Does the verified badge of social media matter? The perspective of trust transfer theory
Journal of Research in Interactive Marketing
ISSN: 2040-7122
Article publication date: 13 December 2023
Issue publication date: 11 November 2024
Abstract
Purpose
On Instagram, a verified badge (a blue checkmark) is used to confirm the authenticity of influencers' accounts for consumers. Yet, it is unclear whether followers trust the badge or are influenced by the influencer's large following. This research aims to investigate the impact of verified badges on followers' trust and behavioral intentions.
Design/methodology/approach
This research conducts three experiments to investigate the impact of the verified badge on consumer attitudes and behavioral intentions, recruiting participants from freelance recruiting website in all three experiments.
Findings
The results show that a verified badge can sequentially influence consumer trust, attitude and sharing intentions. Furthermore, the impact of the verified badge on trust is more pronounced among micro-influencers as opposed to macro-influencers, and it can mitigate the negative attitude toward commercial postings.
Originality/value
Based on trust transfer theory, this research is a pioneer in investigating the effectiveness of verified badges on social media. These findings contribute to the field of influencer marketing by considering influencers' characteristics and the commercial intent of postings as moderators. Additionally, the results offer managerial insights for developing influencer marketing strategies.
Keywords
Citation
Liao, C.H., Hsieh, J.-K. and Kumar, S. (2024), "Does the verified badge of social media matter? The perspective of trust transfer theory", Journal of Research in Interactive Marketing, Vol. 18 No. 6, pp. 1017-1033. https://doi.org/10.1108/JRIM-10-2023-0339
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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