Do masks matter? Consumer perceptions of social media influencers who wear face masks amid the COVID‐19 pandemic

Abstract

The rapid spread of COVID‐19 brought about an increased use of face masks among the general public. Focusing on disposable surgical masks in particular, this article examines consumer perceptions of and intentions toward social media influencers who wear such masks amid the pandemic. Drawing on the theory of product symbolism, this research experimentally demonstrates that masked (vs. unmasked) influencers remind consumers of highly competent healthcare professionals, leading in turn to greater competence inferences about and more favorable behavioral intentions toward these influencers. Additional analysis demonstrates that this effect might not hold for other groups of professionals who are considered relatively competent at the outset and/or whose profession is less reliant on external cues. Overall, this research suggests that apart from curtailing the spread of the pandemic, mask wearing might prove beneficial to certain groups of professionals, such as social media influencers, who have traditionally struggled to establish credibility. In a broader context, this research establishes mask wearing as a new form of nonverbal communication that warrants further examination.

Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice Towards Face-Mask Use Amid the Coronavirus 2019 Pandemic Among Public Transport Drivers in Gondar Town, A Cross-Sectional Study

“…However, it was not known previously to what extent drivers who have frequent daily contact with community members during the provision of transportation service were perceived to know about the efficacy of prevention measures. 14 …”

Can culture beat Covid‐19? Evidence that exposure to facemasks with cultural symbols increases solidarity

“…For example, in two articles, faces with a surgical facemask were rated as more trustworthy in comparison to faces with a neutral emotional expression, whether these faces were of virtual characters (Cartaud et al, 2020) or real-life individuals (Olivera-La Rosa et al, 2020). In another study, exposure to surgical facemasks increased competency perceptions and behavioural intentions (Klucarova, 2021). For current purposes, we define cultural facemasks as facemasks that depict a solidarity-related cultural symbol in the form of logo, icon, print, or letters.…”

Can culture beat Covid-19? Evidence that exposure to facemasks with cultural symbols increases solidarity

“…However, facemasks vary by type (Goh et al, 2020;Van Gorp, 2021), and different facemasks evoke different associations (Tateo, 2020). Quantitative research on the interpersonal effects of facemasks has thus far focused on surgical (or medical) facemasks (Cartaud et al, 2020;Fitousi et al, 2021;Grundmann et al, 2021;Kastendieck et al, 2021;Klucarova, 2021;Parada-Fernández et al, 2022;Rosa et al, 2020;Wu, Liang, et al, 2021), a type of facemask traditionally used to stop bacteria transmission in medical settings (Goh et al, 2020). For example, in two papers, faces with a surgical facemask were rated as more trustworthy in comparison to faces with a neutral emotional expression, whether these faces were of virtual characters (Cartaud et al, 2020) or real-life individuals (Olivera-La .…”

“…For example, in two papers, faces with a surgical facemask were rated as more trustworthy in comparison to faces with a neutral emotional expression, whether these faces were of virtual characters (Cartaud et al, 2020) or real-life individuals (Olivera-La . In another study, exposure to surgical facemasks increased competency perceptions and behavioural intentions (Klucarova, 2021). For current purposes, we define cultural facemasks as facemasks that depict a solidarity-related cultural symbol in the form of logo, icon, print, or letters.…”

“…With the continuous mutation of the virus, protective measures such as facemask wearing are potentially here to stay (British Academy, 2021). Accordingly, research and theory concerning the psychological effects of facemask exposure (Biermann et al, 2021;Cartaud et al, 2020;Fitousi et al, 2021;Grundmann et al, 2021;Kastendieck et al, 2021;Klucarova, 2021;Parada-Fernández et al, 2022;Rosa et al, 2020;Wu, Liang, et al, 2021) and the associations attached to facemasks in general (Cheng et al, 2020;Huang et al, 2021;Ji, 2020;Timpka & Nyce, 2021) and to specific types (e.g., surgical) of facemasks (Goh et al, 2020;Klucarova, 2021;Mokdad, 2021;Perach, 2020;Tateo, 2020) are emerging. In this paper, we propose that exposure to facemasks with a cultural symbol that relates to solidarity can activate cultural values such as mutual trust and thereby increase interpersonal perceptions compatible with these values (Neville et al, 2021;Vail et al, 2012).…”