How Do People Choose Who to Take Advice From? Influencers vs Professionals

Five or ten years ago, most people defaulted to licensed professionals for advice. Physicians, lawyers, accountants, electricians etc. Credentials, education, and certification were important. Now it seems, no matter what the topic, people are turning to social media influencers, despite that influencer not having any formal education or experience in the topic.

Now, many people turn first to social media.

Why?

The answer is not simply “people don’t value expertise anymore.” It is more complicated and more psychological than that.

Here are several evidence-based factors that influence who people trust.

1. Familiarity and Repeated Exposure (The “Mere Exposure Effect”)

People tend to trust what feels familiar. When someone appears repeatedly in your feed, you begin to feel like you “know” them.

This psychological phenomenon is called the mere exposure effect, first described by social psychologist Robert Zajonc.

When a person shows up daily in short videos, shares personal stories, and speaks casually, they feel accessible and human. A board-certified physician who appears only in a formal office setting may feel distant by comparison.

Resource: American Psychological Association dictionary entry on mere exposure effecthttps://dictionary.apa.org/mere-exposure-effect

2. Parasocial Relationships

Social media creates one-sided emotional bonds called parasocial relationships. Viewers feel personally connected to influencers who have never met them.

This concept was first described in 1956 by Donald Horton and R. Richard Wohl in their paper on mass media and intimacy.

When someone feels like a friend, their advice feels personal and trustworthy, even if they lack formal training.

Resource:Horton D, Wohl RR. “Mass Communication and Para-Social Interaction.” Psychiatry, 1956. https://ia802306.us.archive.org/10/items/donald-horton-and-richard-wohl-1956/Donald%20Horton%20and%20Richard%20Wohl%201956.pdf

3. Confirmation Bias

People naturally seek information that confirms what they already believe.

This is called confirmation bias, a well-established cognitive bias described in cognitive psychology literature.

If a mother is already hesitant about medication in pregnancy, she is more likely to trust an influencer who validates that hesitation, even if the influencer has no formal pharmacology training.

Resource: Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy entry on confirmation bias https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/confirmation-bias/

4. Social Proof and Follower Count

Humans use heuristics to make fast decisions. One shortcut is social proof. If 500,000 people follow someone, the brain may interpret that as evidence of credibility.

Psychologist Robert Cialdini describes social proof as a key principle of influence in his book Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion.

Follower count becomes a visible credibility cue, even though it does not measure training, accountability, or accuracy.

Resource: Cialdini R. Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion. Publisher summary: https://www.harpercollins.com/products/influence-robert-b-cialdini

5. Emotional Storytelling vs. Statistical Evidence

Personal stories are powerful. A single dramatic anecdote can feel more compelling than a meta-analysis of 50,000 patients.

Psychologist Daniel Kahneman describes this tendency in Thinking, Fast and Slow as part of how System 1 thinking favors vivid, emotionally available examples over statistical reasoning.

A story about “what happened to my friend” can override population-level data.

Resource: Kahneman D. Thinking, Fast and Slow. Publisher page: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9780374533557/thinkingfastandslow

6. Distrust of Institutions

Over the past decade, public trust in institutions has declined across sectors, including medicine.

The Pew Research Center regularly publishes data showing fluctuations in public trust in medical scientists and public health authorities.

When trust in institutions decreases, individuals may seek decentralized voices that feel independent.

Resource: Pew Research Center report on trust in scientists https://www.pewresearch.org/science/

7. Accessibility and Time

A social media video is free, available at midnight, and requires no appointment. A licensed and certified physician requires scheduling, payment, and often insurance navigation.

Convenience changes behavior.

This is not purely psychological. It is structural.

8. The Halo Effect

If an influencer is attractive, articulate, or relatable in one area, people may assume they are competent in unrelated areas. This is called the halo effect, first described by psychologist Edward Thorndike in 1920.

Agreement in one domain can spill over into assumed authority in another.

Resource: APA Dictionary entry on halo effect https://dictionary.apa.org/halo-effect

How This Applies to Pregnancy Advice

Pregnancy is emotionally intense. The stakes feel high. Fear is powerful. When anxiety increases, people seek reassurance.

If reassurance comes wrapped in warmth, relatability, and frequent exposure, it can outweigh credentials.

Get BOTH warmth and credentials by scheduling an appointment with Dr. Waggel.

This Blog post was a Moms Physician and Improve Life PLLC Team Collaboration