YSS-33306 Statements
Statement 1: influencers can used to promote healthy food options to consumers.
Pro’s:
- Sociological perspective: social media influencers have a have impact on consumers. That
impact is caused by their social status, consumers try to match that influencer. Therefore,
when different influencers start promoting healthy products this could potentially lead to an
increase in healthy eating by consumers because those consumers try to match the behaviour
of that celebrity/influencer (celebrity endorsement).
- Communication perspective: influencers are seen very trustworthy. They interact with their
followers and they try to be authentic. They are seen as normal people and often their
followers think that the influencer stayed so ‘normal’. Therefore, people mimic themselves to
the influencer and copy behaviour. When an influencer promotes a healthy food option or
promotes healthy eating, their followers try to mimic that behaviour and this can lead to
increased consumption of healthy food options.
Con’s:
- Communication perspective: in the online world there are a lot of different influencers with
huge amounts of followers. Not all influencers will promote healthy food options and therefore
there is a big difference between influencers. Some influencers will promote the healthier food
options while other will not promote it. This can lead to controversies in the online world with
different influencers promoting different diets or food products. So, the influence of the people
promoting healthy food options will be decreased.
- Sociological perspective: although influencers promote healthy food options it can be difficult
to buy those healthy food products. A reason for this can be that people are exposed to
unhealthy food options a lot of times. This can for example be in the grocery store or the fact
that the food environment is focused on fast-food and other unhealthy food options. It is
difficult to change the food environment and many people are influenced by the food
environment they live in.
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Statement 1: influencers can used to promote healthy food options to consumers.
Pro’s:
- Sociological perspective: social media influencers have a have impact on consumers. That
impact is caused by their social status, consumers try to match that influencer. Therefore,
when different influencers start promoting healthy products this could potentially lead to an
increase in healthy eating by consumers because those consumers try to match the behaviour
of that celebrity/influencer (celebrity endorsement).
- Communication perspective: influencers are seen very trustworthy. They interact with their
followers and they try to be authentic. They are seen as normal people and often their
followers think that the influencer stayed so ‘normal’. Therefore, people mimic themselves to
the influencer and copy behaviour. When an influencer promotes a healthy food option or
promotes healthy eating, their followers try to mimic that behaviour and this can lead to
increased consumption of healthy food options.
Con’s:
- Communication perspective: in the online world there are a lot of different influencers with
huge amounts of followers. Not all influencers will promote healthy food options and therefore
there is a big difference between influencers. Some influencers will promote the healthier food
options while other will not promote it. This can lead to controversies in the online world with
different influencers promoting different diets or food products. So, the influence of the people
promoting healthy food options will be decreased.
- Sociological perspective: although influencers promote healthy food options it can be difficult
to buy those healthy food products. A reason for this can be that people are exposed to
unhealthy food options a lot of times. This can for example be in the grocery store or the fact
that the food environment is focused on fast-food and other unhealthy food options. It is
difficult to change the food environment and many people are influenced by the food
environment they live in.
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