The study, published in the specialist journal Revista Latina de Comunicación Social, involved an analysis of content published on the profiles of the six most-followed influencers in Spain and the six most-followed in Chile (as both are Spanish-speaking countries) on Instagram, YouTube and TikTok. In total, 439 posts from these twelve content creators were gathered, including well-known figures such as Aida Domènech, Fernanda Villalobos and YouTuber Rubén Doblas, known as “El Rubius”. These posts were classified into 19 categories, based on the themes identified during the analysis.
Most of the content creators analysed share details of their personal lives, followed by posts related to appearance, body image and travel. According to the study, the influencers analysed are less likely to share content related to solidarity or mental health. The authors argue that “content related to social issues, when shared by accounts not openly focused on them, may lead audiences to see influencers either as socially committed individuals or, conversely, as people merely seeking to boost their visibility”.
The research highlights the poor quality of content shared by the influencers under study. The authors state that “this content often tends towards trivialisation. This can affect how young people construct their identity, as such content may promote a superficial and individualistic model of reference”.
Indeed, the study underlines the role of influencers as opinion leaders among younger audiences: “Influencers, as high-impact public figures, can promote an aspirational and superficial model if they fail to provide quality content. This may lead young people to value personal display over informative or educational content, influencing how they perceive success and personal fulfilment,” the authors explain.
The study notes that the posts analysed do not offer informative, educational or entertainment value (in terms of creativity, originality or professionalism). In this regard, the researchers emphasise that social media has great potential “if creative strategies are used that combine informative rigour with dynamic formats – such as humour – which can make educational content more appealing to younger audiences”, who make up the majority of users on digital platforms. The article, however, acknowledges the current “subjective perception” when it comes to evaluating content quality and the difficulty of measuring this variable, which is why it argues that a clearer definition of what constitutes quality on social media is needed.
Finally, the study warns of possible governance issues in societies dominated by individualism. The researchers from UIC Barcelona state that “a lack of solidarity and empathy may reduce public support for initiatives that seek the common good” and add that “a society centred on individualism may be more vulnerable to misinformation and manipulation”, which is why they consider it “crucial” to promote collective values and a culture of participation to ensure inclusive governance. They also highlight the need to strengthen media and information literacy training among young people, who are the primary users of social media.
