Abstract:
In harnessing social media, concerns are mostly
concentrated on the influencer side of social media for the
followers to follow the recommendation from the influencer.
However, the follower's experience is equally important as it is
the follower who determines whether or not to follow the
influencer's advice above all other influences. This research
investigates the follower experience in deciding whether the
follower will follow the influencer's advice. The emotional
dimensions: Pleasure-Arousal-Dominance (PAD) is employed as
a theoretical lens to portray these phenomena. 314 screened
responders were collected and analysed in total using Structural
Equation Modelling. The results show that the PAD significantly
improves the commitment of the followers which might lead
them to intention to follow the influencer's recommendation.
Theoretically, this study indicates that PAD can well mediate the
follower-influencer experience that might affect the intention to
follow a recommendation. In practice, this study tells the
influencer and the brand that knowing the experiences of the
followers is equally important for a more effective impact.
Limitations and future research directions are also discussed