Date of Award

January 2025

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Communication

First Advisor

Joonghwa Lee

Abstract

The growth of social media and its functions as an online, international forum has been a growing topic of interest for researchers and the public alike. With the rise of native influencing and the incorporation of “organic” advertising, Social Media Influencers have grown in not just following and publicity with affiliate marketing and brand partnerships, but they have grown in social interest, as well. With the rise in technology and the introduction of Gen Z, who are digital natives, this has challenged previous understanding of online relationships, specifically with the expansion of Parasocial Relationship Theory to the online application of Trans-Parasocial Relationship Theory. While previous studies have explored how Trans-Parasocial Relationships have impacted consumer behavior and buyer interest of Social Media Users, this perhaps is not the extent Social Media Influencers’ reach. Influencers such as Andrew Tate, Drew Afualo, and Jordan Peterson have gained their followership negotiating societal topics, such as gender and gender values. This dissertation is a qualitative study that explored how Social Media Influencers (SMIs) impacted Gen Z Social Media Users’ (SMUs) gender values through Trans-Parasocial Relationships (TPR). 23 Gen Z participants between the ages of 18 and 25 participated in this study, completing a survey and in-depth interview. This study looked at how the participants were impacted by being digital natives, specifically with growing up with social media, their relationships with SMIs, and how SMIs impacted their gender values. This study revealed that SMIs, individually and collaboratively, had levels of effect in Gen Z SMUs, both individually and generationally, in items such as sexual orientation, sexual identity, gender roles, romantic relationships, and general gender values. This study suggests that along with other geographical factors that pertain to an individual’s frame of reference, that media, specifically SMIs, is a new international voice and community that can influence this generation’s negotiation of gender values.

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