The Impact of Fitness Influencers on a Social Media Platform on Exercise Intention during the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Role of Parasocial Relationships

Wenjia Li (), Huangyi Ding, Guifen Xu and Jidong Yang
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Wenjia Li: College of Communication and Art Design, University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, Shanghai 200093, China
Huangyi Ding: College of Communication and Art Design, University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, Shanghai 200093, China
Guifen Xu: College of Communication and Art Design, University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, Shanghai 200093, China
Jidong Yang: School of Creativity and Art, Shanghai Tech University, Shanghai 201210, China

IJERPH, 2023, vol. 20, issue 2, 1-15

Abstract: In the context of COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns, fitness influencers on social media are greatly involved in people’s home fitness processes, but there is limited research examining the role of fitness influencers on social media in exercise intention. This study aimed to explore whether people’s perceptions of the personal attributes and content quality of fitness influencers can promote a strong emotional connection between the two, thereby influencing people’s exercise intentions. Based on the theory of the parasocial relationship, we investigated the influence of social attractiveness (SA), physical attractiveness (PA), task attractiveness (TA), and content quality (CQ) of fitness influencers on the parasocial relationships (PSRs) between viewers and fitness influencers on social media and whether PSRs positively contribute to viewers’ exercise intentions (EI). The results revealed that SA, PA, TA, and CQ have positive influences on PSRs and CQ; PSRs directly contribute to EI; and PSRs have a mediating effect between EI and CQ. This study provides new insights into understanding the relationship between fitness influencers and people’s online fitness behaviors.

Keywords: social media; parasocial relationships; fitness influencer; exercise intention; COVID-19; personal attributes; fitness video (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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