Power to the deinfluencers: how parasocial relationships drive anti-consumption among young consumers

Purpose In the developing landscape of social media, deinfluencers, the digital content creators who encourage anti-consumption attitudes and behaviors, are gaining young consumers’ attention. The purpose of this study is to investigate the psychological mechanisms underlying young adult consumers’ engagement with deinfluencers by focusing on wishful identification, parasocial relationship development, self-expansion and anti-consumption attitudes. With parasocial relationship and self-expansion theories as the underlying frameworks, this study examines how an individual’s wishful identification with a deinfluencer fosters parasocial connections and contributes to their self-expansion. Moreover, the authors examine how these constructs are associated with anti-consumption attitudes, revealing a pathway through which media engagement can reshape consumption attitudes. Design/methodology/approach Using Qualtrics, an online survey questionnaire was administered to university students (Generation Z) using convenience sampling. Structural equations modeling was used for data analysis. Findings The findings of this study suggest that young consumers who experience wishful identification with a deinfluencer are likely to develop stronger parasocial connections and experience more self-expansion. A young individual’s parasocial bond strength with a deinfluencer and self-expansion related to the deinfluencer are positively associated. In turn, the parasocial relationship between the individual and the deinfluencer and self-expansion lead to increased anti-consumption attitudes. Originality/value This research contributes to the growing literature on anti-consumption and deinfluencer psychology on social media platforms and offers implications for marketers, educators and policymakers seeking to understand and encourage less materialistic consumer attitudes among young adults.