My Influencer Friend: Analysis of Parasocial Relationships in the Credibility of Sponsored Content in Peru

DOI

10.2991/978-94-6463-868-4_45How to use a DOI?

Keywords

Influencer Advertising; Influencers; Social Networks; Social Media; Parasocial Relationship; Credibility; Teenagers; Peru

Abstract

During the last two decades, the figure of the influencer has gained great relevance for the teenage audience. It is here where he or she is positioned as a reference, since he or she is considered a role model, generating bonds that vary in intensity. In this context, the teenager is led to think that he or she has a friendship relationship with the influencer, which is not the case. This is called a parasocial relationship (PSR), which in this paper is developed from the perspective of influencer advertising in the field of self-image about the body and diet. This is a sensitive and relevant topic since it brings associated risks, such as overconfidence that increases the difficulties in recognizing advertising and in activating an attitude of self-criticism. That is why this study focuses on the RPS of the adolescent with the influencer who promotes food and body care products, and on the adolescent’s perception of the credibility of this advertising content. In addition, the association between these two variables is analyzed. To achieve this objective, a quantitative methodology was used, with the support of a representative survey, which was answered by 1020 Peruvian adolescents between 11 and 17 years of age. The results indicate a high PSR of the adolescent with the influencer on body and diet, and a very positive evaluation of the credibility of this advertising. Finally, the correlational analysis indicates a significant direct association between RPS and credibility.

Copyright

© 2025 The Author(s)

Open Access

Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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TY  - CONF
AU  - Álvaro Montúfar-Calle
AU  - Isabel Pavez
PY  - 2025
DA  - 2025/10/22
TI  - My Influencer Friend: Analysis of Parasocial Relationships in the Credibility of Sponsored Content in Peru
BT  - Proceedings of the International Conference on Communication and Applied Technologies 2025 (ICOMTA 2025)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 493
EP  - 503
SN  - 2667-128X
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-94-6463-868-4_45
DO  - 10.2991/978-94-6463-868-4_45
ID  - Montúfar-Calle2025
ER  -