The rapid expansion of social media platforms has fundamentally transformed how brands communicate with consumers, shifting traditional one-way advertising into interactive, data-driven, and socially embedded marketing ecosystems. This transformation has been accompanied by rising concerns over perceived risk, trust, privacy, manipulation, and authenticity, particularly among younger digital-native audiences. Drawing exclusively from established scholarship on perceived risk, consumer socialization, social media advertising, influencer marketing, emotional appeal, personalization, and platform-specific engagement, this study develops an integrated and theoretically grounded framework to explain how contemporary consumers—especially Generation Z—interpret, evaluate, and respond to social media advertising.

Grounded in the perceived risk model of Dowling and Staelin, this article argues that digital advertising is no longer evaluated only on economic or performance uncertainty, but also on psychological, social, and identity-related risks, especially when mediated by influencers, algorithmic personalization, and peer-generated content. The increasing visibility of influencer marketing and short-form video platforms has introduced new mechanisms of trust and persuasion, in which users rely more heavily on symbolic cues such as relatability, authenticity, follower metrics, and emotional resonance than on formal brand information.

By synthesizing insights from studies on influencer credibility, emotional appeal, informativeness, personalization, and platform-specific content, the article demonstrates that consumer responses to social media advertising are shaped by the interaction between perceived risk and perceived value. While influencer endorsements and emotionally rich content can reduce uncertainty and increase message acceptance, they can also trigger skepticism when users perceive commercial manipulation or identity misalignment. This tension is especially salient among Generation Z, whose high social media engagement and content exposure make them simultaneously more informed and more vulnerable to persuasive messaging.

Using a qualitative analytical framework inspired by Miles and Huberman’s approach to interpretive data synthesis, this research integrates prior empirical findings into a coherent model of consumer decision-making in digital advertising environments. The results show that positive consumer responses are most likely when advertising messages balance emotional engagement, informational transparency, and credible social proof. Conversely, when influencer content or targeted advertising is perceived as intrusive, misleading, or overly commercialized, users engage in defensive risk-handling strategies such as ad avoidance, skepticism, or negative brand evaluation.

This article contributes to digital marketing theory by unifying perceived risk, social influence, and platform-mediated engagement into a single explanatory structure. It also offers strategic implications for brands seeking to communicate effectively with socially connected and psychologically complex digital consumers. By focusing on trust, authenticity, and emotional relevance rather than mere exposure or algorithmic reach, marketers can build more sustainable and ethically grounded relationships with contemporary audiences.