Generation Z's luxury consumption is increasingly shaped by digital environments where social media influencers construct aspirational, identity-driven, and moral narratives surrounding luxury goods. This study investigates how influencer‑driven luxury messaging shapes Gen Z’s identity construction and emotional vulnerability, arguing that luxury goods now function as socio‑emotional resources rather than merely economic commodities. Guided by Consumer Behavior Theory, Parasocial Relationship Theory, and Critical Discourse Theory, the study examines how influencers use parasocial intimacy, comparison culture, and moralized branding to position luxury as attainable, meaningful, and central to belonging and self-expression. Using a sequential exploratory mixed-methods design, the study first conducts a qualitative synthesis to identify key mechanisms underlying influencer-driven luxury consumption, including identity construction, luxury normalization, moral self-expression, parasocial trust, comparison culture, and social vulnerability. These qualitative insights will directly inform the development of a quantitative survey measuring how these constructs interact to shape Gen Z’s luxury motivations and emotional responses. The resulting conceptual framework positions luxury consumption as a socio‑emotional process embedded within digital influencer culture. This research contributes to emerging scholarship on Gen Z consumer behavior by clarifying the psychological mechanisms underlying influencer-mediated luxury consumption and identifying implications for ethical marketing, influencer accountability, and young consumers' emotional well-being.
