Vínculos virtuais e impactos reais: a influência da identificação social com influenciadores na percepção de sacrifício e no bem-estar dos seguidores

Abstract

Social media has consolidated itself as a central space for interaction and consumption, granting digital influencers the capacity to shape identities and affect perceptions of well-being. However, the literature still lacks investigations that articulate, in an integrated manner, the concepts of social identity, perceived sacrifice, and followers’ subjective well-being, which constitutes the gap that motivated this thesis. The general objective was to understand how social identification with influencers on social media relates to perceived sacrifice and subjective well-being, addressing how these bonds are constructed, what costs and benefits emerge from such interactions, and how they impact individuals’ lived experiences. The research was structured into three articles: the first conducted a systematic literature review, which revealed advances but also theoretical dispersion among the three constructs analyzed; the second, empirical in nature, applied netnography and interviews with followers of the influencer Mirella Santos to investigate human influence, showing that identification based on lifestyle, humor, authenticity, and narratives of social mobility generates belonging and inspiration but also entails sacrifices of time and routine; the third empirical article examined the community of the virtual influencer Aria Phenix and revealed that, although digital characters can foster identification and well-being, their maintenance faces financial and technological barriers in Brazil, with greater feasibility observed in corporate avatars or “digital twins.” The results demonstrated that subjective well-being, in both human and virtual influencer contexts, emerges as an ambivalent experience, oscillating between positive and negative emotions. As a scientific contribution, this thesis advanced by integrating three dimensions that had previously been little explored together, offering an analytical perspective that broadens the understanding of the psychosocial impacts of digital influence, providing insights for more responsible marketing practices, and strengthening social debates on conscious consumption and the social responsibility of influencers in the digital environment.