Human or virtual? Identity disclosure and influencer credibility among Gen Z

This study investigates how influencer identity disclosures (human versus virtual) affect persuasion in short-form video environments. Drawing on the Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM), the research examines whether product involvement moderates the effect of identity disclosure on perceived credibility and whether credibility mediates consumer responses. A 2 (influencer identity disclosure: human versus virtual) × 2 (product involvement: high versus low) between-subjects experiment was conducted with 483 Generation Z consumers. Participants viewed an identical one-minute influencer video and were randomly assigned to different identity disclosure and involvement conditions. Moderated mediation analyses were performed using PROCESS. Human influencer disclosures generated higher perceived credibility than virtual influencer disclosures. Situational purchase-decision involvement moderated this effect, such that differences emerged only under high involvement. Perceived credibility mediated the effect of identity disclosure on purchase intentions, follow intentions, product attitudes, and brand trust under high involvement. This research extends the ELM to AI-enabled influencer marketing by demonstrating that identity disclosure functions as diagnostic source information whose persuasive impact depends on consumer motivation. Situational purchase-decision involvement emerges as a key boundary condition, while credibility serves as the primary mechanism through which identity disclosures shape persuasion. The findings contribute to discussions regarding transparency and disclosure in AI-mediated communication.