A new study published in the Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science suggests that most social media influencers should reconsider their use of profanity. While dropping F-bombs and other swear words is often embraced by followers as part of a creator's brand, research from the McCombs School of Business at The University of Texas at Austin indicates that such language typically reduces user engagement on average.
The study, titled "To Swear or Not To Swear: Exploring the Role of Profanity in Influencer Marketing," was conducted by marketing professor Vijay Mahajan and former doctoral student Mahdi Niknejad Moghadam. They utilized machine learning to analyze 43,892 videos from 200 top gaming influencers on a popular platform. The analysis accounted for video length, volume, quality, vocal emotion, and the concentration of swear words based on a dictionary developed by UT scholars.
The findings reveal that each additional dirty word decreases engagement by between 0.04% and 0.74%. For an average influencer producing 100 videos annually, using approximately 14 off-color words per video could result in a loss of up to $79,000 in YouTube revenue. The researchers noted that while profanity can signal authenticity and community belonging, it often conflicts with broader social norms and platform expectations.
Context plays a critical role in how audiences react to expletives. When the team examined 1,730 mainstream videos in categories such as fashion, hobbies, and home improvement, they found profanity was even more detrimental, reducing engagement by as much as 6.5%. Several factors were identified as increasing the likelihood of negative responses: mixed demographic audiences, the insertion of swear words into otherwise polite discourse, and the presence of sponsors.
The study also highlighted gender disparities, noting that while expletives from both men and women reduce engagement, users tend to react more negatively when the influencer is female. This reaction may stem from lingering gender norms. Additionally, profanity in sponsored videos appears more harmful, potentially because financial motives make viewers less trusting of the content.
However, the researchers caution that the impact is not universally negative. For influencers with a consistent history of using off-color language, swearing can remain a reliable part of their brand without alienating their specific audience. Mahajan emphasized that there are currently no FCC regulations monitoring social media influencers, making this research vital for platforms and sponsors to understand the nuances of profanity's impact.
Ultimately, the lesson for brand managers and creators is to evaluate whether an influencer's language feels authentic to their specific viewers. While swearing may work for niche communities, most influencers aiming to expand into more diverse audiences should use profanity sparingly or avoid it entirely.
Sources: Phys.org.