Publicação
Fear of Being ‘Canceled’: Analyzing the Followers’ Perception of Social Media Influencers’ FOBC
| Resumo: | Social media influencers operate in an environment heavily influenced by Cancel Culture, where public scrutiny and the fear of being 'canceled' might their content and behavior. Cancel Culture poses a constant risk to social media influencers' careers and reputations. This environment often leads social media influencers to self-censor, conform to prevailing norms, and carefully curate their content to avoid potential controversies that might lead to ‘cancelation’. As a result, social media influencers operate within a delicate balance, striving to maintain authenticity while evading actions or expressions that might provoke backlash in an era defined by instantaneous and far-reaching social judgments. This research delves into the dynamic between social media influencers, Cancel Culture, and its impact on Portuguese followers’ political intentions. The primary objective is to examine how followers’ perceptions of social media influencers’ fear of being ‘canceled’ (FOBC) influence their intention to adopt the social media influencer’s political viewpoint, while considering the moderating effect of the prescribed parasocial opinion leadership. In order to reach better conclusions, the research was conducted with 259 Portuguese social media users, with age above 18. The research findings reveal a compelling relationship: followers possessing a more accurate perception of the social media influencer’s FOBC exhibit a diminished intention to adopt the social media influencer’s political viewpoint. Moreover, this relationship is moderated by the degree of parasocial opinion leadership attributed to the social media influencers by their followers. Additionally, the study unveils that followers’ perception of social media influencers’ FOBC exhibit variations based on the followers’ political orientation. The conclusions drawn emphasize the pivotal need for followers to grasp the reality that social media influencers might operate within the constraints of Cancel Culture and that are afraid of being ‘canceled’. This awareness is crucial to prevent political influence from social media influencers, urging followers to critically assess and not solely rely on the viewpoints propagated by them. |
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| Autores principais: | Lemos, Diana Cidade |
| Assunto: | Cancel Culture Social Media Influencers Fear of Being ‘Canceled’ Parasocial Opinion Leadership Politics |
| Ano: | 2024 |
| País: | Portugal |
| Tipo de documento: | dissertação de mestrado |
| Tipo de acesso: | acesso embargado |
| Instituição associada: | Universidade Nova de Lisboa |
| Idioma: | inglês |
| Origem: | Repositório Institucional da UNL |
| Resumo: | Social media influencers operate in an environment heavily influenced by Cancel Culture, where public scrutiny and the fear of being 'canceled' might their content and behavior. Cancel Culture poses a constant risk to social media influencers' careers and reputations. This environment often leads social media influencers to self-censor, conform to prevailing norms, and carefully curate their content to avoid potential controversies that might lead to ‘cancelation’. As a result, social media influencers operate within a delicate balance, striving to maintain authenticity while evading actions or expressions that might provoke backlash in an era defined by instantaneous and far-reaching social judgments. This research delves into the dynamic between social media influencers, Cancel Culture, and its impact on Portuguese followers’ political intentions. The primary objective is to examine how followers’ perceptions of social media influencers’ fear of being ‘canceled’ (FOBC) influence their intention to adopt the social media influencer’s political viewpoint, while considering the moderating effect of the prescribed parasocial opinion leadership. In order to reach better conclusions, the research was conducted with 259 Portuguese social media users, with age above 18. The research findings reveal a compelling relationship: followers possessing a more accurate perception of the social media influencer’s FOBC exhibit a diminished intention to adopt the social media influencer’s political viewpoint. Moreover, this relationship is moderated by the degree of parasocial opinion leadership attributed to the social media influencers by their followers. Additionally, the study unveils that followers’ perception of social media influencers’ FOBC exhibit variations based on the followers’ political orientation. The conclusions drawn emphasize the pivotal need for followers to grasp the reality that social media influencers might operate within the constraints of Cancel Culture and that are afraid of being ‘canceled’. This awareness is crucial to prevent political influence from social media influencers, urging followers to critically assess and not solely rely on the viewpoints propagated by them. |
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