The Photo-First Behavior Driven by the Influencer Economy and Its Reconstruction of Contemporary Youths' Consumption and Lifestyles
Abstract
The influencer economy has profoundly intervened in the daily lifestyles of contemporary youth. This study adopted a questionnaire survey method and collected 441 valid questionnaires from young people who actively explore and check in at popular venues. Data were analyzed from the dimensions of consumption decision-making, behavioral motivation, and experiential perception. The survey shows that 56.7% of respondents prioritize "whether photos can be taken well" when making consumption decisions, indicating that visual aesthetics has become an important consumption criterion. At the same time, young people have not been completely dominated by the influencer economy: 76.6% regard photo-related consumption as a way to "leave beautiful memories for themselves", rather than a means to chase online traffic or build a public image. Nearly 40% of participants actively seek a balance between taking photos and experiencing the moment. The study reveals that young people maintain rational judgment while pursuing aesthetic tastes in visual consumption, showing a complex state of being "attracted yet discerning". Moreover, the most profound impact of the influencer economy on consumption is not the replacement of quality value, but the shift of visual aesthetics from a secondary factor to the core of decision-making, making it an independent dimension parallel to product quality. This study provides an empirical reference for understanding changes in consumer culture under the era of visual communication.
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