Influencer Advertising on Body Care and Diet: How Admiration and Parasocial Relationships Influence Peruvian Adolescents

Abstract

Parasocial relationships are a psychological phenomenon that creates a sense of closeness to real or fictional figures who are accessible only through media platforms, without any real reciprocity. This mechanism, along with admiration, is widely used by influencers for persuasive purposes. However, there is uncertainty regarding adolescents’ ability to recognize the persuasive intent behind these messages. This study uses a representative survey to analyze the impact of admiration and parasocial relationships on the dispositional ability of Peruvian adolescents aged 11 to 17 (N = 1020) to identify persuasive intent in sponsored content by influencers on body care and diet. The results show high levels of admiration and parasocial interaction, accompanied by a self-perceived ability to recognize persuasive intent. However, this awareness appears to be more dispositional than critical, reflecting a normalization of commercial content rather than a genuine evaluative understanding.