Identity Masking as a Heuristic Cue in Risk Communication: Effects on Risk Perception and Behavioral Intentions

Exemplification theory suggests that vivid cues shape audience risk perceptions through heuristic processing. This study examines whether identity masking functions as a heuristic cue in risk communication. Two experiments using Solomon four-group designs tested the effects of face pixelation and voice anonymization on perceived risk severity, susceptibility, behavioral intentions, and organizational reputation. Participants viewed a foreign-language news story depicting an apartment fire with either an unaltered or masked source. Across studies, identity masking heightened perceived severity and behavioral intentions, with the combined face-and-voice condition producing the most consistent effects. Susceptibility effects were limited and context dependent, and organizational reputation was unaffected. The findings advance exemplification theory by identifying both stable and conditional effects of identity masking as a heuristic cue.