From Humanism to Post-humanism: Understanding ethics in influencer marketing through a conceptual framework

Abstract

Today, social media is flooded with influencers creating content to promote brands, making ethical marketing key to upholding trust in influencer-consumer relationships and guaranteeing long-term brand sustainability. This study highlights the key areas where ethics plays an imperative role in influencer marketing and how it affects consumer interactions and overall psychological health. The study puts forward a conceptual framework that identifies both human and technological ethical issues in influencer marketing. The framework encompasses the roles of influencers, brands, and consumers, as well as modern marketing aspects, including virtual influencers and AI techniques such as virtual and augmented reality. The study adopts a humanistic and post-humanistic approach, aiming to provide a holistic perspective on ethics in influencer marketing. It also offers recommendations for overcoming these ethical challenges and how influencers, brands, and regulatory bodies can work together to support consumers with ethical standards, strengthen relationships, and build a trustworthy digital environment.