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- MakaleAçık Erişim2026Scopus SJRQ1Influencer Authenticity in Marketing: A Systematic Literature Review and Future Research Agenda
Celik, Fatih; Ibrahim, Blend; Polat, Eray; Moulard, Julie; Akbulut, Metin
As influencer marketing scales into a mainstream advertising channel, authenticity has become its defining currency, yet consumers and brands struggle to understand what makes a social media influencer (SMI) genuinely credible and why strategic authenticity backfires. Despite growing scholarly interest, research remains fragmented, leaving practitioners without a unified framework to guide their decisions. Through a systematic literature review (SLR) of 138 peer-reviewed articles (2011-2024), using topic modeling and thematic analysis, we identify the authenticity paradox, the inherent conflict that arises when SMIs attempt to commercialize their genuine self-presentation. This tension also explains why recent evidence reports no overall engagement benefit from perceived authenticity. Seven latent topics are synthesized into four integrated axes: (1) ontological tensions at the technological interface, (2) the commercial transparency and trust paradox, (3) ethical negotiation in identity construction, and (4) strategic consumer responses. Our findings reveal how consumers continuously navigate between SMIs' curated performances and perceived genuineness, with self-determination theory, attribution theory, and parasocial interaction theory dominating current explanations, predominantly within USA-based contexts. Beyond mapping the field, we specify three conceptual patterns, namely authenticity as attributed intent, transparency as coherence rather than concealment, and authenticity as a structurally constrained accomplishment. We then translate the gaps they expose into a structured research agenda, offering actionable insights for brands, managers, and platform designers on authenticity management, influencer selection, partnership governance, and performance evaluation.
- MakaleAçık Erişim2025An Investigation into the Impact of Influencers Producing Technological Content on Instagram on Customers' Purchasing Decisions
Çelik, Kamil; Tas, Ahmet
Nowadays, social media influencers play a significant role in the world of marketing. Social media influencers reach large audiences by producing content on social media platforms, and they exert considerable impact on these audiences. The literature suggests that social media users form parasocial relationships, and these relationships develop based on the influencer's characteristics, such as attractiveness, expertise, credibility, and similarity. It has also been proven in various studies that social media influencers have a strong effect on increasing the purchasing intentions of their followers. In this study, the effects of social media influencers on parasocial relationships and the purchasing intentions of their followers were examined. The research was conducted among Instagram users in Turkey, and the data were collected using a survey method. The survey included statements aimed at measuring elements such as parasocial relationships, attractiveness, expertise, credibility, and similarity. Because of the data analysis, it was found that characteristics such as influencers' attractiveness and expertise strengthen parasocial relationships, and these relationships positively influence followers' purchasing intentions. Additionally, the perception of fairness also had a significant impact on these relationships. These findings suggest that social media influencers can be an effective tool in marketing strategies.
- MakaleYalnız künye2024Scopus SJRQ1Past, present, and future scene of influencer marketing in hospitality and tourism management
Polat, Eray; Çelik, Fatih; Ibrahim, Blend; Gursoy, Dogan
This paper reviews influencer marketing (IM)-research in the tourism and hospitality (H&T) field to provide a state-of-the-art of the past, present, and future of IM-research. It identifies research themes, theoretical underpinnings, and methodologies utilized in IM-research. Seventy-five studies are examined through co-citation, bibliographic coupling and content analysis based on the TCCM (theory/context/characteristics/methodology) framework. Co-citation analysis reveals that IM-research focused on travel blogs, vlogs, celebrity endorsement, influencer authenticity. An assessment of recent studies through bibliographic coupling indicates a partial shift toward the study of more contemporary issues. This field-discipline-focused hybrid-review contributes to literature and practice by presenting the past, present, and future of IM-research.
AtıfScopus80WoS69OpenAlex73
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