Media consumption and advertising effectiveness in Generations Z and Alpha: influencers, eWOM and social validation in the digital persuasive ecosystem

Abstract

Purpose: To examine the evidence on the media consumption behaviour and preferences of Generations Z and Alpha and their connection with advertising effectiveness, articulated around influencers, eWOM and social validation. Methodology: Literature review based on a narrative design with systematic components; the corpus comprises 44 studies indexed in Scopus and Web of Science (2020-2025), screened as reported in accordance with PRISMA and deductively synthesised into four categories. Results: Permanent connectivity prevails, with the mobile phone as the axis of socialisation and advertising exposure, alongside a transnational paradox in which distrust of channels does not interrupt their consumption. Cognitive-affective effectiveness is associated with attention to and recall of relevant, authentic content; conative effectiveness operates through indirect paths, mediated by brand awareness, emotional attachment and eWOM, where the quality of information matters more than its volume. Conclusions: Advertising effectiveness depends less on the message than on the relational ecosystem in which it circulates, coexisting with tensions of privacy and saturation. Original contribution: An integrated synthesis, grounded in a theoretical anchoring that the corpus does not make explicit, evidencing the displacement of trust towards social mediators and an influence that is built without translating into purchase.