Using the Persuasive Power of Social Media Influencers for Eating Disorder Prevention Messages: The Role of Parasocial Relationships and Direct Addressing

The persuasive power of social media influencers has been well-demonstrated in the context of commercial goals, but whether influencers can be successfully employed for health messages and in particular fear appeals remain unclear. The current research explores two factors that may enhance the effectiveness of persuasive health messages using influencers: whether media users have a pre-existing bond, i.e., parasocial relationship (PSR) with the influencer, and whether the influencer directly addresses the user on a verbal and bodily level. In two online experiments, female social media users (18-30 y/o) were exposed to a set of fictional Instagram posts on eating disorder prevention. Study 1 (N = 233) employed a 2 (pre-existing PSR: yes vs. no) x 2 (verbal addressing: yes vs. no) between-subjects design. Study 2 (N = 225) used a 2 (verbal addressing: yes vs. no) x 2 (bodily addressing: yes vs. no) between-subjects design. The results showed that messages conveyed by an influencer with whom media users had a pre-existing (vs. no) parasocial relationship elicited higher parasocial interaction (PSI), which was in turn associated with an increase in message-supporting thoughts and subsequently behavioral intentions (assessed immediately) and actual behavior (assessed one week after message reception). No significant effects of verbal and bodily addressing were found. Employing influencers for eating disorder prevention seems most effective when individuals have a parasocial friendship with the influencer. Future research should explore if and how direct addressing can be effectively applied in social media health campaigns.