Influencer Stickiness and Determining the Relationships Among its Antecedents (Fenomen Yapışkanlığı ve Öncülleri Arasındaki İlişkilerin Belirlenmesine Yönelik Bir Araştırma)

The rise of internet and social media usage has become almost indispensable in people’s daily lives and it has enabled influencers, the individuals who interact with their followers using various social media platforms such as Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, etc., to become almost as popular as traditional celebrities such as singers, movie stars, sportsmen and so on. Unlike traditional celebrities, social media influencers are believed to have similar social status like their followers. Increasing the number of their followers and fans and turning them into paying customers are largely dependent on the stickiness of their followers. The purpose of this study is to determine relationships among the antecedents of the stickiness of influencers’ followers and to measure the effects of these antecedents on influencer stickiness. In order to determine and investigate these relationships, the data were collected from 2158 respondents by structured questionnaires and analyzed by PLS-SEM structural equation modeling. Results showed that identity similarity, identity distinctiveness, and identity prestige had positive effects on parasocial relationships and wishful identification, and parasocial relationships and wishful identification were found to have a positive effect on stickiness.