Influencers call for collaboration between families, brands and platforms to create a responsible ecosystem

"It is an indispensable guide for all the actors who move in this world," said Camino Villa, an instagrammer who, at 70 years old, has more than 170,000 followers. She was not the only one: Paloma Blanc (@7paresdekatiuskas), María León, Paloma Martínez Monasterio, designer Sole Alonso and professor José Martín Aguado are some of the influencers who wanted to celebrate International Influencer Day by supporting the presentation of "El Libro Blanco de la Influencia Responsable", an initiative of iCmedia, with ISEM Fashion Business School of the University of Navarra as an academic partner.

The publication can be purchased free of charge at influencerstrustlabeleu.org/. The presentation was attended by influencers, influencer agencies, experts and professionals from the Association for the Self-Regulation of Marketing Communication. "A responsible influencer environment depends not only on influencers, but on all stakeholders in the sector: brands, platforms, agencies, media... This book shows that everyone wants to take a step forward, assume their responsibility and collaborate in the creation of a new environment," said Patricia SanMiguel, professor of digital marketing at ISEM and coordinator of the book.

Protecting minors between 7 and 12 years of age

This White Paper aims to provide a good diagnosis of how influence is exercised in the new digital environment; the challenges that arise, the actors involved (companies, legislators, followers...), the effects and a roadmap that points a path of reflection and action. "Not all influencers are aware of their power and exercise it in a responsible way. It is necessary to raise their awareness," SanMiguel continued. Minors, especially children between the ages of 7 and 12, are most at risk, "because they do not have the capacity to distinguish between information and opinion, nor the self-esteem and maturity to know how to filter the information we see on social networks".

But minors are not the only ones who suffer. According to this expert, network users and more and more influencers need psychological support to cope with social pressure and haters." "We cannot wait for everything to be regulated, life goes ahead of the law, that is why one of the levers pointed out in the book is the need to promote self-regulation, with very concrete actions, such as the creation of the figure of the Director of Ethics within companies in the sector".

The "White Paper on Responsible Influence" is part of a European project led by INCIBE, "Safer Internet Centre Spain 2.0", which seeks to create tools to help users, especially minors, to use the Internet safely. It has been possible thanks to people from all entities related to the influencer sector who have collaborated in the research, as well as NewLink, as a communication agency specialized in Influencer marketing, and ConEse consulting, a consulting firm specialized in writing white papers.