Influencer content consumption: emotional uses and perceived consequences among LGBTQ+ and heterosexual youth

Influencer content consumption extends beyond mere entertainment and has become a leading communicative environment shaping the emotional and social experiences of adolescents and young people. This study analyses the relationship between the frequency of influencer-content consumption, emotionally oriented motivations for use, and perceived self-perceptive and relational consequences among adolescents and young people. It specifically considers the intersection of sexual orientation (heterosexual, bisexual, homosexual, and non-normative) and age.

Using a quantitative cross-sectional methodology based on a questionnaire administered through an online panel to 1800 adolescents and young people aged 14–24 living in Spain, the study identifies differences in consumption patterns and their implications for emotional development and digital communication during the transition from adolescence to young adulthood. Univariate and bivariate analyses, together with correlational and regression models, were used to examine associations between consumption frequency, emotionally oriented motivations, and perceived self-perceptive and relational consequences. Higher concentrations of reported adverse self-perceptive and relational consequences were detected among bisexual and homosexual participants and among those classified in the non-normative sexual orientation group, particularly in relation to social comparison and stronger orientation towards mediated interaction.

The findings further suggest that the association between consumption frequency and perceived consequences becomes more pronounced when consumption is linked to emotionally oriented motivations such as seeking companionship or coping with personal difficulties. The study examines how intensive influencer-content consumption is associated with digital well-being experiences across adolescence and young adulthood. This research was supported by the R&D&I project “Media repertoires and practices in adolescence and youth: uses, cyber-wellbeing and digital vulnerabilities in social networks” (PID2022-138281NB-C21), funded by MICIU/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and by “ERDF A way of making Europe”.

Faculty of Communication Sciences, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, C/ Camino del Molino, 5, Madrid, Fuenlabrada, Spain Rebeca Suárez-Álvarez, Manuel Montes-Vozmediano & María-Cruz López-de-Ayala Correspondence to Rebeca Suárez-Álvarez. The authors declare no competing interests. This study complied with the European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR; Regulation (EU) 2016/679), adopted in 2016 and applicable since 25 May 2018, as well as with Spain’s Organic Law 3/2018 of 5 December on the Protection of Personal Data and Guarantee of Digital Rights.

Ethical approval for this study was obtained from the Research Ethics Committee of Universidad Rey Juan Carlos on 11 July 2024 under registration number 270520243382024. The survey was conducted from 28 October to 27 November 2024. Written informed consent was obtained from all participants prior to their inclusion in the study.

In accordance with Article 7 of Spain’s Organic Law 3/2018, consent for the processing of personal data may be given by minors aged fourteen or older; in such cases, authorisation from the holder of parental authority or guardianship is not required. All participants in this study were aged 14 years or older. Only non-sensitive and non-identifying data were collected.