Engaging with Authenticity: A Stimulus–Organism–Response Approach to TikTok Participation Intention

The rise of short-form video platforms such as TikTok has redefined how consumers interact with brands, merging entertainment, authenticity, and trust into a dynamic social commerce experience. This study investigates how creator authenticity, platform trust, entertainment motivation, and social identity motivation influence direct and indirect participation intention through content experience evaluation. Drawing on the Stimulus–Organism–Response (S-O-R) framework, a quantitative survey of$\mathbf{2 4 3}$Malaysian TikTok users was conducted, and data were analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). The findings reveal that content experience evaluation plays a central mediating role in the relationship between environmental stimuli and participation intention. Creator authenticity, platform trust, and entertainment motivation significantly influenced content evaluation and behavioral intention. In contrast, social identity motivation had no significant impact. The results highlight the paramount role of experiential and emotional cues in shaping consumer engagement in digital environments. The study contributes to social commerce literature and offers practical insights for marketers and platform designers seeking to optimize user engagement strategies on TikTok.