Abstract
Introduction. The popularity of social media makes it an effective tool for communicating about health. In this context, the role of an influencer becomes important, i.e. an online opinion leader who, through his/her media activity, influences the behavior and decisions of recipients. This study focuses on nurses influencers and the social perception of their activities.
Aim. The aim of the study is to determine the dimensions of perception of nurses influencers, their determinants and consequences based on survey research. Detailed research questions were asked regarding the popularity, credibility, image features, quality and relevance of the messages and the effectiveness of the impact of nurses influencers in the individual and social dimensions.
Material and methods. The study was conducted on a group of 127 nursing students. The research material was collected using own questionnaire, and the results obtained were subjected to statistical analysis.
Results. The study analyzed 127 completed survey questionnaires. All of the surveyed students used social media. When it comes to 70.1% of all respondents, they follow profiles of professional nurses on social media, most commonly on TikTok (61.42%). However, it is the Instagram profiles that generate the highest levels of trust (66.14%). For respondents, the most important topic discussed on social media is medical advice (71.65%). A part of respondents (68) expressed their concerns about the impact of nurses influencers on society.
Conclusions. The results of the conducted survey allowed to draw conclusions about the perception of nurses influencers among nursing students. The collected data made it possible to determine the high level of popularity of nurses influencers and their activities, as well as to specify the important dimensions of influencers’ credibility. The study identified which social media platforms are the most effective in building their credibility. In the light of the data, the features of the desired image of nurses influencers and their potential to shape attitudes are outlined. Respondents’ answers also allowed for the identification of concerns associated with the influencer activity of nurses.