencers” have been added in. This chapter aims to examine the relationship between influencers and consumption. As a result of the research, it was revealed that most of the shares/posts had the name of a brand or product, tagged brand, or used related hashtags to direct followers to consumption. The findings also show that despite the use of a large number of brand names, a very small number of these posts have the emphasis of sponsorship, advertising, or cooperation. Finally, it was also found that despite the high number of followers, the interaction rate is very low.