Routledge Companion to Social Media Influencers

Nils S. Borchers is Media and Communications Researcher at the Institute of Media Studies at the University of Tübingen, Germany.Mariah L. Wellman is Assistant Professor in the Department of Advertising and Public Relations at Michigan State University, USA.Liselot Hudders is Full Professor of Marketing Ethics at Ghent University, Belgium and director of the Center for Persuasive Communication.

• 1. Influencers as the Iconic Figures of the Social Media Age: An Introduction to the Routledge Companion to Social Media Influencers 2. Defining Social Media Influencers: When Legacy Media hits Convergence Culture Part I: Influencers 3. Toward an Influencer Production Studies: Between-the-Line Labor in the Creator Economy 4. Expert Influencers: Understanding Authority and Credibility in the Influencer Industry 5. Influencer 'Authenticity' and 'Self-Branding': Influencer Studies within, between and beyond the Margins 6. Influencer Professionalism in Review: Rethinking the Amateur/Professional Binary through Emerging Benchmarks 7. Influencer Labor: Will Work Incessantly Against Uncertainty 8. Tastemakers of the Platform Age: The Cultural and Economic Work of Social Media Influencers Part II: Followers 9. Endorse, Engage, Influence: Direct Effects of Influencer Communication 10. Behind the Filter: Unintended Social and Psychological Impacts of Influencer Marketing 11. Follower-Influencer Relationships: Moving Beyond the Parasocial Relationship 12. Beyond Promotion: Trust as the Heart of Authentic Influencer-Follower Relationship 13. Sponsored! Disclosures of Influencer Marketing to Enhance Transparency and Advertising Literacy 14. Fandom and Influencers: Social Media Influencers through the Eyes of their Fans Part III: Influencer Industry 15. Influence and Impact: Navigating the Influencer Economy from a Brand Management Perspective 16. Influencer Relations: Centring the Human within Commerce, Community and Creativity 17. Prosocial Causes: How Influencers Contribute to the Common Good 18. The Role of Influencer Intermediaries: Stabilizing and Industrializing an Emergent Industry 19. Platform Politics and Influencers: Visibility, Invisibility, Hypervisibility 20. Influencer Ethics: The Complicated Task of Navigating Moral Expectations of Followers, Brands, and Society 21. The Regulation of Influencers: Expanding the EU Regulatory Horizon beyond Disclosures Part IV: Lifeworlds 22. Fashion Influencers: Platformed Allure and the Making of an Influence Culture 23. Gaming Influencers: Between Digital Celebrity and Everyday Play 24. Advocacy Influencers: Navigating Resistance and Walking the Activism Tightrope 25. Political Influencers: Evolution, Engagement, and Impact 26. Eco-influencers: Saving Planet Earth One Audience Member at a Time 27. Parent Influencers: Reflecting, Shaping and Commodifying Parenting Advice 28. Financial Influencers: Expertise, Authenticity, and Authority Part V: Influencer Futures 29. The Kidfluencer Phenomenon: An Overview of the Production, Content, and Audience of Kidfluencers 30. Beyond the Human Touch: The Evolution, Implications, and Future of Virtual Influencers in Marketing 31. Influencing as a Profession: A Cross-Cultural Perspective on the Professionalization of Influencer Culture