Autenticidad y emoción en el discurso sobre salud mental de mujeres influencers en Instagram

Alba Ayuso-Lanchares; Clara González-Sanguino; Patricia Sánchez Holgado; Noemí Merayo-Álvarez

doi:10.62008/ixc/16/02Autent

Authors

Alba Ayuso-Lanchares University of Valladolid https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0740-7212
Clara González-Sanguino University of Valladolid https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7020-0604
Patricia Sánchez Holgado University of Salamanca https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6253-7087
Noemí Merayo-Álvarez University of Valladolid https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6920-0778

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.62008/ixc/16/02Autent

Keywords:

Social Media, Mental Health, Influencers, Emotions, Artificial Intelligence, Natural Language Processing

Abstract

This study explores how authenticity and emotional tone shape audience responses to mental health disclosures by Spanish influencers on Instagram. Using Artificial Intelligence and Natural Language Processing tools, 13,407 user comments were analyzed to classify emotions into six categories: admiration, empathy, anger, sadness, neutrality, and gratitude. Descriptive and correspondence analyses identified dominant emotional patterns and their associations with post types—personal, unrelated, or promotional. Results show that authentic self-disclosures generate predominantly positive emotions (admiration and empathy), whereas negative reactions (anger and mockery) are linked to promotional content. Authenticity and coherence between text and image emerged as key elements fostering user engagement. These findings contribute to understanding emotional dynamics in digital communication on mental health and highlight the potential of AI tools to analyze public discourse online.

Author Biographies

Alba Ayuso-Lanchares, University of Valladolid

Alba Ayuso-Lanchares received the degree in speech therapy from the University of Valladolid, Spain, in 2014, the master’s degree in neuropsychology and education from the University of La Rioja in 2016, and the Ph.D. degree from the University of Valladolid in October 2021. She is currently an Assistant Professor with the Department of Pedagogy, University of Valladolid. She has been a Collaborating Professor with the University of La Rioja. Her research interests include language development studies, speech-language therapy interventions, and education. She is a member of the Association of Speech Therapists of Spain.

Clara González-Sanguino, University of Valladolid

Clara González-Sanguino holds a PhD in Clinical Psychology with international distinction and is currently a tenured lecturer at the University of Valladolid (UVa). Her research focuses on mental health, specifically the stigma associated with various psychological disorders, the psychological consequences of Covid-19, the psychological aftereffects of traumatic events and victimology, and severe mental disorders. She has led several projects and published numerous high-impact scientific articles.

Patricia Sánchez Holgado, University of Salamanca

Patricia Sánchez-Holgado is a Professor in the Department of Sociology and Communication at the Faculty of Social Sciences of the University of Salamanca. She holds a PhD in Communication from the University of Salamanca, a Bachelor's degree in Advertising and Public Relations from the Complutense University of Madrid, a Master's degree in Scientific Culture from the University of Oviedo (2019), and a Master's degree in Teacher Training and a Master's degree in Big Data from the Pontifical University of Salamanca. She is a member of the Observatory of Audiovisual Content (OCA), a Research Group of Excellence and Consolidated Research Unit of the Regional Government of Castile and León (www.ocausal.es). Her research interests focus on: social perception of Artificial Intelligence and data science; communication, dissemination, and scientific culture; hate speech; political communication; adoption and use of communication technologies; and gender and equality studies.

Noemí Merayo-Álvarez, University of Valladolid

Noemí Merayo received the Telecommunication Engineering and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Valladolid, Spain, in 2004 and 2009, respectively. She is a Lecturer with the University of Valladolid. She has been a Visiting Research Fellow with the Optical Networks Group, Science and Technology Research Institute, University of Hertfordshire; the TOyBA Research Group, University of Zaragoza; and the Technology University of Munich (TUM). Her research focuses on the design and performance evaluation of optical networks and the application of artificial intelligence in multidisciplinary fields, such as mental health, video games, and optical networks.

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