Digital anchors vs. human anchors: a study of the effects of credibility endorsement and psychological distance on policy adoption intention

The study found that (1) human anchors enhance policy adoption intention more than digital anchors; (2) psychological distance plays a partial mediating role; (3) a high degree of anthropomorphism can narrow the gap between the psychological distance of digital and human anchors; and (4) strong credibility endorsement brings highly anthropomorphic digital anchors closer to humans in terms of psychological distance, while low anthropomorphizers are still at a disadvantage. The effect of digital anchors' policy communication results from complex interactions between subject characteristics, external empowerment, and audience psychology.