Literature Review

This chapter offers a comprehensive literature review to enhance scholarship on professional social media communication abilities and specifically, micro-influencers’ skills, knowledge, and capabilities. Approaching “micro-influence” as an emerging, contemporary concept in digital communication practices, this chapter defines the term through studies by scholars such as Abidin (Communicative intimacies: Influencers and perceived interconnectedness, 2015) and boyd (2004), investigating beyond the immediate research area, covering online celebrity, social capital, and social media platform marketing. This literature review reveals micro-influence as an ambiguous concept with vast implications for professional communication practices. It incorporates insights from fields like business, psychology, and sociology, emphasising that micro-influence, despite being a complex concept, is a viable professional communication means. Given the changing communication context and the developing space of social media platforms, identifying the practices of micro-influencers becomes vital. The chapter concludes by underscoring the need for continuous research on understanding micro-influence in this ever-evolving digital ecosystem.