Too real for comfort? The impact of social cues and human-like behaviour dynamics in virtual influencer marketing on consumers’ perceptions and attitudes
Abstract
With their human-like appearances and personas, virtual influencers are reshaping the digital and social media landscape, further blurring the lines between reality and virtuality. However, there is a gap in understanding the varied effects of these realistic-looking virtual influencers on contemporary consumers. This study, involving 244 social media users, investigated how human-like behaviours and social cues of realistically human-looking virtual influencers impact consumers’ perceptions (anthropomorphism, warmth, competence and realism) and attitudes toward them. Drawing on anthropomorphism and human-computer interaction theories, such as the sociality motivation, effectance motivation, the elicited agent knowledge model and the computers are social actors paradigm, the research expands understanding about virtual influencers. Findings indicate that while certain humanlike behaviours enhance anthropomorphic perceptions, pronounced human-like behaviours and social cues, such as consuming food next to a real human, cause discomfort. This study contributes empirical evidence of cognitive discomfort resulting from the hyper-realistic appearance and behaviour of virtual influencers. This insight sheds light on critical consideration for marketers and advertisers, as overly human-like portrayals of virtual influencers in food-related content may inadvertently evoke unease rather than engagement. This article is also included in The Business & Management Collection which can be accessed at http://hstalks/business.
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Author's Biography
Jeongmin Ham is an assistant professor in the Department of Advertising at the University of Florida. Her research explores how virtual and artificial intelligence (AI) driven influencers, designed with highly realistic human-like appearances and behaviours, leverage digital narratives and storytelling strategies on social media to enhance brand perceptions and address negative consumer attitudes. Her broader research interests include the intersection of AI and advertising, as well as emerging media forms such as video games, virtual reality and mixed reality. Dr Ham’s work has been published in leading journals such as the Journal of Interactive Advertising, Journal of Advertising Research, Computers in Human Behavior and Telematics and Informatics, among others.
Sitan ‘Stan’ Li is an assistant professor in the Tombras School of Advertising & Public Relations at the University of Tennessee, where he teaches advertising research methods and social media strategy. His research examines how consumers interact with the digital transformation of advertising on technology-enabled emerging platforms, such as social media and streaming services, with a focus on virtual humans, product placement and sonic branding. His research has been published in various advertising, marketing, and psychology journals, and he has extensive experience presenting his research insights to academic and practitioner audiences. Dr Li holds a PhD from the University of Texas at Austin.
Matthew S. Eastin serves as a professor and the director of the Stan Richards School of Advertising and Public Relations at The University of Texas at Austin. His research addresses societal issues related to media consumption and analytics, advertising, consumer privacy perceptions and policy, and most recently, immersive engagement, including mixed and virtual reality as well as artificial intelligence engagement. Dr Eastin has contributed to the literature in fields such as consumer behaviour, advertising, media, information science, health, psychology and communication.
