The Same But Different. How Influencer-User-Homophily and -Heterophily Drive Clicks and YouTube Channel Subscriptions.

Abstract

This thesis examines the role of attribute homophily on the likelihood of clicks. It is investigated whether the portrayal of an influencer on a video thumbnail aids to increase the likelihood of clicks, when gender, race and age between the user and the influencer overlap. Furthermore the role of ability heterophily on subscription behaviour is researched. Hence itis explored whether the differences between the user and the influencer in terms of innovativeness, expertise, open communication and assertiveness lead to an increased likelihood of converting clicks into YouTube channel subscriptions. The results show that neither gender nor race play a role in the user’s decision process to click. Partial evidence has been found for the existence of attribute homophily in the context of age. Furthermore likability and attractiveness of the influencer are highly significant predictors for clicks. Moreover innovativeness, expertise, open communication and assertiveness have been found to positively affect the likelihood of click to subscription conversion. Thereby video content plays a critical role in aiding this process