How Narrator-Related Storytelling Factors Shape Perceived Authenticity in User-Generated Stories.

Sammanfattning

Background: User-generated content (UGC) has become a major source shaping consumers’ perceptions of authenticity in digital environments. However, the rise of commercially motivated and visibility-driven content has increased concerns about authenticity. As the first point of contact in storytelling, the narrator plays a key role in how messages are interpreted, making narrator-related elements important factors in perceived authenticity. Purpose: The aim of this study is to examine the factors influencing consumers’ perceptions of authenticity in user-generated stories, with a particular focus on narrator-related storytelling elements. Method: This qualitative study adopts an interpretivist approach to examine how social media users perceive authenticity in UGC storytelling. Semi-structured interviews were analyzed thematically to identify recurring narrator-related authenticity patterns, drawing on Narrative Transportation Theory, Source Credibility Theory, and Signaling Theory. Conclusion: Research findings indicate that perceived authenticity is strengthened by indicators of credibility, expertise, natural communication, genuine experience, and a personal connection between narrator and audience, while it is weakened by artificial and overly commercial content. Furthermore, authenticity is a contextual perception formed by the interaction and consistency over time of narrator elements, rather than a single characteristic. These findings can help organizations make more informed decisions regarding narrator selection, content tone, and commercial visibility.