Dark Side of Being Influenced: A study on the Adverse Impacts of Influencer-Generated Content

Abstract

Influencer-generated content has become a regular part of everyday digital life and has attracted growing academic attention because of its influence on users’ emotions, behaviours, and social experiences. Existing research has extensively examined both the positive and negative outcomes of influencer-led communication, particularly in relation to consumption behaviour and psychological responses. Building on this body of work, the present narrative review synthesises prior theoretical and empirical studies to bring together current insights on how continuous exposure to influencer content affects user well-being. The review identifies reliable evidence related to the repeated exposure to the well-edited material on lifestyle, luxury, and food topics and the development of anxiety, insecurity, fear of missing out, and compulsive social media usage. In addition to these personal emotional implications, there are other social implications that are mentioned in the literature, such as decreased offline communication and erosion of social bonds in real life. Besides, the functions of content authenticity, media literacy, and mindful digital engagement are also discussed in the paper, which designates them as significant variables that can facilitate the minimization of these adverse implications. This review combines marketing, psychological and media research, providing a clear and in-depth insight into the emotional, behavioural and social consequences of consuming content of influencers and emphasizes the role of more balanced and conscious use of digital platforms.