Greenfluencing Through the Power of Emotions? Impact of Message Frames and Emotionally Matching Background Music on the Effectiveness of Influencers’ Environmental Communication

Abstract

Social media influencers have become increasingly important in persuading people to become environmentally sensitive. As “greenfluencers” have been studied primarily in the context of advertising, it is crucial to investigate the mechanisms and effects of their non-product–related environmental messages. In two studies, we tested different message frames, a well-known persuasion strategy, in the context of Instagram reels (short audiovisual videos), where user-added background music is a prominent feature. In a 2 × 2 between-subjects online experiment (N = 240), we manipulated the message frame (gain vs. loss) and the background music (positive vs. negative emotional valence) and found that loss frames reduced behavioral intention via negative emotions. A second 2 × 2 between-subjects online experiment (N = 207) replicated these findings with an older sample and provided additional evidence that gain frames should be used in environmental communication. Contrary to our assumptions, we found no effect of the emotional valence of music in either study.