Do social media influencers influence the vaccination drive? An application of source credibility theory and uses and gratification theory

Faizan Alam, Meng Tao, Rashmi Rastogi, Aparna Mendiratta and Rekha Attri

Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 2024, vol. 198, issue C

Abstract: The role of social media influencers (SMIs) in promoting COVID-19 vaccination drives has caught the attention of scholars and practitioners worldwide but remains understudied in India. This is a significant knowledge gap as SMIs can assist policymakers and healthcare professionals in reaching the general public. The present study addresses this gap by examining how Indian SMI's features and activities can influence their followers' willingness to vaccinate by employing source credibility and uses and gratification theory. Using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM), we used cross-sectional data from 746 Indians (North capital region) to test the measurement and structural model grounded in two theoretical lenses. The results show that SMIs positively and significantly influence their followers' inclination to take the COVID-19 vaccine. This positive relationship strengthens the SMI's relationship with their followers from the COVID-19 vaccine perspective (Vaccine information and awareness). Moreover, the perceived threat of social isolation (PTSI) moderates the relationship between trust in the vaccines and the willingness to take them and promotes the understanding of anti-vaccine behaviors. Also, the study confirms the mediation role of vaccine information and awareness among features of SMI's and trust in the vaccine. This study contributes to the current literature by proposing social media influencers as the COVID-19 savior. Additionally, the moderation role of the perceived threat of social isolation (PTSI) offers unique insights into how contextual and individual factors can affect SMI followers.

Keywords: Social media influencers; COVID-19 vaccine; Trust; Vaccination drives; Social isolation; Source credibility theory (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:tefoso:v:198:y:2024:i:c:s0040162523006583

DOI: 10.1016/j.techfore.2023.122973

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