Technology-Authenticity Paradox: Systematic Review on Digital Capabilities, Consumer Skepticism, and Sustainable Brand Equity
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.54518/fid.4.1.2026.1409Keywords:
Consumer Skepticism, Digital Marketing Capabilities, Sustainable Brand Equity, Technology-Authenticity ParadoxAbstract
The integration of technology into digital marketing innovations to convey messages of sustainability commitment has the potential to pose risks to brand authenticity. Although technology adoption is on the rise, the literature remains fragmented in mapping how digital marketing capabilities support sustainability narratives without eroding consumer trust in the authenticity of a brand campaign’s objectives. This article examines the phenomenon of the “Technology-Authenticity Paradox” through a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) following the PRISMA protocol, with a systematic search of the Scopus database covering the period 2015– 2026. This study synthesizes various articles on communication in digital marketing, consumer skepticism, and sustainable brand equity. By integrating Signaling Theory and Attribution Theory, this article will explore how digital capabilities interact with consumer skepticism in the communication of sustainability values, so that brands can align the communication of these sustainability commitments with the authenticity of their long-term brand objectives. These findings are expected to provide practical recommendations and a new conceptual framework for the implementation of technology in digital marketing as a catalyst for trust.
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