Effects of Perceived Authenticity on User Behavioral Intention in Social Media

Abstract

With algorithms in social media, numerous content creators produce staged and highly production content, and the practice is diminishing content authenticity and raising production expenses. Perceived authenticity has become a factor that can influence user engagement, with a new standard of human touch being viewed by users as an important factor to determine the value of the content. This paper uses the theory of uses and gratifications and cognitive consistency theory to gather 300 valid responses using Questionnaire Star to people who use social media. Based on the two dimensions of human touch and perceived staging, this paper examines how users rate authenticity and how it correlates to their behaviors including liking, commenting, and following. It also explores the relationship between perceived authenticity and production costs in actual content industry practices. The findings would offer viable advice on how to make social media content more authentic and less expensive, and complement empirical evidence of the local research with respect to perceived authenticity.