<![CDATA[This study aims to explain how audiences collectively negotiate the authenticity of scripted “spontaneous” influencer content as its commercial nature becomes progressively recognised. Conceptually it draws on the Persuasion Knowledge Model and authenticity theory, and proposes audience negotiation of authenticity as a working concept. The method is netnography with six-phase thematic analysis. The subjects are the commenting users of Account K, a TikTok creator account of approximately 1.8 million followers known for a recurring street interview format; the object is the public comments on six of its videos posted between February and May 2026, arranged chronologically rather than thematically. The findings show that suspicion and enjoyment did not appear in sequence but coexisted from the earliest February video: some commenting users accused the creator of being paid by a brand while others still treated the content as entertainment. Later videos in April and May reveal tangible consequences: an official Paid partnership label did not stop users from calling the interaction acting, the regular presenter had already stepped back when those videos aired, the replacement presenter received a far colder reception, and engagement fell sharply and stayed low. The study concludes that authenticity is not a fixed property of content but a negotiation unfolding over time between audiences, creators, and brands, moving through two qualitatively distinct regimes rather than a single linear path. Formal disclosure alone cannot repair trust once a pattern of suspicion has formed.]]>
