The Rupture of the Authenticity Contract: Influencer Advertising, Emotional Expectations, and Negative Attitudes among Peruvian Gen Z Consumers

DOI

10.2991/978-94-6239-803-0_19How to use a DOI?

Keywords

Influencer marketing; Authenticity; TikTok; Instagram; Generation Z; Negative attitudes

Abstract

This study examines how unmet emotional expectations generated by influencer advertising shape negative attitudes among Peruvian Generation Z consumers. Focusing on TikTok and Instagram as digital environments where brands, influencers, and users construct affective relationships, the research explores how young consumers interpret promotional messages when the promised authenticity, well-being, or aspirational value does not match their actual experience. A qualitative phenomenological design was applied through 15 semi-structured in-depth interviews with Peruvian users aged 18 to 25 who regularly consume influencer advertising on social media. The findings show that authenticity operates as a central and non-negotiable expectation in influencer–audience relationships. When this expectation is violated, participants do not interpret the experience merely as commercial dissatisfaction, but as a symbolic betrayal of a parasocial bond. This rupture produces emotional disappointment, cognitive distrust, and behavioral rejection, including avoidance, negative word of mouth, unfollowing, and symbolic cancellation. The study proposes the concept of the “rupture of the authenticity contract” to explain how perceived inconsistency between influencer discourse, brand promotion, and consumer experience undermines credibility in platform-based advertising.

Copyright

© 2026 The Author(s)

Open Access

Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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TY  - CONF
AU  - Fernanda Monzon
AU  - Francisco Arbaiza
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/10/16
TI  - The Rupture of the Authenticity Contract: Influencer Advertising, Emotional Expectations, and Negative Attitudes among Peruvian Gen Z Consumers
BT  - Proceedings of the VI International Conference on Communication and Applied Technologies 2026 (ICOMTA 2026)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 192
EP  - 203
SN  - 2667-128X
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-94-6239-803-0_19
DO  - 10.2991/978-94-6239-803-0_19
ID  - Monzon2026
ER  -