Social media e fin-influencers come nuove fonti di vulnerabilità digitale nell'assunzione delle decisioni di investimento

This article examines the evolution of social media and its growing role as a meeting space and, simultaneously, as a "market" for purchasing goods and services. This change determines a lesser ability for the consumer to choose inde pendently due to the social context and influencers. Social media, especially influ encers, can generate great trust in followers and consequently influence their choic es by publishing messages and content. For this reason, influencers' activity takes on specific relevance in the financial context. There are influencers specialized in pro moting investment choices through forms of advertising, even hidden ones. As high lighted in the paper, the risks appear greater in this case because such messages can also generate "mass" decisions of a large number of followers, perhaps with poor financial literacy. This situation causes critical issues for the protection of indi viduals and the functioning of the financial markets.