Abstract
The importance of ethics practiced by influencers must be considered. Influencers significantly impact their audience and can shape public opinion, attitudes, and behaviors. Ethical behavior helps influencers establish and maintain trust with their audience. Influencers are transparent, honest, and authentic in their content, which fosters trust and credibility. Ethical influencers are transparent about their partnerships, collaborations, and sponsored content. Ethical influencers have the potential to inspire and empower their audience to make a difference. They can influence their audience to adopt positive behaviors and attitudes, promoting social norms conducive to a more ethical and compassionate society. Influencers prioritizing ethical behavior contribute to a healthier online community and set a positive example for others in their field. Based on the above, it is intended to systematically review the bibliometric literature on ethics practiced by influencers using the Scopus database with the analysis of 134 academic and/or scientific documents.
TopMethodological Approach
The global rise of influencers has established a rapidly growing industry backed by the increased adoption of technology and digital advertising practices. However, numerous ethical concerns have risen, such as the blurred lines between organic and sponsored content and the impacts on followers. As a result, researchers have published large volumes of data investigating and analyzing ethical standards guiding the influencer industry.
The systematic bibliometric literature review (LRSB) methodology provides a structured and rigorous method of analyzing large volumes of data. It helps illustrate how a specific field has evolved and sheds light on emerging areas (Donthu et al., 2022). In this case, the LRSB method was used to explore the evolution of the influencer industry, with a key focus on its related ethical practices.
The data collected and analyzed in this research was gathered from diverse sources. These included journal articles, proceedings and meeting papers, and books.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Sustainable: It's a quality or state of a process or system that permits it to stay at a particular level over a specific duration.
Environmental Responsibility: It's the moral responsibility that companies bear to safeguard natural resources, prevent pollution, and minimize other types of environmental damage.
Social Responsibility: It's a moral theory that emphasizes individual accountability in fulfilling civic duties, asserting that an individual's actions should contribute to the overall benefit of society.
BRAND: It's a title, expression, design, symbol, or any distinguishing element that sets apart the goods or services of one seller from those of others.
Ethical: It refers to the ethical principles and values held by either an individual or a group.
Influencer: It's a marketing strategy that involves targeting individuals with influence or leadership among potential customers of a brand through specific actions.