Online Identity Construction in Younger Generations via Identification with Influencers: Potential Areas of Vulnerability

Abstract

The largest consumers and prosumers of social media are young people, who have found a space to express themselves through social networks with the possibility of generating links and bonds with peers but also with figures of influence, such as influencers. Influencers are known as those figures whose attitudes are influential in the audience that follows them through social networks such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, or TikTok. Their presence on social media has been proposed as a trend that is currently on the rise. These trends are used to represent those topics that are popular and current, becoming a focus of collective interest for community building. Therefore, influencers become a strong point of identification for this population, being relevant to detect potential areas of vulnerability in the construction of their digital identity. In this chapter the nature of parasocial relationships with social network idols is reviewed by detecting potential areas of vulnerability in relation to the risk faced by adolescents at this developmental stage. Firstly, the study presents a theoretical underpinnings of social influences from the unilateral close relationship produced by the observer’s imaginary, the interests that arise, and the perception of the effects. Secondly, data from a large study is analyzed by extracting two dimensions and four effects with a sample of adolescents aged 12–18 years old (n = 1800), obtaining differential results on the social influences by gender. Finally, some considerations are provided for the education of the younger generations in the construction of positive and critical links with influencers.