<![CDATA[In the digital economy, social media influencers have become central intermediaries between brands and consumers, shaping perceptions, attitudes, and purchase decisions through parasocial bonds and perceived authenticity. Yet the growing commercialization of influencer content has raised concerns about credibility erosion and rising consumer skepticism, producing a paradox in which influencer marketing expenditure keeps expanding even as generalized trust in influencers appears to decline. This study synthesizes empirical and conceptual literature published between 2021 and 2026 to examine how the classical dimensions of influencer credibility, namely expertise, trustworthiness, and attractiveness, shape consumer trust and downstream outcomes such as purchase intention, brand attitude, engagement, and loyalty across diverse cultural and platform contexts. Using a systematic narrative review, twenty-five peer-reviewed sources spanning several industries, including beauty, fashion, technology, and tourism, and regions across Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and Latin America, were analyzed thematically. Findings indicate that trustworthiness and perceived expertise consistently outperform physical attractiveness as predictors of consumer trust, that parasocial interaction and content value mediate the credibility-trust relationship, and that disclosure transparency together with virtual-influencer authenticity increasingly moderates these effects. The review identifies a key novelty: a conceptual shift from static source-credibility models toward dynamic, platform-embedded trust ecosystems shaped by algorithmic curation and human-versus-virtual influencer dynamics, with implications for marketers, platforms, and policymakers.]]>
