Abstract:
The immersion of Information and Communication Technologies in the tourism sector has led to changes in forms of communication in all areas; one of the most evident has been in the promotion of tourism in virtual environments. This has led to the implementation of influencers, as a strategic tool for transforming the dialogue that is of interest to their community of followers, seeking to influence their travel intentions. Through a systematic review and content analysis, this article reflects on the main theoretical paradigms of communication: critical, structuralist and functionalist, available for the study of persuasive communication by influencers in tourism. Through the collection of articles and books on communication, the characteristics of each paradigm are explained, in order to propose new perspectives available for the study of the recent phenomenon. It is concluded that due to the divergence between paradigms, the choice of a paradigm will depend on the researcher and the research objectives. It is suggested that the repercussions of the communicative figure of the influencer be studied in greater depth, from the perspective of each of the paradigms that contribute to the theoretical-methodological foundation of this phenomenon, in different socio-cultural contexts.
Keywords:
persuasive communication; influencer; theoretical foundations; critical paradigm; structuralist paradigm; functionalist paradigm