The study highlighted the significant impact of micro-influencers, particularly on Twitter, in disseminating information during crises. Despite having relatively small follower counts (between 1,000 and 10,000 followers), micro-influencers were found to play a pivotal role in sharing timely and relevant information during significant events such as the murder of George Floyd, the Russo-Ukrainian War, and the Covid-19 pandemic.
Contrary to the belief that larger online followings equate to greater influence, micro-influencers were shown to have a greater impact than meso-influencers (10,001 to 100,000 followers) and macro-influencers (over 100,000 followers), especially when they were situated near the crisis.
The research, conducted by Shohil Kishore from the University of Auckland Business School and Dr. Amy Errman from AUT, analyzed 3.9 million tweets related to the aforementioned events. The findings revealed that micro-influencers' crisis-related tweets were more likely to be retweeted across the board.
Shohil Kishore, one of the researchers, expressed surprise at the results, noting that it is typically assumed that more followers translate to greater online influence. However, in the context of crises, this assumption did not hold true.
While micro-influencers are instrumental in disseminating information, Kishore also highlighted the risk of spreading misinformation. Hence, he emphasized the importance of ensuring that influencers, especially micro-influencers, cite factual sources and engage in responsible online content creation during crises.
The study's findings underscore the critical role of micro-influencers in shaping public opinion and spreading information during crises. As such, government agencies, policymakers, and social media platforms are urged to encourage responsible behavior among influencers, particularly micro-influencers, to help mitigate the spread of misinformation during critical events.
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