When Influence Becomes Manipulation: Navigating the Dark Side of Influencer Marketing

Abstract

Social Media Influencer marketing has led to a significant transformation in the digital marketing practices by helping the brands to build stronger and long-term relationships with consumers through social media influencers. The effectiveness of influencer marketing campaigns in improving marketing outcomes like brand awareness, consumer engagement, and purchase intentions has made it an indispensable component of modern-day marketing strategies. Nevertheless, as influencer marketing has become rapidly commercial, it has given rise to a wide range of concerns regarding its ethical and psychological impact. Practices such as undisclosed sponsorships, extremely promotional messages, fake engagement metrices, and unrealistic lifestyle depictions have raised serious questions regarding the authenticity of influencer recommendations and their likely influence on consumer decision-making process. Although these concerns have attracted growing intellectual attention, current body of literature remains fragmented, with most studies exploring isolated aspects rather than offering a holistic understanding of the shadier dimensions of influencer marketing. Current study seeks to address this gap in literature by providing a critical review of the current literature regarding the darker side of influencer marketing. It uses existing knowledge to explain how an increasingly commercialized influencer marketing has changed digital marketing landscape and has led to the creation of new challenges for consumers, brands and influencers. The study identifies key research gaps, discourses the ethical and managerial implications of unscrupulous influencer marketing practices, and outlines promising directions for future research. By considering diverse aspects of literature, this paper offers a more balanced comprehension of influencer marketing. It further signifies that transparency, authenticity, and responsible marketing contributes to the current discourse on how influencer marketing can develop in a manner that is both commercially viable and socially responsible.