Health Communication and Parasocial Relationships on Social Media: Systematic Review of Opinion Leader-Follower Interactions
Abstract
Social media has reshaped communication, replacing traditional media and transforming health discourse. It allows interactions between medical and health experts, referred to as social media opinion leaders, and followers on health-related information. These interactions foster parasocial relationships, influencing attitudes, emotions, and health decisions. Studies highlight their impact, leading to the term parasocial relationships. Nonetheless, existing systematic reviews on parasocial relationships, particularly those focusing on social media health opinion leaders and followers, have been inconclusive. Accordingly, there is a need for a cohesive systematic literature review. The current article offered a systematic literature review concerning the parasocial relationships within the context of health communication on social media platforms. It was achieved by integrating research designs that adhered to PRISMA guidelines. A total of 28 articles underwent a screening process and a final selection of 14 articles was chosen. This study found a significant relationship between social media health opinion leaders and followers, especially how information is shared and influences their followers’ behaviours. In addition, this study found that prior studies have failed to address the quality and formation of the relationship. This is important to understand the specific, fundamental factors or elements involved in the health information sharing and discussion by opinion leaders. This review emphasises future exploration on the development of parasocial relationships between health opinion leaders and social media users.
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