City Research Online

Abstract

Bloggers in the post-modern era can influence the behaviour of consumers and alter their perceptions. The current study looks at the blogger influence phenomenon from a different theoretical perspective than existing literature did. By combining information behaviour and communication theory, it proposes a new conceptual framework by relying on the characteristics of the blogger, the blog content, motivation and goals of information seeker. In this model, information seekers’ objectives and issue involvement are important drivers of blog selection and determinants of the blog’s influence. The framework was empirically tested in a sample of American users of beauty blogs. The results provide a confirmation of the postulated relationships. Three types of blog visits are identified and their effects and their attributes that make a blog influential are examined.

Publication Type:	Article
Additional Information:	This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Balabanis, G. and Chatzopoulou, E. (2019). Under the influence of a blogger: The role of information-seeking goals and issue involvement. Psychology and Marketing, 36(4), pp. 342-353., which has been published in final form at http://doi.org/doi: 10.1002/mar.21182. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Use of Self-Archived Versions.
Publisher Keywords:	blogger, influential, information behaviour, communication theory, involvement, beauty blog
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > HD Industries. Land use. Labor H Social Sciences > HM Sociology Z Bibliography. Library Science. Information Resources > Z665 Library Science. Information Science
Departments:	Bayes Business School > Management
SWORD Depositor:	Symplectic Administrator

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