Clout Culture - Youth Cultures in Changing Societes Conference

BALTIC STATES INHABITANTS’ EXPECTATIONS OF INFLUENCER
COMMUNICATION IN THE CONTEXT OF THE WAR IN UKRAINE
MARIJA VORKULE (LATVIJAS UNIVERSITATE)
Abstract
The war in Ukraine is changing the western world and has a profound impact
on our everyday lives. The influencer marketing market has grown by 700% in
the last 6 years: from 1.7 billion USD in 2016 to 13.8 billion USD in 2021. The
pandemic and the war in Ukraine had a catalytic effect, resulting in the market
more than doubling in the last two years; 39% of "digital aborigines" (users
aged 18-24) now use social networks as their main source of news, compared
to 34% who read news directly on websites or apps. As far as brands actively
collaborating with influencers, digital content creators have an enormous
impact on their reputations.
So, the question is does the public expect influencers to share their views on
the war and use influencers as a news source? What happens if an influencer’s
position differs from his or her follower’s position? How does the situation
differ in all 3 Baltic states?
Audience limit: 18-35 years, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia.
Hypothesis: In a bilingual society where several people (depending on the
generation) still have different views on historical and current events, it is
important for young people that the opinion leader they follow on social
networks openly states his/her position on the war in Ukraine. Silence can
have a negative impact on the influencer's image. In addition, young
audiences also consume influencers' content as a news source and it is
important for them that the influencer shares the latest news related to the
war.
In more monochrome societies like Lithuania or Estonia there will be no big
difference in responses, but Latvia’s society may demonstrate differences in
positions according to the ethnicity of respondents.
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LECTURE