Short video represents a novel form of social media with rich vividness and sociability, facilitating social media influencers’ (SMIs) self-presentations and endorsements. While SMIs become primary information sources through short videos, they also face challenges such as high return rates and consumer distrust. This research investigates how SMIs can effectively achieve authenticity through the design of self-presentation strategies, specifically focusing on credibility and attractiveness from a source-effect perspective. Across three studies, this research demonstrates that: (1) both credibility and attractiveness positively increase SMIs’ authenticity perception, mediated by para-social interaction; (2) credibility and attractiveness exhibit a negative interactive relationship; (3) the substitutability of credibility and attractiveness varies depending on the type of SMIs (informative vs. entertainment). This research contributes to the literature on short-video information processing and consumer attitudes toward SMIs based on authenticity building.

短视频代表了一种新颖的社交媒体形式，具有丰富的生动性和社交性，有助于社交媒体影响者（SMI）的自我展示和认可。中小企业在通过短视频成为主要信息来源的同时，也面临着退货率高、消费者不信任等挑战。本研究探讨了 SMI 如何通过设计自我呈现策略来有效实现真实性，特别是从源效角度关注可信度和吸引力。通过三项研究，本研究表明：(1) 可信度和吸引力都可以积极提高 SMI 的真实性感知，这是由准社会互动介导的； (2)可信度与吸引力呈负向交互关系； (3) 可信度和吸引力的可替代性根据 SMI 的类型（信息性与娱乐性）而变化。这项研究为有关短视频信息处理和基于真实性构建的消费者对 SMI 的态度的文献做出了贡献。