IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/bla/randje/v57y2026i2p271-284.html

Strategic Influencers and the Shaping of Beliefs

Author

Listed:
  • Akhil Vohra

Abstract

Influencers, from propagandists to sellers, expend vast resources targeting agents who amplify their message through word‐of‐mouth communication. While agents differ in network position, they also differ in their bias: Agents may naturally read articles with a particular slant or buy products from a certain seller. Absent competition, an influencer prefers targeting central agents and those biased against it. If agents are unbiased, competition leads to influencers targeting more central agents. However, when agents have heterogeneous biases and competition is intense, the incentive to deter one's rival dominates. Influencers protect their base, targeting those with similar beliefs in equilibrium.

Suggested Citation

  • Akhil Vohra, 2026. "Strategic Influencers and the Shaping of Beliefs," RAND Journal of Economics, RAND Corporation, vol. 57(2), pages 271-284, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:randje:v:57:y:2026:i:2:p:271-284
    DOI: 10.1111/1756-2171.70012
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1111/1756-2171.70012
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1111/1756-2171.70012?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:bla:randje:v:57:y:2026:i:2:p:271-284. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Wiley Content Delivery (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/randdus.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.