“How come I don’t look like that”: the negative impact of wishful identification with influencers on follower Well-being

Abstract

Building on Social Comparison Theory and Parasocial Relationship Theory, this study is designed to investigate how followers’ wishful identification with YouTube influencers is associated with their psychological well-being and how parasocial relationships with influencers moderate this association.

Keywords

• wishful identification
• social media influencers
• parasocial relationship
• social media wellbeing
• influencer-follower relationship