Sufficiency and necessity of influencers for digital collective memory: a study through combined IPMA

Purpose This study aims to demonstrate the causal effect that content disseminated by influencers has on the formation of collective memories that underlie digital environments. Design/methodology/approach This work integrated a recent methodological sequence called combined importance-performance map analysis (cIPMA) that suggests articulating the results of PLS-SEM, necessary conditions analysis and IPMA through a graph that consolidates the causal effects of necessity and sufficiency of the variables contemplated in the study. Findings The results suggest that influencers represent the most important input for the adoption of information and the formation of collective memories. In addition, it was also found that people develop a positive attitude towards digital narratives regardless of whether this content lacks quality. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this paper represents the first formal work that uses an exclusively quantitative methodological sequence to comprehensively demonstrate the causal effect of influencer content on digital collective memory.