ABSTRACT
Instagram influencers often receive free luxury brands hoping that they will endorse these brands on their social media profiles. Many of these influencers like to show off these gifts on their accounts. However, this bragging may be counterproductive because it may negatively affect consumers’ self-esteem by inducing social comparison, leading to protective mechanisms in which the influencer will be assessed negatively. The current paper reports the results of an experimental study (N = 158) that examines how bragging on Instagram affects consumers’ self-esteem, as well as influencer and brand evaluations. The study shows that exposure to bragging on Instagram leads to lower self-esteem due to negative social comparison, which arouses feelings of envy. This leads consumers to negatively evaluate the influencer. Additionally, it lowers influencer liking and leads to more negative product and brand evaluations. However, the effects seem to be detrimental only when the braggart promotes a non-luxury brand.
