Influence of social media influencer authenticity on their followers' perceptions of credibility and their positive word-of-mouth

Purpose Increasing followers' positive word-of-mouth (PWOM) is a critical means through which social media influencers (SMIs) marketers can increase SMIs' follower count. Studies have reported that authenticity and credibility increase followers' PWOM and have identified the dimensions of authenticity (i.e. originality, naturalness and continuity) and credibility (i.e. attractiveness, trustworthiness and expertise). However, the mechanisms underlying the associations among these dimensions are unclear. Drawing from social exchange theory, the authors developed an integrated conceptual model and explored how the dimensions of SMI authenticity affect those of followers' perception of credibility. Moreover, the authors analyzed how followers' perception of credibility affects the followers' PWOM behavior. Design/methodology/approach The authors collected 463 valid questionnaires from respondents that followed at least one SMI. Additionally, the authors developed a structural equation model for data analysis. Findings The results revealed that the subdimensions of SMI authenticity have different effects on followers' perception of credibility. An SMI's continuity positively affects followers' perceptions of the SMI's trustworthiness and expertise. The naturalness of an SMI positively affects followers' perception of the SMI's attractiveness but nonsignificantly affects followers' perception of the SMI's trustworthiness. Additionally, an SMI's originality positively affects followers' perception of the SMI's attractiveness but negatively affects followers' perception of the SMI's trustworthiness. Finally, followers' perceptions of an SMI's attractiveness, trustworthiness and expertise all positively affect followers' PWOM behavior. Originality/value By employing multidimensional constructs, the authors obtained results that provide a comprehensive understanding of the effects of SMI authenticity on the SMI's followers' perception of followers' credibility. These results can be used by SMIs to increase SMIs followers' PWOM by determining which aspects of authenticity and credibility SMIs should develop.