We combine philosophical theories with quantitative analyses of online data to propose a sophisticated approach to social media influencers. Identifying influencers as communication systems emerging from a dialectic interactional process between content creators and in-development audiences, we define them mainly using the composition of their audience and the type of publications they use to communicate. To examine these two parameters, we analyse the audiences of 619 Instagram accounts of French, English, and American influencers and 2,400 of their publications in light of Girard's mimetic theory and McLuhan's media theory. We observe meaningful differences in influencers' profiles, typical audiences, and content type across influencers' classes, supporting the claim that such communication systems are articulated around 'reading contracts' upon which influencers' image is based and from which their influence derives. While the upkeep of their influence relies on them sticking to this contract, we observe that successful influencers shift their content type when growing their audiences and explain the strategies they implement to address this double bind. Different types of contract breaches then lead to distinct outcomes, which we identify by analysing various types of followers' feedback. In mediating social interactions, digital platforms reshape society in various ways; this interdisciplinary study helps understand how the digitalisation of social influencers affects reciprocity and mimetic behaviours.

翻译：我们将哲学理论与在线数据的定量分析相结合，提出一种针对社交媒体影响者的精细化方法。通过将影响者识别为内容创作者与正在发展中的受众之间辩证互动过程所产生的传播系统，我们主要依据其受众构成及用于传播的发布类型来界定影响者。为考察这两个参数，我们依据吉拉德的模仿理论与麦克卢汉的媒介理论，分析了619个法国、英国及美国影响者的Instagram账户及其2400条发布内容。我们观察到不同影响者类别在个人档案、典型受众及内容类型上存在显著差异，这支持了此类传播系统围绕“阅读契约”构建的观点，影响者的形象即基于此契约，其影响力亦源于此。尽管维持影响力需遵循这一契约，但我们发现成功的影响者在扩大受众群时会转变内容类型，并阐释其应对这一双重困境所实施的策略。不同类型的契约违规则导致不同结果，我们通过分析各类受众反馈予以识别。在调解社会互动的过程中，数字平台以多种方式重塑社会；这项跨学科研究有助于理解社交影响者数字化如何影响互惠与模仿行为。