Health Communication in Digital Spaces: Selected FIlipino Medical Influencers’ ‘Clout’ and Parasocial Relationships

Abstract

This study explores how Filipino medical influencers build and sustain parasocial relationships (PSRs) to promote health information in digital spaces such as social media. Through an exploratory-descriptive qualitative research design, the study utilized semi-structured interviews with two medical influencers and six active followers. The research is grounded in socio-cultural and phenomenological traditions that allow for an examination of the co-construction of meaning and lived experiences within these one-sided but meaningful online bonds. Findings reveal that influencer motivations stem from a desire to combat misinformation and provide accessible, bite-sized health advice. Influencers employ strategic self-presentation by balancing clinical rigor with conversational communication to humanize their expertise. Followers are primarily motivated by financial pragmatism and the need to alleviate health-related anxiety, viewing influencers as credible, cost- free intermediaries. The study introduces the Dynamic Digital Authority (DDA) Model, which posits that online influence functions as a continually negotiated performance rather than a static marker of expertise. It concludes that effective digital health communication is a reciprocal process. This process transforms passive consumers into active health advocates. Recommendations include the integration of digital literacy into medical training and the strengthening of expert verification on social platforms.