Is Influencer Identity a Key Cue? The Sequential Process of Message Acceptance in Issue-Based Communication on Social Media

Despite the growing use of virtual influencers (VIs), their persuasive effectiveness relative to human influencers (HIs) in issue-based social media communication remains underexplored. Drawing on social identity theory and Computers Are Social Actors (CASA) framework, Study 1 used a 2 x 2 x 2 between-subjects experiment and found higher message acceptance (MA) in the VI condition. Perceived social closeness (PSC) positively mediated the effect of influencer identity on MA, whereas trust functioned as a negative mediator. The serial pathway through PSC and trust was positive. Study 2 found no significant direct effect of influencer identity on MA, but identified perceived humanness as an upstream mediator shaping PSC, trust, and MA. Trust also worked as a negative mediator within competing mechanisms. The findings suggest that influencer identity shapes MA through layered perceptual and relational processes rather than through identity categorization alone and provide practical insights for issue-based communication.