Social Media Influencers – Current Dynamics and Future Prospects

Benhui Ren, Rosita Binti Mohd Tajuddin, Shaliza Binti Mohd Shariff, Binyao Ning, Rosmini Omar and Jing Deng
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Benhui Ren: College of creative Arts, Universiti Technology MARA, Shah Alam, Malaysia; Faculty of Arts and Media, Wanbo Institute of Science & Technology, Hefei, China;
Rosita Binti Mohd Tajuddin: Faculty of Arts and Media, Wanbo Institute of Science & Technology, Hefei, China;
Shaliza Binti Mohd Shariff: Faculty of Arts and Media, Wanbo Institute of Science & Technology, Hefei, China;
Binyao Ning: Azman Hashim International Business School, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Rosmini Omar: Azman Hashim International Business School, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Jing Deng: Faculty of Arts and Media, Wanbo Institute of Science & Technology, Hefei, China;

International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science, 2025, vol. 9, issue 1, 554-567

Abstract: Social media influencers have emerged as a highly salient topic of discussion. Given their crucial role in consumer decision-making, this paper aims to illuminate the concept and key characteristics of social media influencers and unveil future prospects for researchers and practitioners. Although there is a consensus regarding the role of social media influencers, the understanding and categorization of social media influencers in the contemporary business landscape warrant further deliberation. As recent studies have mostly focused on the structure of social media influencers from a broad perspective, we advocate shifting the research paradigm towards synthesizing the dimensions of “engagement style†and “level of expertise†in order to take into account the unique characteristics and thematic focus of influencers. By transcending traditional metrics, this paper seeks to provide more insights and nuances about social media influencers and marketing strategy. Future research should further explore the behavioral patterns of social media influencers in the evolving legal and regulatory environment, evaluate the impact of regulation on their communicative efficacy and behavior, and investigate how the emergence of virtual influencers changes consumers’ emulative behavior and responsiveness to digital marketing channels.

Date: 2025
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