User Generated Content and Consumer Purchase Decisions in Social Media Marketing: A Narrative Review of Trust and Perceived Risk Mechanisms

Main Article Content

Yankai Zhang
Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, The University of Sydney, Hangzhou, China

DOI: https://doi.org/10.70267/icrafm.202617476484

Keywords

user-generated content, social media marketing, consumer trust, perceived risk, purchase intention

Abstract

Social media today is a key space where products are searched for, consumers interact with one another and brands are evaluated. User-generated content (UGC) is a major source of information about products that may affect consumers' judgment of credibility, level of trust, decrease ambiguity and impact purchasing decisions, and it has become a critical factor in the consumption of online reviews, ratings, comments, pictures, videos and personal recommendations. This paper presents a literature review of the user-generated content and its relationship with consumer purchase decisions in the social media marketing. The user-generated content created by consumers such as online reviews, comments, ratings, and product photos and social media recommendations has become a valuable source of product information. This narrative review systematically synthesizes relevant literature spanning source credibility, information adoption, social identity and perceived risk theory then posits a process of information exposure, credibility assessment, trust and risk reduction that leads to the influence of UGC on consumer purchase decision-making.

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Published
Oct 19, 2026
Conference Proceedings Volume
Vol. 17 (2026): Proceedings of the International Conference on Research in Accounting, Finance and Management (ICRAFM 2026)
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How to Cite

Zhang, Yankai. “User Generated Content and Consumer Purchase Decisions in Social Media Marketing: A Narrative Review of Trust and Perceived Risk Mechanisms”. Exploring Science Academic Conference Series, vol. 17, Oct. 2026, pp. 476-84, https://doi.org/10.70267/icrafm.202617476484.