When Doctors Become Influencers: How Social Media Presence Disarms Persuasion Knowledge and Shapes Consumer Behaviors

Abstract

This research integrates impression management theory and the persuasion knowledge model to examine how consumers perceive and respond to physicians on social media. Using a mixed-methods approach across two studies, we identify effective self-presentation practices used by these credentialed professional influencers to signal competence, authenticity, and benevolence. We enrich influencer marketing literature and extend impression management theory by illustrating a strategic professional–personal imbalance where credentialed professionals prioritize competence signaling and selectively incorporate personal elements. These strategies help them maintain authority while mitigating perceptions of overt persuasion and may foster increased recommendation adherence. We propose a theory-building mechanism, the mere social media presence effect, whereby credentialed professionals' social media presence disarms consumer persuasion knowledge and enhances perceived effectiveness beyond traditional expert–consumer interactions. These findings advance understanding of consumer persuasion in information-asymmetric digital environments and, in the healthcare context, offer implications for health communication, physician influencer effectiveness, and consumer well-being.