Social media influencer transgressions have become increasingly prevalent and controversial, yet limited research has systematically examined how different types of transgressions shape consumers’ moral evaluations and trust. Drawing on the Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM), this study proposes that consumers process influencer transgressions through both central and peripheral routes. Specifically, perceived ethicality represents consumers’ moral evaluation through the central route, whereas community emotional climate functions as a peripheral cue that influences emotional trust toward the influencer. Based on Nascimento et al.’s (2021) typology, this study investigates three forms of influencer transgressions: authenticity, cultural, and paracrisis transgressions. We further examine whether community emotional climate moderates the relationship between perceived ethicality and emotional trust. The results indicate that different types of influencer transgressions generate significantly different levels of perceived ethicality, suggesting that consumers distinguish the ethical severity of various misconducts rather than responding uniformly to all transgressions. In addition, community emotional climate exerts a significant moderating effect, strengthening or weakening the influence of perceived ethicality on consumers’ emotional trust toward the influencer. These findings demonstrate that consumers’ responses to influencer misconduct are jointly shaped by their own ethical judgments and the collective emotional atmosphere within online communities. By integrating ELM with ethical evaluation and social influence perspectives, this study extends the influencer transgression literature and provides a comprehensive framework for understanding consumer reactions to influencer misconduct. The findings also offer practical implications for influencer marketing, online community management, and digital crisis communication.

Authors:
Hsiu-Hua Chang, Feng Chia Universtiy, Taiwan
Miao-Xuan Shen, Feng Chia Universtiy, Taiwan

About the Presenter(s)
Dr. Hsiu-Hua Chang is a Distinguished Professor in the Department of Business Administration at Feng Chia University, Taiwan.

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