The Impact of Golf Influencers' Authenticity and Attractiveness on Follower Loyalty and Continued Engagement Intention: Differences Across Social Media Platforms

This study analyzed the impact of golf influencers' authenticity and attractiveness on followers' loyalty and continued participation intention, and examined differences across social media platforms. Data were collected from 214 amateur golfers who use social media platforms, leading to the following conclusions.<br/> First, the attractiveness of golf influencers significantly influenced followers' loyalty, while authenticity did not have a significant impact. Therefore, golf influencers should focus on enhancing their attractiveness to increase follower loyalty.<br/> Second, both attractiveness and authenticity of golf influencers positively influenced followers' continued participation intention, with attractiveness having a greater impact than authenticity. This suggests that influencers should prioritize enhancing their attractiveness to boost continued participation.<br/> Third, the analysis of differences across social media platforms revealed that the impact of attractiveness on continued participation intention varied by platform. Compared to YouTube, the increase in attractiveness on visually-oriented platforms like Instagram and TikTok led to a greater increase in continued participation intention. This indicates that on these platforms, an influencer's attractiveness has a stronger impact on follower behavior