This study analyzes how internet celebrities drive compulsive buying behaviors in Chinese consumers underpinned by the Meaning Transfer theory. The study expands upon the MTM by investigating how the combination of consumer knowledge and internet celebrity identity determines internet celebrity meaning which affects consumer trust and brand attitude and stimulates compulsive buying behaviour. The researchers used a quantitative approach through a structured online survey that reached 309 Chinese social media users. The research utilized Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) to analyze the collected data. The findings revealed that consumer knowledge and internet celebrity identity have significant effects on perceived internet celebrity meaning. The effect of internet celebrity meaning generates a strong consumer trust foundation that leads to brand attitude development and triggers compulsive buying behaviour. The research reveals that trust functions as a central intermediary element in the meaning transfer process
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