Abstract:

Background: Influencer marketing has become a key strategic tool within digital marketing, with a reliance upon social media influencers to help build brand trust and audience engagement through their content they create. Unlike traditional marketing, influencers allow their brand to push products that offer stronger reliability than the traditional methods. Through their perceived authentic content, consumers' trust is increased, resulting in an increased chance of purchasing the product/service. However, the influencer culture has been increasingly commercialized through brand collaboration, resulting in audience skepticism, and the level of parasocial relationships has grown far wider than in previous times. Moreover, the psychological demands of maintaining an idealised persona online, such as stress, emotional exhaustion, and mental health challenges, remain largely unexplored. This research aims to address the need to examine the mental health implications of influencers' work and the pressure to maintain a digital image.

Research Purpose: The purpose of the research is to develop an in-depth understanding of how social media influencers deal with the continuous demand for content creation, online engagement, and managing their presence in the online world affects their mental well-being.  The study investigates how content pressure, self-image, and algorithm unpredictability contribute to burnout and emotional exhaustion, along with the exploration of how influencers navigate the blurred lines between personal and professional identity. Through extensive research, this study seeks to further the conversation around mental health within the social media environment, specifically influencers.  

Research Problem: Whilst the studies around the negative impact that social media has on mental health are well documented, there is limited research on the mental well-being of social media influencers themselves. The influencers face many unique challenges around mental well-being due to the increased publicity, social comparison, and online criticisms. Despite their growing importance within everyday business strategies, influencers are still seen merely as a marketing tool rather than individuals, ignoring the emotional strain and identity conflict this creates. This lack of research highlights the gap in understanding the long-term psychological impact of the influencer culture and the need for greater awareness and support networks for those in that environment.  

Research Question: How does the constant online presence impact the influencers’ mental well-being?  

Method: This study takes an interpretive paradigm as well as a qualitative approach towards the research, designed to explore the mental challenges faced by social media influencers. A deductive approach was adopted, guided by both the Self-Determination Theory and the Social Comparison Theory to help structure the interview and data interpretation. Primary data was collected through 16 semi-structured interviews, which were conducted through Zoom with Hungarian influencers, who were selected through snowball sampling. A thematic approach was used to identify key psychological triggers within the interviews as well as supported literature. Along with ethical considerations, including consent, anonymity, and data security, due to the sensitivity of the issue.

Practical Implications: Emerging from our findings, implications were developed for influencer agencies, brand collaborations, and social media platforms on how they need to better support the mental well-being of the influencers.