정보인가, 광고인가? 유튜브 유료광고 콘텐츠 속성이 소비자 신뢰와 불신에 미치는 영향

Establishing YouTube content as a reliable source of information is a critical challenge for both consumers and businesses in the digital age. This study aims to analyze consumers’ ambivalent perceptions of YouTube content that includes paid advertisements or is created for advertising purposes and to examine how these perceptions influence consumer trust and distrust. An online survey was conducted among adults in their 20s to 50s who had encountered YouTube paid advertising content within the past three months. The data were analyzed using SPSS 26.0, employing descriptive statistics, t-tests, ANOVA, and multiple regression analysis. The key findings are as follows. First, regarding the perceived levels of positive and negative attributes of YouTube paid advertising content, consumers recognized the encouragement of irrational consumption as the most prominent negative attribute, followed by intrusiveness. Meanwhile, informativeness, entertainment, and interactivity were all perceived at above-average levels. Additionally, consumer distrust toward YouTube paid advertising content was found to be higher than trust. Second, an analysis of differences across age groups revealed that consumers in their 40s and 50s perceived the encouragement of irrational consumption significantly more strongly than those in their 20s. In particular, those in their 40s exhibited stronger negative perceptions of intrusiveness than younger consumers, suggesting that older age groups tend to hold more negative views of YouTube paid advertising content. Third, multiple regression analysis showed that entertainment positively influenced trust while negatively affecting distrust. In contrast, the encouragement of irrational consumption and intrusiveness negatively affected trust while positively influencing distrust. Informativeness and interactivity positively influenced trust only, whereas deceptiveness had a positive impact on distrust alone. This study contributes to the literature by independently analyzing consumer trust and distrust toward YouTube paid advertising content and identifying their distinct influencing factors. Furthermore, by providing insights into strategies to enhance consumer trust and reduce distrust, this research offers valuable implications for consumer protection, YouTube advertising planning, and content development strategies.