Social identity as a reflection of belonging to the professional community of influencers on LinkedIn

The emergence of the Internet, followed by the further development of digital platforms and the attention economy, gave rise in the twenty-first century to influencers, who form a distinct professional community within the digital environment, operating at the intersection of marketing, social media, and traditional media. This positioning allows influencers’ social identity to be understood both as a reflection of their belonging to a particular professional community and as a strategic decision and resource in the process of building a personal brand in internet marketing. This paper examines the social identity of influencers on LinkedIn by analysing how it is articulated through interaction signals—reactions, comments, shares, and patterns of public support—as indicators of personal brand strength and legitimacy within a professional community. Particular attention is devoted to interpreting these signals as expressions of either validation or contestation of influencers’ professional positioning. Drawing on social identity theory (SIT), personal branding, and social validation, the paper proposes an indicator-based framework for assessing the quality of a professional audience. The framework considers the composition of individuals who leave comments, including their expertise, public endorsement by professional peers, and discursive patterns, thereby complementing traditional quantitative engagement metrics. The empirical section of the study is based on a content analysis of 240 posts published by twelve professional influencers with different levels of geographical reach, including Serbia, the wider region, Europe, and the global reach, encompassing a total of 8,163 comments. The findings indicate that expert validation expressed through comments provides a more comprehensive insight into the strength of professional identity than the overall volume of reactions. The contribution of the paper lies in the development of a composite indicator for assessing the quality of professional audiences, with practical applications in influencer marketing research, B2B marketing, and personal brand management.