The regulation of social media influencers: an introduction

Abstract

Nikkie de Jager was an unknown teenager from the small Dutch town of Uden until one of her videos ('The Power of Make-Up') went 'viral', amassing in a short period of time nearly 40 million views. 1 Her 'NikkieTutorials' make-up channel on YouTube soon became an online sensation with millions of views from different countries, helping her build an international reputation as a 'YouTuber' and make-up artist. Without prior training in communication, advertising, or even the beauty sector, de Jager's is a good example of an emerging 'profession': 'social media influencer'. A growing number of individuals, often without any traditional professional certification, have a job which consists in sharing moments of their daily lives, offering advice in different areas (e.g., fitness, beauty, food), and while doing so, endorsing consumer goods and services. In many cases, these social media influencers fail to properly disclose the commercial nature of their relationship with the companies behind these advertisements. Moreover, these channels are not limited to lifestyle advice and can have broader societal consequences, for example, on election results. The comedy and commentary channel of German YouTuber Rezo is a good example of how social media influencers are also having an impact in politics. On 18 May 2019, Rezo published a video criticizing the German Christian Democratic Union party (CDU), which gained well over 15 million views in three months, 2 and was subsequently endorsed by at least 90 other YouTubers, in an attempt to hold German politicians responsible, especially for their perceived lack of commitment to the fight against global 1

Influencing the influencers: Regulating the morality of online conduct in Indonesia

“…Influencers pose particular problems for state regulators (Goanta & Ranchordás, 2020). The internet and its social media platforms have a global reach and influencers can potentially be physically located anywhere in the world.…”

“…We define “influencers” here as individuals who create, enhance, or utilize their personal fame via the creation of social media content for commercial purposes. They may include celebrities who became famous “off‐line” and then added internet fame to their repertoire, “micro‐celebrities” who grew their influence through their social media use and gathering of followers, or some combination of these approaches (Goanta & Ranchordás, 2020; pp.7−8). Influencers make money in the “attention economy” through accumulating online social capital, which is often measured in numbers of followers and “likes,” and then using this to market their influence (Faucher, 2018).…”

“…Key issues of contention in the influencer world include authenticity, transparency of commercial interests, consumer protection and the legal, moral, and cultural appropriateness of influencers’ content creation (Goanta & Ranchordás, 2020). While some nations are increasingly attuned to influencers’ activities (e.g., Abidin et al, 2018; Goanta & Wildhaber, 2020; p. 211), the influencer phenomenon has often developed in advance of state regulatory systems.…”

Influencer Marketing

“…The Word of Mouth Marketing Association defines influencer marketing as: "the action of a marketer who identifies and engages influencers to share information with influencers in pursuit of a business goal." Word of mouth promotion ("WOM") is a well-known effective marketing technique that relies on the endorsement of information by trusted individuals (Goanta, Ranchordás, 2020).…”

Advertising funded video-sharing platforms under the revised AVMSD: Commercial communication functionalities

“…Both influencers and companies creating content for self-promotion could use features aimed at capturing audiences and the ability to track the performance of their content on all but Snapchat. Depending on their legal status, influencers can be private individuals, registered freelancers, or have founded companies, but all depend on performance analytics to establish their impact and value (Goanta & Ranchorás 2020). YouTube also allowed some channel holders to sell display advertising inventory around their content themselves.…”