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2025-05-08
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The study examines Gen Z’s perception of virtual influencers (VIs) on social media, with a specific focus on how Gen Z reacts to disclosures of VIs’ artificial nature. A total of 364 Gen Z participants from the U.S. took part in an online experiment to test the effects of type of disclosure (none, subtle, explicit) and timing (early or late). All participants were randomly assigned to a group with different types of disclosure and completed a questionnaire measuring trust, perceived expertise, and willingness to engage. The participants were then informed of the artificial nature of the influencer and asked to complete the same questionnaire again. The results fully or partially support the five hypotheses which suggested that influencers would evoke a higher level of trust, perceived expertise, and willingness to engage when perceived as human rather than virtual. Furthermore, disclosure reduced all three dependent variables when the artificial nature of the VI was disclosed late. Levels of trust and perceived expertise also significantly predicted willingness to engage. The theoretical and practical implications for the source credibility model and persuasion knowledge model are discussed.
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Communications Studies