Defending my online friend: Investigating bystander reactions on influencer bashing among female Instagram users

Research output: Contribution to conferencePaperScientificpeer-review

Abstract

Social media influencers often become the target of ridiculing or insulting messages with the intention to hurt them, also called influencer bashing. Supportive bystander behavior performed by followers, such as sending public support messages or reporting the hateful comments, has the potential to diminish or prevent negate outcomes for the influencer. The goal of the present study was to investigate antecedents of publicly and privately supportive
bystander behaviors, as well as, publically and privately inappropriate bystander reactions, such as joining in with the aggressor. To this aim, an online survey was administered among 234 female Instagram users aged 18 to 25. The results indicated that perceived similarity between follower and influencer and state empathy elicited by an influencer bashing incident explain intentions to perform supportive bystander behavior, whereas trait empathy and severity of the influencer bashing incident seem not related. More precisely, a high level of perceived similarity was associated with a high level of state empathy, which in turn was associated with greater intentions to perform public and private supportive bystander behavior (fully mediated relationships). Implications of these findings and limitations are discussed.
Original languageEnglish
Publication statusPublished - 2022
EventAnnual Conference of the International Communication Association 2022: One world, one network? - Paris
Duration: 26 May 202230 May 2022

Conference

ConferenceAnnual Conference of the International Communication Association 2022
CityParis
Period26/05/2230/05/22

Keywords

  • Influencers
  • Online agression
  • Bashing
  • Bystander
  • Supporting
  • Antecedents

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