Moscow, Russian Federation
Moscow, Russian Federation
Social media influencers and opinion leaders are an important social phenomenon. As social networks become more important in all spheres of life, the communicative distance between the media producer and the media consumer keeps shrinking, marking a focus shift to content consumption. Creative industries are an important factor in developing social media influencers. This research features the social factors that contribute to the formation and sustainability of social media influencers through creative industries. The authors conducted a content analysis of documentary sources published as textual or visual content on various media platforms, i.e., social networks, video hosting, or blogs, to identify the key topics, images, and representations broadcast by opinion leaders. A secondary analysis of sociological research data and online analytical reviews made it possible to study the influence of opinion leaders on public attitudes and consumer behavior, including by means of creative industries. The data obtained were processed using the SPSS statistical package and data analysis software. The formation of social media influencers proved to be a complex process, where social determinants are even more important than economic, political, or other aspects. The research revealed nine groups of factors in shaping the social media influencers that target young population: technology; popularity; publicity; media coverage; the role of social capital and its monetization; media trends and representations formed by million-follower bloggers; influence on social behavior; personal qualities; risk factors. Social media influencers act through creativity, creative industries, expressive and visual means of musical and plastic arts, etc. They are strategically important stakeholders in business and other social spheres as they shape the current behavioral patterns of young people.
digitalization, creative industries, media space, personalized communication, content, social media influencers, formation of opinion leaders, popularity, publicity, media
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