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Admirer-celebrity relationships among young adults

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Abstract

This study investigated young adults' judgments regarding the degree to which relationships with celebrity idols influenced their sense of identity and feelings of self-worth. Participants (N=75) were recruited from a larger sample (N=213) of young adults whose responses to a brief survey instrument indicated that they were moderately to strongly attached to media figures they identified as idols in their lives. The present paper discusses the characteristics of the sample of idols participants reported as well as descriptive data concerning the degree to which participants perceived these idols as influential in shaping their sense of identity and feelings of self-worth. We also present the results of an exploratory path analysis that tested hypotheses about the possible relational antecedents of participants' perceived influence ratings, hypotheses derived from Caughey's (1984) analysis of celebrity-admirer relationships. The results highlight the utility of adopting a relational orientation to the study of how attachments to celebrities can significantly shape identity development.

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... In 2001, Susan Boone and Kristina Lomore investigated the self-perception of young people and found that 58.7% of respondents reported that media role models had influenced their life positions and beliefs. Furthermore, 25.3% stated that they had altered their personalities to become more similar (in terms of character traits) to their favorite media personalities (Boon and Lomore, 2001). It has also been shown that television roles and models often influence young people's professional preferences and choices (Christiansen, 1879;King and Multon, 1996). ...
... Так, у 2001 році Сюзан Бун і Крістіна Ломор досліджували самосприйняття молодих людей і встановили, що 58,7% респондентів вибірки зазначили, що медіакумири вплинули на їх власну життєву позицію та переконання. Крім того, 25,3% сказали, що вони змінили свою особистість, щоб бути більш схожими (рисами характеру) на улюблених медіаперсон (Boon and Lomore, 2001). Також було доведено, що телевізійні ролі й моделі часто впливають на професійні уподобання та вибір молоді (Christiansen, 1879;King and Multon, 1996). ...
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This article addresses the pertinent topic of the functional potential of parasocial relationships in the lives of contemporary media consumers. Based on a wide range of experimental studies conducted by Western and Eastern colleagues, the author has developed an original functional model of parasocial interactions aimed at explaining the interrelation between human needs and their fulfillment through parasocial contacts. The author synthesized and unified global research relevant to the functional aspects of parasocial relationships, incorporating them into the developed model, which relies on two theoretical approaches: “Uses and Gratifications” (U&G) and the concept of “Consumption-Creation”. Six primary functions were identified, classified into two groups according to the overarching concept of “Consumption-Creation”. The consumption-oriented functions encompassed the entertaining, compensatory, and substitutive functions, while the creative-oriented functions included the educational, media-creative, and motivational-functional functions. While the functions of the consumption-oriented concept primarily serve the needs of media consumers and influence their emotional sphere, the functions of the creative-oriented concept can potentially transform the individuality of media consumers and impact their self-presentation in the world.
... Similarly, comparisons with successful social referents such as influencers play a critical role in shaping identity. Customers attempt to build a salient social identity by following referents' consumption choices (Boon & Lomore, 2001;Dinh & Lee, 2022) because these choices symbolize customers' bonds with their reference groups or ideal peer groups. As stated by Dinh and Lee (2022), comparisons with influencers motivate individuals' fear of being excluded from social groups and pursuing social status, which enables customers to buy products endorsed by influencers. ...
... Admiration for SMIs is widespread because they showcase the trendiness and quality of life that followers aspire to Ref. [25]. Through exposure to SMIs, followers seek to emulate them and experiment with endorsed suggestions to enhance their self-image [53]. Ki and Kim [38] claimed that once followers are satisfied and trust SMIs' endorsements, they want to mimic SMIs and purchase the endorsed products used by those SMIs. ...
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This study addresses the existing gap in theoretical and empirical research concerning the impact of social media influencers (SMIs) on followers' purchasing decisions. The primary aim is to explore and elucidate followers' journey from exposure to SMIs to the manifestation of conspicuous consumption. Grounded in the stimulus-organism-response framework and self-determination theory, the research proposes a dual model focusing on mediating factors such as social comparison, desire to mimic, materialism, and fear of missing out (FOMO). To achieve this objective, a survey targeting 272 respondents was conducted on the MTurk platform. The study findings reveal that exposure to SMIs triggers social comparisons and FOMO, subsequently influencing the acquisition of conspicuous products. Additionally, the study identifies that exposure to SMIs amplifies the desire to mimic and stimulates materialistic tendencies, thereby contributing to conspicuous consumption. The proposed Intrinsic-Extrinsic Consumption Motivation Model emerges as a novel framework to enhance our understanding of how SMIs influence conspicuous consumption, providing valuable insights for developing effective advertising programs.
... Mereka memiliki penggemar di Indonesia yang terdata sebanyak 525 orang, dengan mayoritas berusia 18-25 tahun (Purwitasari, 2021). Sebanyak 75% individu dewasa awal memiliki ketertarikan kuat terhadap selebriti dan cenderung mengidolakan mereka (Boon & Lomore, 2001). Hal ini dapat berkembang menjadi celebrity worship, yaitu kecenderungan untuk terlalu dekat dengan idola dan mencari tahu segala hal tentang mereka secara berlebihan. ...
Article
Celebrity worship is a parasocial relationship in which individuals are obsessed with their favorite idols. The study aimed to determine the relationship between emotional attachment and celebrity worship in early adult NCT (Neo Culture Technology) fans. The subjects in this study were 280 early adult NCT fans aged 18-25 years. The technique for collecting data for this research uses a Likert scale, namely the Emotional Attachment Scale and the Celebrity worship Scale. The reliability coefficient for the Emotional Attachment scale is α = 0.874, while the reliability coefficient for the Celebrity worship scale is α = 0.842. Because the data has an abnormal distribution, the data analysis technique uses the Spearman's Rho correlation technique. The results showed a correlation coefficient of 0.717 and a significance value of p = 0.000 (p>0.01). This indicates a positive relationship between emotional attachment and celebrity worship among NCT fans in early adulthood.
... Previous literature described that more than 70% of young consumers are attracted to celebs at any stage. Additionally, young consumers look up to superstars and often model their identities after those of their favourite celebrities (Boon & Lomore, 2001). For this, young university-going consumers played a pivotal role in shaping celebs' marketing (Lee, 2015). ...
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Purpose: The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of celebrity endorsement components (expertise, attractiveness, and trustworthiness) on brand attitude, brand loyalty, and purchase intention. This study looks at the elements of celebrity endorsements that influence young consumers' purchasing preferences in the Barishal region of Bangladesh. Methodology: The study model incorporates constructs from earlier literature that have been proven to have substantial relations with purchasing intention. A self-administered questionnaire has been used through an online survey to collect 205 data from young people aged 20 to 24. Additionally, SPSS has been used to analyze the data. Findings: The study demonstrates that celebrity expertise and trustworthiness significantly influence brand attitudes and brand loyalty. However, celebrity attractiveness is not much impacted by brand attitudes and brand loyalty. The study also demonstrates that brand loyalty is the most substantial influence on purchase intention. Practical Implications: The findings of this study will help producers, marketers, merchants, and advertisers figure out what traits of a celebrity contribute to a favorable brand attitude, brand loyalty, and buy intention. Originality: This paper empirically examines how different variables affect celebrity endorsement’s influence on the buying behaviour of consumers’ decisions of young customers. Research Limitations: In this study, the respondents are young, so the findings may not be applicable on a general basis.
... Previous literature described that more than 70% of young consumers are attracted to celebs at any stage. Additionally, young consumers look up to superstars and often model their identities after those of their favourite celebrities (Boon & Lomore, 2001). For this, young university-going consumers played a pivotal role in shaping celebs' marketing (Lee, 2015). ...
Article
Full-text available
Purpose: The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of celebrity endorsement components (expertise, attractiveness, and trustworthiness) on brand attitude, brand loyalty, and purchase intention. This study looks at the elements of celebrity endorsements that influence young consumers' purchasing preferences in the Barishal region of Bangladesh. Methodology: The study model incorporates constructs from earlier literature that have been proven to have substantial relations with purchasing intention. A self-administered questionnaire has been used through an online survey to collect 205 data from young people aged 20 to 24. Additionally, SPSS has been used to analyze the data. Findings: The study demonstrates that celebrity expertise and trustworthiness significantly influence brand attitudes and brand loyalty. However, celebrity attractiveness is not much impacted by brand attitudes and brand loyalty. The study also demonstrates that brand loyalty is the most substantial influence on purchase intention. Practical Implications: The findings of this study will help producers, marketers, merchants, and advertisers figure out what traits of a celebrity contribute to a favorable brand attitude, brand loyalty, and buy intention. Originality: This paper empirically examines how different variables affect celebrity endorsement’s influence on the buying behaviour of consumers’ decisions of young customers. Research Limitations: In this study, the respondents are young, so the findings may not be applicable on a general basis.
... According to (Sirgy, 1982), consumers like to imitate the attitudes and behaviors of endorsers so that it can become like it and they use brands and products as a means of expressing and improving self-concept. For example, young consumers are impersonating celebrities they admire in identity building (Boon & Lomore, 2001). Social media influencers are considered an aspirational group for consumers e-ISSN: 2746-4040 Vol. 3, No. 3 July 2022 to find sources of information for brand evaluation (Escalas & Bettman., 2005). ...
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This paper aims to propose a proposition of selfie effectiveness from influencers that impact the attitude and buying intentions. The method is to review of several articles reveals the phenomenon of selfie marketing and the science of exercise to develop a proposition about the effectiveness of selfies concerning forming positive attitudes and purchasing intentions of a brand. The study produced a conceptual framework based on Stimuli-Organism-Response (SOR) as the basis for the development of propositions that explain the relationship between selfie charm and self-congruence, attitudes toward influencers, and attitudes toward brands and purchasing intentions with social interaction as moderation variables of the relationship between those variables. This paper describes selfies taken by non-celebrities as influencers. The implication of this study is an alternative model that conceptualizes selfie charm and social interaction as two variables that influence the process of forming a brand's buying attitudes and intentions, which marketers need to consider in creating marketing strategies. The phenomenon of selfies that occur today has given rise to a new stimulus, namely the charm of selfies and netizen comments that affect consumer activity in the purchase of a brand.
... Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa sebagian besar penggemar K-Pop berada dalam rentang usia dewasa awal. Sesuai dengan konsekuensi eksplorasi oleh Help dan Lomore (2001), menunjukkan bahwa 75% orang di masa dewasa awal umumnya akan memiliki bidang kekuatan untuk nama besar dalam hidup mereka, misalnya, simbol pop, selebriti, dan semacamnya (Boon & Lomore, 2001). Ini pada akhirnya akan mengarah pada kelompok penggemar yang merupakan bagian paling nyata dari kerumunan teks dan praktik sosial yang diliputi oleh individu di awal masa dewasa. ...
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Hallyu or Korean cultural wave has become a cultural force in Asia and began to export its cultural products widely to the Middle East, Europe, South America, Africa and North America. Korean pop music or better known as K-pop has now succeeded in placing it self in the global market and producing a new musical sensation. K-pop has the characteristics of music that can provide its own pleasure for the audience, so that this type of music is increasingly favored and consumed by many people regardless of gender or age range. Individuals in early adulthood tend to have a strong attraction to celebrities in their lives, such as pop idols, movie stars, and the like. This will eventually give rise to fan groups who are the most visible part of the audience of cultural texts and practices dominated by people in early adulthood. Fan groups that appear in K-pop culture are called K-popers (K-pop Lovers) or the K-pop community who hunts for all information about their favorite K-pop idols such as groups of singers and Korean music groups commonly referred to as Boy Bands and Girlbands. This study aims to determine the process of forming social groups and how the phenomenon of K-pop fan groups in the process of group formation is viewed from the point of view of social psychology. The method used in this research is to use a literacy study method or commonly referred to as a literature study, where the data obtained are sourced from recording and processing the research data obtained.Abstrak Hallyu atau gelombang budaya korea telah menjadi kekuatan budaya di Asia dan mulai mengekspor produk budayanya secara luas hingga ke Timur Tengah, Eropa, Amerika Selatan, Afrika dan Amerika Utara. Musik pop Korea atau lebih dikenal sebagai K-pop kini berhasil menempatkan diri di pasar global dan menghasilkan sensasi musik yang baru. K-pop memiliki ciri khas musik yang dapat memberikan kesenangan tersendiri bagi para penikmatnya, sehingga jenis musik tersebut semakin digemari dan dikonsumsi oleh banyak orang tanpa membedakan jenis kelamin maupun rentang usia. Individu pada masa dewasa awal cenderung memiliki ketertarikan yang kuat terhadap selebritas dalam kehidupannya, seperti idola pop, bintang film, dan semacamnya. Hal ini pada akhirnya akan memunculkan kelompok penggemar yang merupakan bagian paling tampak dari khalayak teks dan praktik budaya yang didominasi oleh orang-orang pada tahap dewasa awal. Kelompok penggemar yang muncul dalam budaya K-pop disebut dengan K-popers (K-pop Lovers) atau komunitas K-pop yang berburu segala informasi tentang idola K-pop yang disukainya seperti kelompok penyanyi dan grup musik Korea yang biasa disebut dengan Boy Band dan Girl Band. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui proses pembentukan kelompok sosial dan bagaimana fenomena kelompok penggemar K-pop dalam proses pembentukan kelompok yang dirtinjau dari sudut pandang ilmu psikologi sosial. Metode yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini yaitu menggunakan metode studi literasi atau biasa disebut juga sebagai studi kepustakaan, dimana data yang diperoleh bersumber dari mencatat dan mengolah data penelitian yang didapatkan.
... Apart from teachers, NPRMs and parents, L2 learners can also be inspired by role models from popular culture. Researchers have carried out studies relating to celebrities as role models for young people in general (Boon & Lomore, 2001;Fraser & Brown, 2002). One study looked at how using popular culture in language teaching "serves as a catalyst for increased motivation and language practice" (Duff & Zappa-Hollman, 2013, p.3). ...
Article
Role models and motivators can influence young people in a general sense and have a significant effect on their values and beliefs. As part of a larger project, we investigated the presence of L2 (second language) role models and motivators among 12 Japanese high school students (aged between 15 and 18), who took part in one-to-one interviews with the researcher. A thematic analysis of their responses was conducted to examine the extent to which the role models and motivators they mentioned had an influence on their L2 motivation. The results showed that parents were salient L2 motivators, although they did not, for the most part, act as L2 role models in a linguistic sense, as many of them did not speak English. On the other hand, teachers, famous people, and peers were shown to have a more important role, in terms of actual language acquisition, over the participants’ motivation in relation to English language learning in the school context. Finally, we propose a pedagogy that utilizes the influence of L2 role models and motivators in the classroom and highlight areas for future research in this area.
... As parasocial relationships have continually developed, viewers perceive Youtubers as people who can provide good information about so many different things (Rubin et al., 1985). By displaying their everyday use of endorsed products, presenting all kinds of items, and post-purchase evaluation on social network sites, the modeling of online celebrities becomes successful, boosting their followers' desire to buy (Boon and Lomore, 2001). Also, the findings of Kim et al. (2015), Hwang and Zhang (2018), and Hanief et al. (2019) showed that parasocial relationships with online celebrities positively impact consumer behaviors associated with celebrity endorsement. ...
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The year 2021 is one of the most significant years for live streaming commerce, since numerous sectors and businesses have begun to sell their items in the form of live broadcast influence. Especially in China, Taobao live streaming often promotes an event by inviting internet celebrities to cooperate with brands to broadcast the products. For many brands, that is a very successful technique for increasing conversion rates. Researchers have lately grown interested in investigating the factors influencing the purchase decisions of Chinese consumers in the context of Taobao live streaming commerce with online celebrities. The present study is the first to theoretically combine three primarily literature-based disciplines, including source credibility, match-up hypothesis, and parasocial relationship theory, into a unified framework to bridge the research gaps. In this study, the quantitative method was employed through the use of partial least square structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). The SmartPLS 3.0 software was applied to examine the proposed model. The data were obtained from 454 Chinese consumers who have ever purchased a cosmetic product from a famous internet celebrity on Taobao live streaming. The results indicated that the positive impact of a celebrity endorsers’ perceived expertise was the powerful antecedent that affected purchase intentions, while celebrity endorsers’ perceived attractiveness and trustworthiness had no significant effect. A good match-up between celebrity and product can improve the celebrity endorsers’ perceived attractiveness, trustworthiness, and expertise. Moreover, it was found that the celebrity endorsers’ perceived expertise acted as a mediator of the relationship between celebrity-product congruence and purchase intentions. Finally, the findings showed that parasocial relationships have vital mediating effects on increasing purchase intentions.
... This shows how effective a celebrity is when it comes to how the consumer responds to their way of advertising. Consumers treat celebrity endorsers as reference groups as they convey their symbols through their lifestyle and presence in the media (Boon & Lomore, 2001;Choi & Rifon, 2012;Albert et al., 2017). With the presence of multiple social media platforms, celebrities have become prominent in the mass media , as people tend to spend their time following celebrities' posts as they get interested in their lives and lifestyle, which includes fashion, make-up, product or brand choice, restaurant choice, and even favorite places or destinations, and adapt it on their own (Zafar et al., 2021). ...
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The growth of E-Commerce in the Philippines has shifted dramatically at an unprecedented pace during the COVID-19 pandemic, forcing consumers to shop online. The change in consumer behavior created a domino effect both for physical stores and e-commerce platforms. With the impact on the said area, the study focused on Shopee’s big online shopping events that make the platform the #1 Online Shopping Application in the Philippines as of 2020. The study empirically observed and analyzed how the factors influenced users to participate and develop their purchase intentions, considering the ongoing pandemic, allowing the researchers to identify the gaps in an online event. The factors that were observed are Celebrity Endorsers & Social Media Influencers, Advertising Appeal, Creative Sales Promotion/s, and Timing. The study used an online survey questionnaire, allowing the researchers to gather quantitative data through Likert Scale questions or statements that asked the respondents to answer based on their level of agreement. The effectiveness of each factor and its influence on purchase intention were determined by performing Descriptive Statistics and Regression Analysis as it was revealed that creative sales promotions (offering free vouchers, providing promotional codes, discount deals, etc.) to consumers and timing of events have a significant effect on Shopee users’ purchase intention, which are ideal for marketers to use as tools to develop effective marketing strategies to attract and persuade consumers to purchase products. However, Celebrity Endorsers & Social Media Influencers and Advertising Appeal are not significant or have no influence on online shoppers’ intention to purchase. As these may not be the ideal marketing tools or strategies to persuade consumers to buy, these can be relevant when it comes to building brand image and increasing brand awareness. The findings provided online businesses with insights to influence users’ purchase intent during online shopping event sales.
... In other words, followers desire to imitate their influencers in terms of physical appearance, attitude, or lifestyle by using or experiencing whatever influencers did or claimed to have done. An audience that shares bonds with their idols on social media is more likely to follow the influencers' choices to build identity and shape feelings of self-esteem (Boon and Lomore, 2001). Followers develop strong emotions about influencers, even when face-to-face interactions are lacking (La Ferle and Chan, 2008). ...
Article
Purpose As social media use rises, the impact of social media influencers on customer buying decisions increases, due to customers viewing influencers as ideal role models who they try to imitate. Nevertheless, this phenomenon is still under-researched. This study examined the impact of the imitation of influencers on customer buying intention toward endorsed products, which is mediated by social comparison, materialism and the fear of missing out (FOMO). Design/methodology/approach An online survey of 243 respondents was conducted via Amazon's Mechanical Turk platform. This study employed structural equation modeling to test for direct and indirect effects among the constructs. Findings The results revealed that imitation of influencers has a significant impact on social comparison, materialism and FOMO, which affect buying intention toward endorsed products. The analysis results highlight the critical role of FOMO in explaining buying intention toward endorsed products in the context of social media influencers. Originality/value This study proposes a new theoretical model and empirically tests the power of influencers to affect consumer buying intention for endorsed products. It also explains the influencers' effects through FOMO, which have hardly been examined in earlier research although it is an important factor in understanding customer behavior. The implications are discussed for the academic literature and for online marketing strategies in marketing and advertising management.
... Arnett menyatakan bahwa dewasa awal atau emerging adult adalah individu yang berusia 18-25 tahun (Santrock, 2011). Individu pada tahap perkembangan ini diasumsikan telah menuntaskan tugas perkembangan remaja yaitu telah sukses membentuk identitas jati diri dan mencapai autonomi, sehingga pada tahapan ini individu dituntut untuk fokus pada tugas selanjutnya yaitu mempersiapkan diri untuk mengemban peran baru dalam kehidupan seperti mempersiapkan diri untuk mencari jenjang karir yang tepat, memilih gaya hidup yang ingin dijalani apakah melajang atau menikah dan tugas perkembangan dewasa awal lainnya yang fokus pada pekerjaan dan cinta (Santrock, 2011 Celebrity worship pada dasarnya memiliki dampak positif pada penggemar seperti menginspirasi penggemar untuk belajar hal baru karena terinspirasi oleh selebriti favoritnya contohnya belajar musik atau belajar akting (Boon & Lomore, 2001). Dampak yang negatif juga dapat ditimbulkan oleh celebrity worship yang berlebihan terutama pada tahap intense-personal dan borderline-pathological. Dampak negatif yang muncul seperti kurang produktif (Aini dkk., 2019), sulit untuk mandiri atau menentukan tujuan hidup (Nurohmah & Prakoso, 2019), bahkan kegemaran yang berlebihan pada K-pop dapat membuat individu melakukan tindakan melukai diri sendiri (Rojek, 2012). ...
Article
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Celebrity worship is a normal phenomenon caused by human interaction with mass media, but it becomes a problem when a person becomes obsessed with one or more celebrities. This research aims to determine whether there are any influences of Self-Esteem and Psychological Well-Being on Celebrity Worship among Emerging Adult K-pop Fans at Surabaya. This research uses a quantitative approach involving 121 participants around 18-25 years old. The scales used in this research are RSES, PWBS, and CAS. The data was analyzed by IBM SPSS Statistics Version 25 for Windows and Jamovi 1.6.15. The results of this research show that self-esteem and psychological well-being simultaneously and partially have no significant effect on celebrity worship intense-personal and borderline-pathological (sig > 0,05). In conclusion, self-esteem and psychological well-being have no effect on celebrity worship.
... Only very limited research on emotions has argued that adolescents may imitate their idols to affirm their self-value (Cheung & Yue, 2003), feelings of self-worth (Boon & Lomore, 2001), or body image (Maltby et al., 2005). Despite the lack of empirical research on the emotion of admiration, Haidt and Seder's (2009) theoretical speculations provide an introduction to the origins and functions of admiration. ...
Article
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The concept of fame has been associated with celebrities, wealth, attractiveness, and social recognition. Nevertheless, people have admiration for the famous who may not be celebrities. Admiration is regarded as one of the emotions of appreciation, or moral emotions, triggered by positive appraisals of excellence. It is present when seeing extraordinary displays of skills talent or achievement. However, theoretical and empirical research on admiration and its psychological effects on people are scarce. In this article, we discuss a qualitative study that explores a collection of experiences of admiration for the famous. Based on 26 in-depth interviews with residents in southern England, we explored why people admire famous individuals and how the experience may produce positive attitudes and behaviors. We found that through admiring famous individuals who are perceived to share similar interests and attributes, people may develop positive thinking about their own lives and may be more active in seeking new opportunities or engaging in self-growth. We also discuss the potential problems of admiration. This exploratory research contributes to the literature of positive psychology and has implications for furthering the understanding of people’s well-being.
... The shared mental states and empathetic feelings toward story character may stimulate intense emotional responses and increase enjoyment (De Wied, Zillmann, & Ordman, 1995), making audiences less likely to argue against the message. Social cognitive theory (Bandura, 1986) suggests that identification can increase self-efficacy and facilitate vicarious learning and modeling behavior (Boon & Lomore, 2001;Caughey, 1986). Identification mediates the effects of absorption in narrative persuasion and is associated with positive responses to the embedded persuasive content (Slater, 2002). ...
Article
This study conceptually and empirically distinguishes two mental processes in narrative processing of food safety health messages-identification with and egocentric projection onto story characters. Two studies examined the effects of narrative autobiographical accounts of contracting foodborne illness (salmonella) because of careless food preparation. Both studies consistently found that identification increased, but egocentric projection decreased audience members' behavioral intention to perform safe food handling practices, indicating that egocentric projection and identification represent unique mental processes and yield distinct persuasive outcomes. In addition, confirmatory factor analyses provided evidence that egocentric projection and identification are distinct constructs. Implications for the role of identification and egocentric projection for understanding narrative processing and for health persuasion are discussed.
... While the theoretical reasons for the effect of actual selfcongruence on celebrity attachment support ideal self-congruence, there are some different consumer motivations specific to ideal self-congruence. Celebrities are desirable, accepted as role models and inspiring people in consumers' minds (Boon & Lomore, 2001). Because of these characteristics, consumers can associate celebrities with their ideal selves, and thus the ideal selves of consumers can be activated by the celebrity whom they admire or are attached to (Choi & Rifon, 2007). ...
Conference Paper
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Although previous studies have investigated the effect of celebrity endorsement on variables such as attitudes towards advertisement-brand, research on celebrity attachment is still in its infancy, and its effect on consumer-brand relations is not completely clear. The primary aim of this study is to examine celebrity attachment, which to date has been explained only by self-determination theory, from a different point of view (self-congruence theory) and to investigate its effect on brand attachment. Furthermore, researching the relationships between brand attachment, brand loyalty, and brand addiction is the second aim of this study. Data from 377 surveys collected from the UK were analyzed using SEM. Findings show that actual and ideal self-congruence have positive effects on celebrity attachment, which is consistent with self-congruence theory. Moreover, celebrity attachment also affects brand attachment, while brand attachment positively affects brand loyalty and brand addiction.
... It is very important to consider the adolescent consumers by the marketers because those customer groups have the most potential purchasing power than others(Bush et al, 2004). Especially when marketers endorse their brand using celebrity, it is very significant to target adolescent because adolescent largely perceive the celebrities as their ideal self-image which they use to develop their own physical appearance, values, attitudes and personality traits similar to the celebrities(Boon & Lomore, 2006). Martin andBush (2004) found that there is a positive impact on celebrity brand endorsement and the consumption behavior and purchase intention of American adolescents. ...
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This paper has been developed as a conceptual paper by rationalizing the existing literature sources to build arguments on two main concepts namely Celebrity Endorsement and consumer brand behaviour on Sri Lankan modern trade industry. This study is specially focused on Sri Lankan modern trade sector which has remarked a significant position in the local economy. It shows a higher degree of contribution in the practical scenario of celebrity endorsements in the Sri Lankan modern trade industry, but empirical knowledge is lack to investigate how celebrity endorsements works in modern trade industry branding perspectives. The study based on empirical studies basing the Tears model by Shimp (2003) indicated that trustworthiness, expertise, attractiveness, respect of the celebrity are key factors that impact on celebrity endorsement. Finally, it concludes the paper with some research directions and priorities for the future studies.
Article
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The digital media and the celebrity-making industry have drastically fueled celebrity worship, an evolving and complex human behavior. However, existing studies seem to oversimplify celebrity worship as a continuum ranging from normal to pathological. This study addresses this gap by developing a framework to classify distinct fan types and validate them with empirical data. A nationwide online survey was conducted with 806 Chinese emerging adults who acknowledged having a favorite celebrity. Six fan profiles were identified through Latent Profile Analysis. We then compared our classification with the widely used Celebrity Attitude Scale (CAS) to predict mental health outcomes among all participants and by gender. Results revealed significant differences across fan types on anxiety and the psychological well-being sub-dimension. The CAS score was not significantly associated with anxiety or depressive symptoms. Associations between fan types and mental health outcomes varied by gender. These findings highlight the complex nature of celebrity worship.
Chapter
There is no doubt that celebrities and social media influencers improve trust and investment from brands and advertisers, but the potentially problematic impact on society and consumers is less examined, especially the negative influence on materialism and mental health among adolescents. As suggested by Belk ( 1985), materialism does not necessarily lead to negative outcomes; it could increase compulsive buying behaviour (Islam et al., 2017) willingness to purchase counterfeit products (Furnham & Valgeirsson, The Journal of Socio-Economics, 36(5), 677–685, 2007) and reduced psychological well-being (Christopher et al., 2009). Lou and Kim ( 2019) concluded that influencers played a significant role in cultivating adolescents’ materialistic views and increasing their intentions to purchase endorsed products. Influencers could utilize multiple social media platforms, such as blogs, YouTube and Instagram, to affect every stage of fashion buyers’ decision-making process (Sudha & Sheena, 2017). Instagram influencers play an active role in shaping fast fashion buyers’ attitudes and purchase intentions towards the latest must-have items. They are considered experts in fast fashion and trendsetters and are the crucial persuading factors in deciding fast fashion brand choices (Kharuhayothin & Patarapongsant, 2022). As one of the most polluting industries, the environmental impact of fast fashion is under increasing scrutiny (Niinimäki et al., 2020), the growth of fashion waste (Jang et al., , 2012) and damage to water quality (Bailey et al., 2022) raised serious concerns around the world. The negative impact of influencers on our societal and environmental well-being cannot be ignored.
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The Korean wave phenomenon that is sweeping the world is slowly starting to have an economic impact, the presence of a music group consisting of young people with attractive appearances is the biggest driving factor causing the Korean wave phenomenon to spread, including the currently worldwide boyband BTS. This study aims to determine the role of brand attractiveness in impulse buying with celebrity worship as a mediating variable for purchasing official BTS merchandise in East Java. The sample in this study was 96 respondents with a sampling technique using purposive proportional random sampling with the criteria of consumers who bought BTS. BTS official merch fans commonly called ARMY fans who were in the East Java area and for private ownership. The results of this study indicate that brand attractiveness has a significant effect on impulse buying. Brand attractiveness has a significant effect on celebrity worship. Celebrity worship has a significant effect on impulse buying. Celebrity worship partially mediates brand attractiveness and impluse buying. Keywords: brand attractiveness, impulse buying, celebrity worship
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Human branding is everywhere and within every individual. With the increase in the importance of technology and social media, human branding becomes increasingly relevant, but it is still a branding concept with much room to explore. Celebrities, such as actors and athletes, are the greatest examples of human brands, and with social media managing public image is key to success. This study aims to analyze the process by which attachment strength influences loyalty through intimate and public engagement. Thus, a sample of 321 participants, collected through social media platforms, allowed us to treat data and test the hypotheses of the proposed model. Relatedness is the most relevant driver of attachment strength and the flow from attachment to loyalty through public engagement.
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Wie ist die weltweit führende Social-Media-Video-Plattform YouTube im Hinblick auf Geschlechtergleichberechtigung einzuschätzen? Die Analyse zeigt, dass die Videoproduktion auf YouTube männlich dominiert ist und dass die Video-Inhalte oft tradierte Geschlechterrollen vermitteln. Rezipierende greifen neben den Mainstream-Inhalten jedoch auch auf Nischen-Inhalte zurück, die vielfältigere Geschlechterbilder bieten als die herkömmlichen Massenmedien. Der Beitrag zeigt Forschungslücken auf und endet mit praktischen Handlungsempfehlungen zur Förderung von Geschlechtergleichberechtigung auf YouTube.
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This chapter investigates how Nigerians consumed the Big Brother Naija Lockdown 2020 edition reality TV show featured on Nigerian television during the period of the COVID-19 lockdown. Understanding whether the reality TV show affected their value orientation was examined using a semi-structured online questionnaire through Google Forms and distributed via WhatsApp and Facebook. Data was obtained from 400 respondents between 7 October and 26 November 2020. Results indicate that more females watched reality TV show than their male counterparts. It was found that Nigerians increased their viewership of the 2020 edition in comparison to previous years, attributing this to the lockdown measures that restricted them to stay at home. The majority of respondents found the show morally offensive. A chi-square test was used to confirm no significant difference in how the moral content of the show was perceived by either gender. Recommendations are offered to better understand why males did not watch the show as much as females as well as why they found the show more acceptable even though they watched it less. This chapter probes into prolonged social isolation and television exposure in light of better understanding of psychological impacts and associated influences during public health crises. The research was anchored on the minimal effects theory.
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Enabled by social media, the data frenzy in the data-driven fandom culture in China has attracted widespread attention. Unlike most forms of data labor and fan activities, Chinese fans’ online data-making behavior ( zuoshuju) appears tedious, time- and money-consuming, and overwhelmingly irrational. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the sociopsychological motivation of fans’ online data-making behavior from a collective action perspective. Based on survey data from 588 respondents with fandom experiences online in China, this study (1) distinguished two types of online data-making (operational and monetary); (2) suggested that celebrity worship and civic engagement intention were antecedents of online data-making; and (3) found that fan communities facilitated by social media bridged the effects of sociopsychological factors and data-making behavior. This research introduced the collective action perspective and constructed a quantitative path model to test the underlying mechanism and impetus of fans’ data-making practices in China, adding quantitative support to the knowledge of the hybrid pattern of collective actions embedded in the datafication world. It contributes to the understanding of Chinese youth culture and civic engagement through social media.
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As individuals are continually exposed to media involving celebrity couples, how do these couples influence romantic relationship processes? The current study explores perceptions of celebrity couple engagement in relationship conflict and how this might predict the conflict tactics used in adult romantic relationships. Specifically, how celebrity couples’ conflict might predict individuals’ engagement in specific conflict tactics was examined. An exploratory survey was implemented and included several measures of relationship conflict, social comparison, conflict tactics, and several other variables. Results indicated associations between perceptions of celebrity couples’ relational conflict and participants’ reported engagement in certain conflict tactics with their current romantic partner. Social comparison moderated the relationship between perceptions of celebrity couples’ relational conflict and participants’ engagement in conflict. Discussion and future directions are further elaborated.
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In recent years, entertainment scholars have investigated the extent to which negative emotions such as grief, distress, and loneliness are experienced by viewers following the departure of a favorite character or the cancellation or completion of a television series – also referred to as parasocial breakup (PSB). An online questionnaire ( N = 814) was administered to understand predictors of PSB following the end of a series as they relate to character involvement and holistic enjoyment and appreciation experiences. Findings revealed that a parasocial relationship (PSR) with a favorite character and liking of and identification with the character positively enhanced enjoyment of the series. PSR and identification also facilitated appreciation of the series. Moreover, while PSR and appreciation increased PSB, character liking and enjoyment of the series decreased it. Theoretical implications for the contrasting roles of hedonic and eudaimonic media experiences in predicting PSB are discussed.
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The purpose of this study is to examine how brand reputation and uniqueness impact customer brand identification and purchase intent. Utilizing the survey data of 712 respondents, the research has also discovered the influence of paired personality congruencies – brand-consumer, brand-celebrity and consumer-celebrity on reputation and uniqueness of the brand, brand identification and consumer attitude towards the advertisement and the brand. The results revealed the positive influence of brand-consumer and brand-celebrity personality congruencies on brand reputation. However, brand uniqueness was only impacted by brand-celebrity personality congruence. Significant moderating effect of consumer-celebrity personality congruence was observed. By integrating all the three-personality congruencies in a single framework with consumer-celebrity personality congruency as a moderating variable, the study augurs well to the body of knowledge on celebrity endorsement. Discovering some interesting observations pertaining to the personality congruencies, brand identification and consumer behavioral intentions, the study contributes by extending business and managerial implications.
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The source credibility model is still one of the most popular topics in marketing communication studies. Advertisement research has examined this model as the celebrity credibility model and concluded that the perception of the celebrities as trustworthy, attractive, and expert results in positive consumer responses. However, celebrities are not only figures who endorse brands but also personas establish intense relationships with consumers, especially with their fans. What is not yet clear is the role of the celebrity credibility model in these consumer-celebrity relationships. This study aims to research the effect of the celebrity credibility model on para-social relationships with celebrities and celebrity-self connection, which result in purchase intention regarding the brand endorsed by the celebrity. Besides, the study investigates the mediation effects of para-social relationships and celebrity-self connection between celebrity credibility model and purchase intention. 366 questionnaires obtained by convenience sampling have been analysed by Structural Equation Modelling. Results have shown that the celebrity credibility model has potent in establishing para-social relationships with celebrities and celebrity-self connections. Moreover, para-social relationships and celebrity-self connection have vital mediator effects between celebrity credibility model and purchase intention. These results, which show that the celebrity credibility model can help establish relationships between celebrities and consumers, have potential to contribute to the celebrity literature. Keywords: Celebrity endorsement, celebrity credibility, celebrity attractiveness, celebrity expertise, para-social relationship, self-connection
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Research in Terror Management Theory finds that close interpersonal relationships (e.g., parents, romantic partners) mitigate threat reactions to reminders of mortality. Parasocial relationships (imagined relationships with media personalities) afford many of the same benefits as interpersonal relationships. Do these benefits extend to mortality concerns? We investigated whether those with strong parasocial attachments were differentially influenced by reminders of death. Results showed that those with strong parasocial relationships had more defensive reactions to a mortality prime, suggesting that such attachments may not afford the same existential benefits given by close human others and may instead indicate a heightened vulnerability.
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This paper explores and inspects the effect of user-influencer congruence on social media platforms para-social relationships and consumer brand engagement (COBRA). In addition, the paper inspects the influence of para-social relationships on consumers brand in addition to the influence of social media platform type in moderating the effect of personality on para-social relationships and COBRA. A conceptual framework is developed to demonstrate the proposed relationships. Data was collected using online questionnaires, with 180 valid responses. The results suggest that user-influencer personality congruence is a salient predictor of para-social relationships and COBRA and that para-social relationship(s) have a substantial impact on customer brand engagement. Nevertheless, the results also indicated that social media platform type do not influence the relationship between congruity and para-social relationships or COBRA.
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This research examined the relationships of social network sites (SNS) intensity, parasocial interaction (PSI), and the propensity to imitate idols or celebrities. Conceptual model that depicts the indirect effect of the measured PSI on the relationship of SNS usage and the tendency to imitate idols was tested. 194 undergraduate students were recruited to complete the Celebrity-Persona Parasocial Interaction Scales, the modified Facebook Intensity Scale, and a set of five items that reflect on the inclination to imitate idols. Results revealed the significant indirect effect of the measured PSI, supporting that SNS intensity facilitate parasocial experience, which in turn, induce the tendency to impersonate idols. Findings supported one of the theorems of the uncertainty reduction theory, which posited the facilitative effect of perceived intimacy on similarity. Theorem that posited the importance of engagement level in inducing similarity was negated by the obtained results.
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Influencer marketing acquires customers who follow their favorite celebrities, who have shared beliefs and opinions. This research explores the self-motives and influencer-related factors that lead to influencer congruence. Influenced customers subsequently recommend those influencers to others. No concrete scale of recommendation is available so far. This research also conceptualizes, develops, and validates a scale for recommendations. In this study, 451 respondents answered questions about the influencers they follow. Normality, reliability, and validity were used for hypothesis testing. Results show the positive and direct impacts of all proposed hypotheses. The findings contribute to the literature by presenting a balanced approach to studying two parallel yet integral aspects of influencer marketing: the influencer and the consumer.
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A series of three studies explore the endorsement effectiveness of ‘macro’ influencers compared with ‘regular’ celebrities. Using multidimensional scaling, we provide evidence of perceptual differences between celebrities and influencers beyond endorser attractiveness, credibility, expertise, and familiarity. We further study conditions in which endorser type is more or less effective in evoking favorable ad-related responses via consumers’ inferences of an ad’s manipulative intent. The results show that influencer endorsements in social media need to be subtle to achieve greater effectiveness than celebrity endorsements. In contrast, intrusive advertising in social media is more efficient when done in collaboration with celebrities. No significant differences emerge for endorsements in regular ad formats, though endorsements may benefit from higher awareness levels of celebrities. The findings help marketers make better informed choices between celebrity and influencer advertising collaborations.
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Audiences’ purchase intentions are vital to the success of influencers on social media. This research examined how interpersonal attraction enhances parasocial relationships (PSRs) between influencers and audiences on social media, and how such parasocial relationships, in turn, affect audiences’ continuance intention. Interpersonal attraction contains three dimensions: task attraction, social attraction, and physical attraction. The results indicated that the three dimensions of interpersonal attraction significantly affected PSRs. The results also showed that informational influence and perceived credibility strengthened the relationship between PSRs and purchase intentions. Moreover, online comments positively moderated the effect of PSRs on informational influence and perceived credibility. The implications and suggestions for future research are also discussed.
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This study explores what emerging adults value in food media, i.e. food-focused content and personae in media. Emerging adults (18–25) are an important target group for food media as they transition toward nutritional independence and consume media substantially. Seven semi-structured focus groups were conducted with thirty-seven Belgian participants. Thematic analysis revealed three themes (hedonism, ability, information) grouping nine subthemes (entertainment, sensory appeal, convenience, familiarity, cost, autonomy, education, health and fitness, and innovation) characterizing emerging adults’ food media experiences. Incidental exposure and interpersonal influences also mark their food media consumption. This demonstrates food media’s interwovenness in emerging adults’ media habits. Further research should consider these themes and complexities, including their potential impact toward food-related habits and media use.
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Objective: Having good oral hygiene self-care especially a regular toothbrushing habit will promote lifelong oral health. Therefore, understanding the factors that influence an adolescent's oral hygiene behaviour is important in developing effective oral health programmes for this age group. This study aimed to explore the motivators and barriers to adolescents' oral hygiene self-care by exploring the perspectives of secondary school students from three government schools in the state of Selangor, Malaysia. Methods: Focus group discussions (FGD) were conducted with Form Two (14 years-old) and Form Four (16 years-old) students from selected secondary schools in Selangor using a semi-structured topic guide until data saturation was reached. Data were transcribed verbatim and analysed using framework method analysis. Results: A total of ten FGDs were conducted involving 77 adolescents. The motivators for good oral hygiene self-care were appearance, fear of oral disease, consequences of oral disease, and past toothache experience. The barriers for oral hygiene self-care were poor attitude towards oral care, lack of confidence in toothbrushing skills, snacking habit, and the taste of toothpaste. Conclusion: Understanding the motivators and barriers to adolescents' oral hygiene self-care is the first step in designing effective oral health education messages. The findings from this study can be used as a guide for oral health education programmes and development of materials that fulfil the needs of the adolescent population.
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In the modern world popular media personalities are becoming the role models for teenagers. Adolescents build parasocial relationships with them and then try to imitate the stale behavior of those media personalities. We do not know for sure which media personalities modern children choose to follow. We also do not know exactly how imitation takes place in parasocial relationships. That is why we set ourselves the goal to investigate the implementation of the mechanism of imitation in parasocial relations of Ukrainian high school students. In November-December 2020, we surveyed 170 people from 11 regions of Ukraine according to the author’s questionnaire "Mechanisms of Parasociality" (Chaplinska-Naidenova). The study raised the question of the formation and functioning of parasocial relations. This article presents its results related to the manifestation of the mechanism of imitation at the level of frequency analysis. First of all, we found that the most popular types of media people among young people are musicians (31.8 %), bloggers (26.5 %), actors (11.8 %), cartoon characters (5.9 %) and heroes of the series (2.9 %). Secondly, we can state the fact that adolescents do choose the media persona as a role model (64.7 %). Third, imitation can be individual or collective (group). Lastly, the parasocial imitation is based on the child’s desire not only to self-identify, but also to take a status position in the reference group through demonstrations of behavior patterns of a successful model (media personalities). We see the limitations of our study in the fact that issues related to imitation are purely assertive and external in nature and do not reflect differences in the internal experiences or values of respondents under the influence of parasocial relations. We see further perspectives in the study of illusory mechanisms of parasociality.
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A ‘celebrity endorser' is any individual easily recognisable by the general public who leverages this visibility and goodwill to either appear alongside the product in an ad or endorse the product. This helps cosmetics brands to architect a strong brand image in the eyes of end users, a result due in large to the transference of the endorser's trustworthiness to the brand she/he backs. The study revealed that mature female consumers were more likely to relate to an ad featuring celebrities of similar age as themselves and who are actual users of the product rather than armchair or hands-off endorsers.
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The main objective of this research is to investigate the triadic relationship among celebrity worship, self-brand connection and brand equity. Specifically, it aims to investigate the role of self-brand connections as a mediating variable in the relationship between celebrity worship and brand equity. The results of the conditional process analysis revealed that celebrity worship influences brand equity through direct as well as indirect pathways. It reveals that there is a direct and positive influence of celebrity worship on brand equity. It also finds that the consumer self-brand connection mediated the effect of celebrity worship on brand equity, extending support for the indirect influence on brand equity enrichment. The findings of the study offer key insights for academicians and marketing practitioners. It is one of the pioneering studies in the field of celebrity worship which helps academicians decipher the impact of celebrity as idols on the endorsed brand equity. Brand managers can use the findings for targeting niche consumer segments who are celebrity worshippers as they are more likely to remain loyal to the brand. They can also benefit from developing relationships with consumers as these may transform into long-lasting benefits for the brand.
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Despite the current relevance of social media influencers in brand communication strategies, questions remain about the factors that determine their influential power and how this power affects follower behaviour. This research examines the role of emotional attachment and perceived information value in the process of influence that can lead followers to manifest behavioural intentions toward the brands endorsed by influencers. The results show that both factors act as determinants of followers’ perceived influence, which in turn predicts followers’ positive word-of-mouth (WOM) about recommended brands and purchase intention. In fact, perceived influence plays a mediating role in these relationships. Positive WOM and purchase intention are also significantly related. The findings contribute to a deeper understanding of the nature and effects of the persuasive power of social media influencers. Key implications for researchers and practitioners are discussed.
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The current study explores the bereavement and coping of fans following the death of a personally significant popular musician. Nine participants completed individual interviews and the data were analyzed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. Three superordinate themes were identified: a meaningful relationship, disenfranchisement of grief, and social recognition of grief. The findings highlight that the impact of a musician’s death is deeply personal yet socially underrecognized. The loss of the parasocial relationship with the musician is comparable to losing a close social contact. Future research should investigate the roles of culture and social media in bereavement following a musician’s death.
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Bu çalışmada bireyin ünlü ile özdeşleşmesinin reklama karşı tutum ve satın alma niyetine etkisinde reklamdaki ünlü ve ürün arasında algılanan uyumun ılımlaştırıcı etkisi sınanmıştır. Bu kapsamda Facebook üzerinden 18 yaş üzeri 513 katılımcıdan toplanan örneklem üzerinde bahsedilen yapıların yer aldığı model test edilmiştir. Model testine yönelik analizler SPSS ve AMOS paket programlarıyla yapılmış ve özdeşleşmenin ünlüye özenme temelinde sadece reklama karşı tutum üzerinde etkisi olduğu görülürken inanç, tutum, değer ve diğer benzerlik kriterlerine bağlı benzerlik algısının konu yapılar üzerinde herhangi bir etkisi olmadığı ortaya konmuştur. Ünlü-ürün uyum düzeyinin ise yüksek uyumda etki katsayılarının çoğunluğunu anlamlı bir şekilde arttırdığı; satın alma niyetinde ise temel belirleyicinin markaya yönelik tutum olduğu görülmüştür.
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Star worship is an ever-growing phenomenon around the globe. Across various social media platforms in China, a new idol–fan relationship model has emerged, such that the fans have stepped up from merely worshipping the idols to being able to co-cultivate their idols, including their public images, the scope of their work, and even their personal lives. Based on a grounded theory approach, this study utilized text analysis and in-depth interviews to explore parakin relationships between fans and idols and proposed a dual motivation model to explain the motivations of fans for forming such a relationship. The findings extend current fandom literature by exploring a new front of fan–idol interactions in the context of social media. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.
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The present study focused on the sexy-clothing behavior of high school girls. Specifically, we examined whether high school girls wear sexy clothes to express their actual sexual self-concepts and achieve their ideal sexual self-concepts and whether parents and popular girls influence those behaviors. The results, obtained by applying structural equation modeling to analyze the data collected from 384 ninth-grade girls, imply that such girls wear sexy clothes to convey their actual sexual self-concepts and achieve their ideal sexual self-concepts. The girls’ perceptions of parents’ sexy-clothing approval and of popular girls’ sexy-clothing wearing behavior influence the high school girls’ sexy-clothing wearing behavior. Parents significantly influence high school girls’ tendencies to wear sexy clothes to express their actual sexual self-concepts. Popular girls’ sexy-clothing wearing behavior influences high school girls’ tendencies to wear sexy clothes to achieve their ideal sexual self-concepts. Implications of the findings are discussed.
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This research explores how the level of consumers’ need for cognition (NFC) is associated with celebrity endorser credibility and examines its effects on advertising-related attitudes. A 3 (endorser types: actor/actress, athlete, TV personality/talent) × 2 (endorser’s gender) factorial experiment with 435 Japanese consumers was conducted. Concerning Japanese OTC drug advertising, lower NFC individuals perceived celebrity endorsers as more credible in comparison to higher NFC individuals. The main effects of NFC and endorser type on endorser credibility existed; however, no interaction between the two variables was found. The endorser type had an influence on attitudes toward ads and the advertised brand.
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Used a longitudinal study of heterosexual dating relationships to test investment model predictions regarding the process by which satisfaction and commitment develop (or deteriorate) over time. Initially, 17 male and 17 female undergraduates, each of whom was involved in a heterosexual relationship of 0-8 wks duration, participated. Four Ss dropped out, and 10 Ss' relationships ended. Questionnaires were completed by Ss every 17 days. Increases over time in rewards led to corresponding increases in satisfaction, whereas variations in costs did not significantly affect satisfaction. Commitment increased because of increases in satisfaction, declines in the quality of available alternatives, and increases in investment size. Greater rewards also promoted increases in commitment to maintain relationships, whereas changes in costs generally had no impact on commitment. For stayers, rewards increased, costs rose slightly, satisfaction grew, alternative quality declined, investment size increased, and commitment grew; for leavers the reverse occurred. Ss whose partners ended their relationships evidenced entrapment: They showed relatively low increases in satisfaction, but their alternatives declined in quality and they continued to invest heavily in their relationships. (39 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved).
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A cross-sectional survey of adult romantic involvements was conducted to assess the generalizability of investment model predictions (Rusbult, 1980a; 1983). According to the investment model, satisfaction with a relationship should be greater to the extent that a relationship provides high rewards and low costs, whereas commitment increases not only due to greater relationship satisfaction, but also to increases in the investment of resources in relationships and declines in the quality of available alternative partners. Consistent with model predictions, satisfaction was positively related to level of rewards, and commitment was positively associated with satisfaction, negatively associated with alternative quality, and positively associated with investment size. Greater reward value, too, promoted greater commitment to maintain relationships. However, costs did not powerfully or consistently affect satisfaction or commitment to relationships. The generalizability of the model for selected demographic subsamples-females and males, marrried and single persons, younger and older persons, persons with greater and lesser education and income, and for relationships of greater and lesser duration-is also evaluated. The obtained findings provide good support for the generalizability of the investment model.
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This article employs interdependence theory as a means of understanding how and why some relationships survive difficult times whereas other promising relationships end. Interdependence theory makes important distinctions between satisfaction and dependence. These distinctions are extended in the investment model, a theory of the process by which individuals become dependent on and committed to their relationships. The investment model suggests that dependence increases not only as a consequence of increasing satisfaction, but also because available alternatives are perceived to be poor and numerous important resources are invested in a relationship. Subjective commitment summarizes the nature of an individual's dependence on a partner, and represents broad, long-term orientation toward a relationship. Strong commitment not only makes individuals more likely to remain with their partners, but also promotes a variety of relationship maintenance behaviors such as adaptive social comparison and perceived relationship superiority, derogation of attractive and threatening alternatives, effective management of jealousy and extrarelationship involvements, willingness to sacrifice for the good of a relationship, and tendencies to accommodate rather than retaliate when a partner behaves poorly.
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Differences between men's and women's conceptions of intimacy and distance may be a source of misunderstanding and conflict in close relationships. Although there is already an extensive literature on sex differences in intimacy, the meaning of the findings is somewhat unclear because each set of authors adopts a unique operational definition of intimacy. Often, this definition has been affected by the tendency to equate intimacy with self-disclosure. Distance (the opposite of intimacy, if intimacy is conceptualized as closeness) has been left largely unexplored in previous research and its relation to intimacy is unclear. In the present study, the components of intimacy and distance were delineated by asking men and women to describe an intimate and a distant experience with a member of the opposite sex and a member of the same sex. Prototypes were constructed by submitting the features mentioned in each kind of experience to hierarchical cluster analysis. The results revealed more similarities than differences between men's and women's conceptions of intimacy and distance. A conceptualization of intimacy emerged with a focus on appreciation and affection rather than self-disclosure. Distance appeared to revolve around dissatisfaction with and disapproval of the partner. Analyses of variance on specific features revealed sex differences and relationship differences that were consistent with previous research. Sex differences in the description of distance reflected the status or power differential between men and women.
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Intimacy is a topic of importance with respect to many aspects of relationship theory and a variety of academic disciplines. A consideration of the literature reveals much research but little consensus on even such basic issues as a definition of intimacy. Given that, a phenomenological study was done to determine what ordinary people meant by, and experienced as, intimacy. Results of that study revealed seven major components to intimate experiences. These included: non-verbal communication, presence, time, boundary, body, destiny/surprise and transformation. The relationship between these results and previous research is discussed.
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Social psychological studies of language cover a wide range of research domains, most of which ignore written communication to societally visible figures. Toward ameliorating this, the authors focus on letters written to Hollywood celebrities. The authors'goal is to extend the 1991 research of Dietz et al. that has examined threatening and inappropriate letters to entertainment celebrities. The authors present a comparative view by investigating the features of normal fan behavior. A total of 294 university students were asked to express their motivations for contacting celebrities. Next, 83 fan letters received by one Hollywood celebrity were content analyzed in terms of the senders' motivations for writing. The authors compared the university students' rationale to the ones articulated in the actual letters and also compared the latter with characteristics found in Dietz et al. `s more sinister sample. Finally, a case study of one fan is undertaken to illustrate how distinguishing between a sycophantic fan and the obsessed unwanted pursuer poses a challenging task.
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The purpose of this study was to investigate how individuals in cross- and same-sex friendships define and express intimacy. In a self-report questionnaire 164 college students were asked what they meant by the term `intimacy' in the context of cross- and same-sex friendships. Individuals assigned an average number of two meanings to the term `intimacy', though the number of meanings ranged from one to five. Results revealed substantial similarities in the meanings of intimacy in both types of friendship, as well as some gender differences. For instance, five of the seven most frequently mentioned definitions of intimacy were specified by both cross- and same-sex friends: self-disclosures, emotional expressiveness, unconditional support, physical contact and trust. One of the remaining two meanings of intimacy, i.e. sexual contact, was mentioned by cross- but not same-sex friends. Sharing activities was given as a definition of intimacy by 9 percent of the males in same-sex friendships, and 4 percent of the females in cross-sex friendships. Within cross-sex friendships, emotional expressiveness and sexual contact were specified as meanings of intimacy by a higher percentage of males than females, while physical contact was specified by a greater percentage of females in those relationships.
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Proposes a model of breakup decisions that extends interdependence theory. This dependence model asserts that the primary issue in understanding breakup decisions is degree of dependence on a relationship. Dependence is great when important outcomes in the current relationship are not available elsewhere. Need satisfaction dependence measures identify important needs in a relationship and compare satisfaction of those needs in the current relationship to satisfaction in alternative relationships. Two longitudinal studies provide good support for the dependence model. Need satisfaction dependence measures significantly differentiated between Ss who remained in their relationships and those who voluntarily broke up. The studies also compared the model to simpler breakup models and assessed whether commitment mediates the link between dependence and breakup decisions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
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The cognitive significance of being in a close relationship is described in terms of including other in the self (in K. Lewin's [1948] sense of overlapping regions of the life space and in W. James [1890/1948] sense of the self as resources, perspectives, and characteristics). Exp 1 (with 24 college students), adapting W. B. Liebrand's (see record 1985-20117-001) decomposed-game procedures, found less self/other difference in allocations of money to a friend than to a stranger, regardless of whether Ss expected other to know their allocations. Exp 2 (with 20 female undergraduates), adapting C. G. Lord's (see record 1988-00331-001) procedures, found that Ss recalled fewer nouns previously imaged with self or mother than nouns imaged with a nonclose other, suggesting that mother was processed more like self than a stranger. Exp 3 (with 17 married graduate students), adapting self-schema, reaction-time (RT) procedures (e.g., H. Markus; see record 1977-27587-001) found longer latencies when making "me/not me" decisions for traits that were different between self and spouse versus traits that were similar for both, suggesting a self/other confusion with spouse. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
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Conducted ego identity status interviews with 53 male college seniors who had participated in a previous study of identity development during the freshman year. As hypothesized, significant increases in the frequency of students in the identity achiever status were observed for both occupational and ideological identity. Also as predicted, the achiever status was found to be the most stable status from the end of the freshman year to the senior year, while the moratorium status was the least stable. While the general developmental trend was positive, a substantial proportion of the Ss were completing their college years in the identity diffusion status. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
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The authors propose that superstars are most likely to affect self-views when they are considered relevant. Relevant superstars provoke self-enhancement and inspiration when their success seems attainable but self-deflation when it seems unattainable. Participants' self-views were affected only when the star's domain of excellence was self-relevant. Relevant stars provoked self-enhancement and inspiration when their success seemed attainable in that participants either still had enough time to achieve comparable success or believed their own abilities could improve over time. Open-ended responses provided rich evidence of inspiration in these circumstances. Relevant stars provoked, if anything, self-deflation when their success seemed unattainable in that participants either had already missed the chance to achieve comparable success or viewed their abilities as fixed and so unlikely to improve. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
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Reviews the books, Using LISREL for structural equation modelling: A researcher’s guide and Principles and practice of structural equation modelling by E. Kevin Kelloway (see record 1998-08130-000) and Principles and practice of structural equation modelling by Rex B. Kline (see record 1998-02720-000). Structural equation modeling (SEM) is one of the most rapidly growing analytic techniques in use today. Proponents of the approach have virtually declared die advent of a statistical revolution, while skeptics worry about the widespread misuse of complex and often poorly understood analytic methods. The two new books under review are therefore timely. Both are valuable, but differ in important ways. Kevin Kelloway's book is directed at the researcher with little knowledge of structural equation modeling and is intricately linked to one of the more popular structural equation modeling programs, LISREL. For researchers keen to begin analyzing data quickly, this book is an invaluable resource that will speed one's introduction to SEM. On the other hand, the volume written by Rex Kline represents one of the most comprehensive of available introductions to the application, execution, and interpretation of this technique. The book is written for both students and researchers who do not have extensive quantitative background. It is especially attentive to quantitative issues common to most structural equation applications. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
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A longitudinal study of identity status and ego stage development during late adolescence was completed to assess (a) potential differential rates in male vs female development, (b) possible cohort differences, and (c) consistency in theoretically predicted change. The cross-sequential study included a Sex × Cohort × Repeated Measures design. A random sample of 148 freshman, sophomore, and junior college students was assessed in 1976 and 1977 using the Marcia Ego-Identity Incomplete Sentence Blank and Interview and the Loevinger Sentence Completion Test. Some sex and cohort differences were observed. Although half of the Ss remained stable in their identity ego status or stage, the remaining Ss experienced either advancement or regression from 1976 to 1977. The data support the theoretical notions of development underlying both psychological constructs and are consistent with previous longitudinal studies that indicate intraindividual change over time in personality development. (27 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
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Two experiments were designed to test the adequacy of the investment model of developing relationships in predicting satisfaction with and commitment to ongoing associations. According to the investment model, attraction to and satisfaction with a relationship is a function of a comparison of the relationship outcome value (both rewards and costs) to the individual's expectations, or comparison level. Commitment to a relationship is said to be a function not only of the relationship outcome value, but also the quality of the best available alternative and the magnitude of the individual's investment in the relationship. The intrinsic or extrinsic investment of resources serves to increase commitment by increasing the costs of leaving the relationship. Thus, increases in investment size, decreases in alternative value, and increases in relationship value should increase commitment to an ongoing relationship. In Experiment 1, a role-playing study, commitment to relationships increased with intrinsic and extrinsic investment size and decreased with the value of alternatives, but was not appreciably affected by relationship costs. Satisfaction/attraction significantly increased as relationship costs decreased. In Experiment 2, a survey of ongoing romantic associations, satisfaction/attraction was predicted by relationship reward value and relationship cost value. Commitment to relationships increased as relationship reward value and investment size increased and as alternative value and relationship cost value decreased, although the effects of cost value were weak.
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Examined the use of celebrity spokespeople in advertising, focusing on 3 dimensions of source credibility: attractiveness, trustworthiness, and expertise. Two pilot studies were conducted with 78 college students to compile a list of 4 celebrities and products that would be appropriate for them to endorse. From this information, 4 questionnaires were developed. 542 respondents (aged 18–73 yrs) completed 1 questionnaire. In each case, Ss evaluated celebrities to be significantly different from each other with respect to the 3 dimensions studied. Ss' gender and age had no significant effect on their intention to purchase or on how they evaluated celebrities' credibility. Only the perceived expertise of celebrities significantly explained Ss' intentions to purchase, regardless of whether the product was for personal use or for gift-giving. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
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Reviews research from psychoanalysis, clinical and personality psychology, social psychology, and sociology on the social penetration process. Verbal, nonverbal, and environmentally oriented behaviors are described. States in the development and dissolution of social bonds are discussed. (14 p. ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
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A conceptual model was developed predicting parasocial interaction from both a social interaction need due to loneliness and instrumental television news use. Questionnaires were completed by 329 persons. Pearson and partial correlations supported hypotheses linking loneliness with less interpersonal communication and both loneliness and parasocial interaction with more television reliance. Loneliness and parasocial interaction were not correlated. Canonical correlation analysis supported expectations that instrumental news viewing for information was related to more parasocial interaction and perceived news realism; viewing news for exciting entertainment, news affinity, and news viewing levels correlated positively with this pattern. Ritualized news viewing for time consumption was related to more television viewing, but to less news viewing, duration, and affinity. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis identified news affinity, perceived news realism, and information news viewing motives as salient predictors of parasocial interaction with a favorite local television news personality. Implications of results were discussed in light of uses and gratifications research and communication interaction.
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Based upon the analysis of questionnaire responses of 1092 high school students, an attempt was made to assess the type of heroes and heroines most often chosen. The major findings are that high school students have more heroes than heroines, that they have an approximately equal number of personal heroes and heroines, and that the preference for heroes is not altered when the sex or race of the respondents is considered. The findings are explained both by the greater numbers of males than females in public professional roles and by the greater salience of male than female professional role models. Implications of the possible effects of hero and heroine choices for sex-role identification are discussed.
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Used a longitudinal study of heterosexual dating relationships to test investment model predictions regarding the process by which satisfaction and commitment develop (or deteriorate) over time. Initially, 17 male and 17 female undergraduates, each of whom was involved in a heterosexual relationship of 0–8 wks duration, participated. Four Ss dropped out, and 10 Ss' relationships ended. Questionnaires were completed by Ss every 17 days. Increases over time in rewards led to corresponding increases in satisfaction, whereas variations in costs did not significantly affect satisfaction. Commitment increased because of increases in satisfaction, declines in the quality of available alternatives, and increases in investment size. Greater rewards also promoted increases in commitment to maintain relationships, whereas changes in costs generally had no impact on commitment. For stayers, rewards increased, costs rose slightly, satisfaction grew, alternative quality declined, investment size increased, and commitment grew; for leavers the reverse occurred. Ss whose partners ended their relationships evidenced entrapment: They showed relatively low increases in satisfaction, but their alternatives declined in quality and they continued to invest heavily in their relationships. (39 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)