Journal of Culture-Communication Studies

Journal of Culture-Communication Studies

Professional ethics in influence marketing: a comparative comparison of selected countries

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors
Fatemeh Ashrafi 1
Morteza Movaghar 2
Meysam Shirkhodaie 3
1 PhD graduate, Department of Business Administration, Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences, Mazandaran University, Babolsar, Iran.
2 Associate Professor, Faculty of Economic and Administrative Sciences, Mazandaran University, Babolsar, Iran. (corresponding author).
3 Associate Professor, Department of Management, Faculty of Economic and Administrative Sciences, Mazandaran University, Babolsar, Iran.
10.22083/jccs.2024.467041.3898
Abstract
The modern world has changed almost everything. If in the past people went to temples and worshiped gods and had religion, today they go to “media” instead of temples and worship celebrities and famous people instead of gods. Influencers are no longer exclusively actors or singers and include a wide range of influential groups in new media. These famous people are intelligent and opinionated people who are called influencers in cyberspace and have a great influence on their audience and have the ability to direct and guide their decisions
Purpose: This research focuses on one of the pillars of an ideal society, namely the institution of media or, more specifically, social networks. The responsibility of influencers, who are the societal models and thought leaders, is examined from the perspective of professional ethics towards vulnerable groups within society, such as children, women, and minorities. The study aims to analyze and discuss the role of influencers in relation to these vulnerable groups and their ethical obligations towards them.
Method: The research was conducted using a qualitative approach in terms of methodology, with an applied objective. The research utilized a thematic analysis method and, after conducting semi-structured interviews with 14 experts who were purposefully selected based on their knowledge and expertise in the discussed topic, MAXQDA2020 software was used for the final analysis.
Findings: The conducted research indicates that the ethical responsibility of social media influencers towards vulnerable groups is associated with 27 sub-themes and 3 main themes.
Conclusion: Every human being, regardless of age, gender, race, skin color, physical or mental ability, language, religion, political ideology, or national and social origin, possesses an inherent and inviolable dignity. Each individual, as well as governments, must respect and safeguard this dignity. Humans should always be the subjects and recipients of rights and should never be reduced to mere means. They should never be instrumentalized for the purposes of commercial or industrial activities in the realms of economy, politics, media, research institutions, or industrial establishments. Therefore, social media influencers, in order to maintain their credibility, must consider the rights of their stakeholders, with children, women, and minorities being among the most important, in their activities.
Keywords
professional ethics
social networks
influencers
comparative review
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