Mariah L. Wellman – författare

A fascinating examination of how wellness influencers have shaped a booming global industry—and why we should take their cultural power seriously.Wellness influencers are powerful players in the health space, guiding what we eat, how we exercise, and even how we define well-being. Wellness insider Mariah L. Wellman examines how US social media influencers have transformed the industry by positioning themselves as relatable authorities, often rivaling actual health experts in reach while redefining who gets to claim health and vitality.In Search of Wellness offers the first in-depth analysis of the wellness influencer industry, explaining not only how it works but why it resonates so deeply. Drawing on interviews with popular influencers and nearly a decade of research on the wellness industry, Wellman shows how influencers blend personal narratives with expert knowledge to build trust and expand their authority, attracting followers from around the world. Timely and accessible, this book reveals how influencers are redefining wellness itself—and why so many of us are eager to follow their lead.

A fascinating examination of how wellness influencers have shaped a booming global industry—and why we should take their cultural power seriously.Wellness influencers are powerful players in the health space, guiding what we eat, how we exercise, and even how we define well-being. Wellness insider Mariah L. Wellman examines how US social media influencers have transformed the industry by positioning themselves as relatable authorities, often rivaling actual health experts in reach while redefining who gets to claim health and vitality.In Search of Wellness offers the first in-depth analysis of the wellness influencer industry, explaining not only how it works but why it resonates so deeply. Drawing on interviews with popular influencers and nearly a decade of research on the wellness industry, Wellman shows how influencers blend personal narratives with expert knowledge to build trust and expand their authority, attracting followers from around the world. Timely and accessible, this book reveals how influencers are redefining wellness itself—and why so many of us are eager to follow their lead.

Social media influencers are the iconic figures of the social media age. As media diets shift to social media, influencers sit at the center of communication flows within the new information ecology. This is a powerful position. As masters of large followerships, influencers can direct online attention and engagement toward certain topics—and away from others. Followers build long-lasting relationships with their favorite influencers and trust their authentic recommendations and advice. This makes them sought-after cooperation partners for corporations, but also for other organizations such as NGOs, political parties, or government agencies. Along with their growing cultural and economic relevance, influencer research has taken off for real in the last decade.Looking back at the first years of influencer scholarship, this book brings together leading researchers to consolidate the field, theorize current developments, and map future directions. Adopting the perspectives of influencers, followers, and other industry actors, this book provides a reference work that offers readers a comprehensive international collection of analyses, reflections, and insights about social media influencers, the dynamics of the industry, influencers’ entanglement with strategic communication, and their role in contemporary (digital) culture.Offering a broad interdisciplinary overview of research emerging within social media influencing, this authoritative guide is an accessible resource for researchers, lecturers and students across marketing, media and communication, as well as cultural studies and digital anthropology.Chapter 9 of this book is freely available as a downloadable Open Access PDF at http://www.taylorfrancis.com under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives (CC BY-NC-ND) 4.0 license.

Social media influencers are the iconic figures of the social media age. As media diets shift to social media, influencers sit at the center of communication flows within the new information ecology. This is a powerful position. As masters of large followerships, influencers can direct online attention and engagement toward certain topics-and away from others. Followers build long-lasting relationships with their favorite influencers and trust their authentic recommendations and advice. This makes them sought-after cooperation partners for corporations, but also for other organizations such as NGOs, political parties, or government agencies. Along with their growing cultural and economic relevance, influencer research has taken off for real in the last decade.Looking back at the first years of influencer scholarship, this book brings together leading researchers to consolidate the field, theorize current developments, and map future directions. Adopting the perspectives of influencers, followers, and other industry actors, this book provides a reference work that offers readers a comprehensive international collection of analyses, reflections, and insights about social media influencers, the dynamics of the industry, influencers' entanglement with strategic communication, and their role in contemporary (digital) culture.Offering a broad interdisciplinary overview of research emerging within social media influencing, this authoritative guide is an accessible resource for researchers, lecturers and students across marketing, media and communication, as well as cultural studies and digital anthropology.Chapter 9 of this book is freely available as a downloadable Open Access PDF at http://www.taylorfrancis.com under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives (CC BY-NC-ND) 4.0 license.