Following with doubt: A qualitative study on consumers reflexive relationship with influencers

Abstract

Social media influencers have become a dominant force in contemporary marketing, yet emerging trends suggest a growing consumer scepticism toward influencer culture. Despite this, consumer engagement seems to persist, pointing toward a complex and ambivalent relationship that remains underexplored in existing research. This study explores how reflexivity manifests in consumers' relationships with social media influencers, with a particular focus on the dimensions in which it appears and how it unfolds. Drawing on a qualitative research design, twelve semi-structured interviews were conducted with Swedish adults aged 20-30. Data was analysed through thematic analysis. The findings identify three dimensions through which reflexivity manifests; commercialization, moral tensions and self-evaluation, each triggered by different forms of tensions and unfolding through a distinct reflexive process. Together the findings suggest that engagement appears to be maintained through ongoing reflexive negotiation, where consumers develop awareness in regard to tensions they experience, employ regulation strategies to comprehend these tensions and justify their participation in ways that preserve a coherent sense of self. This study contributes to existing research by demonstrating that consumers' relationships with influencers are increasingly sustained through ambivalence rather than admiration, pointing toward a broader shift in influencer culture itself.