Effects of heuristic and systematic cues on perceived content credibility of Sina Weibo influencers: the moderating role of involvement

The present study enhances our understanding of followers’ perceptions of the information credibility of Chinese social media influencers. Employing the heuristic-systematic model, we examined the influence of source credibility and argument quality on the content credibility of micro-influencers and their relational impact on followers’ attitudes and behavioural decisions, with involvement as a moderator. Chinese respondents who follow beauty influencers on Sina Weibo were targeted. The respondents were contacted by posting a web link on WeChat to the survey created on Sojump. Structural equation modelling was used to examine the relationship between variables. The results revealed that argument quality (i.e. systematic cue) and source credibility (i.e. heuristic cue) are significantly affect the information credibility perceived by consumers. The findings also indicate that perceived information credibility has a significant impact on brand/video attitude and purchase intention. There are notable theoretical extensions to the literature on information processing, attitude and consumer behaviour.