Meeting people where they are: leveraging influencers’ social capital and trust to promote safer behaviours

Abstract

The newfound authority of social media ‘Content Creators’ or ‘Influencers’ (hereon referred to as influencers) have changed the media landscape in a short space of time. Undoubtedly, ‘trendsetters’ have existed for eons, as have people that commanded a following and influenced those around them; leaders, patricians, socialites, and more recently celebrities have held influence over people’s behaviour. Nevertheless, influencers are a unique modern phenomenon with a reach that is different to anything that came before–a reach that is personal, parasocial and potentially unlimited in scale. Given influencers command significant followings, their impact on public opinion and social trends is undeniable. The social media space has given rise to potential public health challenges, e.g., in travel and tourism where risk taking behaviours are shared widely and often promulgated by influencers. Nevertheless, it is at this intersection that we posit influencers as a useful avenue for communicating risks, including to self and the environment. Social media influencers have a level of relatability and perceived authenticity that traditional forms of tourism content found in brochures, magazines and guidebooks do not possess. These characteristics award them credibility that they use to influence their followers; providing a unique conduit for messaging about health risks, hazards in the natural environment, and safety practices. Therefore, this commentary explores the potential of leveraging influencers for risk communication rather than risk propagation, and the evolving challenges in digital health and safety dissemination.

Keywords

• Social media
• risk communication
• digital literacy
• young people
• travel
• influencers