Why Gen Z & Alpha trusts Micro-Influencers over celebrities

In the 1990s, brand trust was about status. If a product had a famous face beside it, people believed it worked. If someone was on television, they were credible. Influence flowed from the top down.

That logic no longer applies, especially not for Gen Z/Alpha.  This generation growing up in a hyperconnected, hyper-cynical world has shifted its loyalty. Not to fame, but to familiarity. Not to authority, but to authenticity. They trust the micro-influencer filming from their bedroom more than the celebrity on a global billboard. And that shift is not a trend, it’s a cultural rewiring.

The trust collapsed

Gen Z/Alpha  came of age watching institutions fail. Economic crises, climate denial, political spin, performative allyship. Their world has been saturated with marketing, and they’ve learned to decode it like a second language.

They don’t hate influence. They hate illusion. They’ve seen perfectly edited posts from influencers who later admitted they were paid, insincere, or just posing. So they’ve developed new instincts: who feels real, who interacts, who admits they don’t have all the answers. In short, they follow people who feel emotionally safe, not culturally elevated.

What the data tells us

The Edelman Trust Barometer (2022) reports that 56% of Gen Z and Millennials trust influencers more than brands, and 67% have purchased based on an influencer’s recommendation.

But not all influencers are created equal.  Micro-influencers, typically with 10,000 to 100,000 followers, are outperforming celebrity influencers across almost every trust metric. Why? Because they’re not selling fantasy. They’re sharing lived experience. They reply to comments. They disclose doubts. They laugh at themselves. They build slow, genuine credibility over viral exposure.

An example from the field

In a Gen Z user research session in the Netherlands, one 16-year-old described her favorite creator this way:  “She’s not perfect. Sometimes she forgets to post. But when she recommends something, it’s because she actually uses it. That’s why I believe her.” 

This kind of loyalty can’t be bought. It has to be earned.

Why this matters for brands

Too many companies still chase viral reach over intimate relevance. But Gen Z/Alpha doesn’t want to be marketed at; they want to be engaged with.

That means influence isn’t about performance anymore. It’s about presence. Brands must stop thinking of influencers as media channels and start treating them as community stewards; their power lies in their relationship, not their follower count.

How to earn Gen Z’s trust

1. Choose values over visibility
   Work with creators who live your values, not just wear your merch.
2. Build long-term relationships
   One-off posts feel transactional. Gen Zα notices. Collaborate over time.
3. Embrace the imperfect
   A minor glitch in a video can build more trust than a flawless ad.
4. Let go of control, keep coherence
   Don’t micromanage the message. Just make sure the values align.