Influencers' Use of Artificial Intelligence to Support Stress Reduction in Social Media: A Qualitative Study

Abstract The growing integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into social media practices has reshaped how influencers interact with their audiences, raising important questions about its implications for digital well-being. This study explores how influencers perceive and use AI tools to support audiences experiencing stress in social media environments. Adopting a qualitative and interpretivist approach, semi-structured interviews were conducted with ten influencers selected through purposive sampling. The findings reveal that influencers perceive AI primarily as a supportive mechanism that enhances emotional availability, consistency, and responsiveness rather than as a therapeutic or clinical solution. AI-assisted practices are associated with perceived stress reduction through calm communication, reassurance, and emotional continuity, while ethical boundaries and transparency remain central concerns. Overall, the study concludes that AI contributes to stress reduction only when embedded within human-centered, ethically framed influencer practices, reinforcing emotional support without replacing human judgment or professional care. This research contributes to the literature on influencer communication and digital well-being by clarifying the non-clinical, relational role of AI in emotionally sensitive online interactions. Keywords: Artificial intelligence; influencer communication; digital well-being; perceived stress reduction; emotional support; social media