Abstract

This is an accepted article with a DOI pre-assigned that is not yet published.

This conceptual essay explores how interface-level symbols like verification badges function as micro-visual storytelling mechanisms that compress complex signals of identity, professionalism, and credibility into a single visual cue. Bridging influencer marketing, platform studies, visual semiotics, and information economics, the paper critiques current general-purpose verification systems and proposes a theoretically grounded framework for a specialized Influencer Marketing Verification Badge. The framework draws on signaling theory, platform governance, visual semiotics, and relational labor to contextualize trust formation and risks in influencer economies. It outlines a three-tiered badge evaluation model and introduces design and governance considerations to ensure signal credibility and reduce manipulation of metrics and eligibility criteria. The paper also addresses platform-specific affordances and genre-cultural differences, ultimately arguing for a contingent, auditable, and ethically sensitive signaling infrastructure to support transparency and quality in digital marketing ecosystems.

Keywords

influencer marketing, creator economy, visual semiotics, verification badges, micro-visual storytelling, digital trust signals, signaling theory, trust transfer