Health education, social media, and tensions of authenticity in the <b>‘</b>influencer pedagogy’ of health influencer Ashy Bines

Hendry, Natalie Ann; Hartung, Catherine; Welch, Rosie

doi:10.1080/17439884.2021.2006691

Cited by 31 publications

(50 citation statements)

References 36 publications

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“…In accordance with studies such as that of Hendry et al [ 60 ], the present findings suggest that influencers who post health-related content on Instagram also display a highly superficial lifestyle and values that can sometimes confuse younger people about the true benefits of staying healthy. This study shows that the influencers analysed publish fewer health posts (and more about beauty and normative bodies) when the predominant age range of their followers is lower.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

Health Promotion on Instagram: Descriptive–Correlational Study and Predictive Factors of Influencers’ Content

Sánchez

Domínguez-Martín

García-Marín

2022

IJERPH

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The pandemic has accentuated the power that influencers have to influence their followers. Various scientific approaches highlight the lack of moral and ethical responsibility of these creators when disseminating content under highly sensitive tags such as health. This article presents a correlational statistical study of 443 Instagram accounts with more than one million followers belonging to health-related categories. This study aims to describe the content of these profiles and their authors and to determine whether they promote health as accounts that disseminate health-related content, identifying predictive factors of their content topics. In addition, it aims to portray their followers and establish correlations between the gender of the self-described health influencers, the characteristics of their audience and the messages that these prescribers share. Health promotion is not the predominant narrative among these influencers, who tend to promote beauty and normative bodies over health matters. A correlation is observed between posting health content, the gender of the influencers and the average age of their audiences. The study concludes with a discussion on the role of public media education and the improvement of ethical protocols on social networks to limit the impact of misleading and false content on sensitive topics, increasing the influence of real health prescribers.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

Health Promotion on Instagram: Descriptive–Correlational Study and Predictive Factors of Influencers’ Content

Sánchez

Domínguez-Martín

García-Marín

2022

IJERPH

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“…Mills et al (2021) remind us that our reaction to different forms of body talk is socially and culturally nuanced, and that what applies in one country is not necessarily experienced similarly in another. In addition, as Hendry et al (2021) argue, not all social media, including so-called social influencers, have a negative influence on online representations and discourses of the body. Appreciating the complexity and socially nuanced nature of social media is key to identifying effective responses to fat or body talk in future.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Exploring the interplay between fat talk, social media use and body image among young women: New opportunities for health education?

Kennedy

Preston

Kenny

2023

Health Education Journal

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Background: ‘Fat Talk’, or the act of negatively discussing one’s own or another person’s body, is linked to body image constructs, body dissatisfaction, low self-esteem and disordered eating. The spaces in which young women talk about the body are changing, as social media use escalates. Understanding the interplay between social media use, body image and fat talk, in different contexts, is needed. Method: Focus group interviews were used to explore how young women (aged 15–19) experience fat talk while using social media and the possible effect on body image constructs. Using purposive convenience sampling, young women who regularly used social media and were living in an inner city of England were recruited. Thematic analysis was used for analysis and six themes were identified, both a priori and inductively, to explore the interplay between them. Findings: Over 35 women were successfully recruited into the study, with 18 of these finally participating in focus group interviews. Among participants, social media use was linked to increased self-evaluation of the body, engagement in social comparative behaviour and negative self-talk about the body. Although fat talk was reportedly common and widespread, it was unacceptable in the online space. However, body talk, other than size or shape, was permissible. Conclusion: Fat talk can be divisive; however, if it becomes unacceptable in the online space, negative self-talk may increase. If fat talk is replaced by an all-encompassing ‘body talk’, then this too may exacerbate existing pressures on young people and their mental health and well-being. Understanding the relationship between social media, body dissatisfaction and body talk may provide new opportunities for health education to promote a more constructive prevention discourse of the body, including body talk, in or around the online space.

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“…Crucial to the success of influencers-and communicators broadly-is the cultivation of perceived authenticity and expertise, which drives these relationships that allow for persuasion to occur (Hendry et al, 2022). Authenticity, in particular, has been posited as an important factor in advertising and marketing (Pöyry et al, 2019).…”

Section: Authenticity Expertise and Psimentioning

confidence: 99%

Scientists as Influencers: The Role of Source Identity, Self-Disclosure, and Anti-Intellectualism in Science Communication on Social Media

Zhang

2023

Social Media + Society

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As social media become increasingly important for science communication, scientists are grappling with their new role on these platforms. While some have called for the increased presence and training of scientists on social media, others prefer to leverage the influence of social media influencers for science communication. This study explores the effects of source identity (scientist or influencer) and self-disclosure type (personal or professional) on perceptions of authenticity and expertise, as well as parasocial interactions. In an online between-subjects experiment ( N = 1579), participants rated scientists on Twitter as more authentic and qualified than influencers, and rated Twitter profiles with professional self-disclosure as more qualified than profiles with personal self-disclosure. Subsequently, participants indicated stronger parasocial interactions, higher information-seeking intentions, and higher prosocial intentions. Anti-intellectualism was found to moderate these relationships. These findings suggest that scientists can employ certain strategies as they seek to establish themselves and reach wider audiences on social media platforms.

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Health education, social media, and tensions of authenticity in the ‘influencer pedagogy’ of health influencer Ashy Bines

Cited by 31 publications

References 36 publications

Health Promotion on Instagram: Descriptive–Correlational Study and Predictive Factors of Influencers’ Content

Health Promotion on Instagram: Descriptive–Correlational Study and Predictive Factors of Influencers’ Content

Exploring the interplay between fat talk, social media use and body image among young women: New opportunities for health education?

Scientists as Influencers: The Role of Source Identity, Self-Disclosure, and Anti-Intellectualism in Science Communication on Social Media

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