English (United Kingdom)

https://curated-unify.zendy.io/wp-json/zendy-region/v1/featured_content/oa?rat=en

https://curated-unify.zendy.io/wp-json/zendy-region/v1/highlighted_journal/

Global: Zendy Plus annual

Presents the access of premium content as premium feature

Premium Content

Presents the keyphrase highlighting as premium feature

Keyphrase Highlighting

Presents the summarisation as premium feature

Summarisation

Insights

Presents the pdf analysis as premium feature

PDF Analysis

Presents the zaia usage as premium feature

ZAIA

Global: Zendy Tools annual

Global: Zendy Free Plan

Global: Zendy Tools monthly

Global: Zendy Plus monthly

The affordances of digital platforms have blurred the boundaries between environmentalism, celebrity status, and science communication. As such, nowadays, many social media influencers – who have risen to fame due to successful self-branding – act as educators and role models for environmental matters. To illuminate the appeal of green influencers and the relationship they develop with their followers, we conducted in-depth interviews employing a novel digital go-along approach. Findings suggest that relationships with green influencers are fueled by the entanglement of relational and substantive environmental content. This mix underlies followers’ perceptions of  sharing a reality  and perceiving the influencer as a  super peer . As for the characteristics of the follower-influencer bond, we show that followers appreciate the  potential for reciprocity , while the relationship itself remains mainly asymmetric. We furthermore elucidate three key components that explain the unique appeal of influencers’ environmental communication:  nuanced environmentalism, perceived reproducibility  and  trust in autodidactic expertise . KEY POLICY HIGHLIGHTSInfluencers’ ability to provide reproducible environmental recommendations make them valuable collaboration partners for pro-environmental organizations and political actors.Youth especially appreciate that influencers offer non-judgmental, nuanced pro-environmental advice, which informs other pro-environmental actors trying to reach young people.Ascribing credibility to influencers based on their autodidactic skills rather than due to their formal training puts young people at risk of misinformation, which should be accounted for in influencer support programs, media literacy trainings, and public awareness campaigns. Influencers’ ability to provide reproducible environmental recommendations make them valuable collaboration partners for pro-environmental organizations and political actors. Youth especially appreciate that influencers offer non-judgmental, nuanced pro-environmental advice, which informs other pro-environmental actors trying to reach young people. Ascribing credibility to influencers based on their autodidactic skills rather than due to their formal training puts young people at risk of misinformation, which should be accounted for in influencer support programs, media literacy trainings, and public awareness campaigns.

Inspiring G(re)en Z: Unraveling (Para)social Bonds with Influencers and Perceptions of Their Environmental Content