Virtual Influencers Versus Real Connections: Exploring the Phenomenon of Virtual Influencers
While growing is interest in the use of social media influencers in digital marketing campaigns, little is known about virtual influencers and their impact on consumers and brands. Virtual influencers are becoming efficient advertising tools. Instead of being simple promoters, however, customers dev...
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2024
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| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/10725/16136 https://doi.org/10.1080/00913367.2024.2393711 http://libraries.lau.edu.lb/research/laur/terms-of-use/articles.php https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00913367.2024.2393711 |
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| _version_ | 1864513472173178880 |
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| author | Mrad, Mona |
| author2 | Ramadan, Zahy Tóth, Zsófia Nasr, Lina Karimi, Sahar |
| author2_role | author author author author |
| author_facet | Mrad, Mona Ramadan, Zahy Tóth, Zsófia Nasr, Lina Karimi, Sahar |
| author_role | author |
| dc.creator.none.fl_str_mv | Mrad, Mona Ramadan, Zahy Tóth, Zsófia Nasr, Lina Karimi, Sahar |
| dc.date.none.fl_str_mv | 2024-09-17T06:22:09Z 2024-09-17T06:22:09Z 2024 2024-09-13 |
| dc.identifier.none.fl_str_mv | 0091-3367 http://hdl.handle.net/10725/16136 https://doi.org/10.1080/00913367.2024.2393711 Mrad, M., Ramadan, Z., Tóth, Z., Nasr, L., & Karimi, S. (2024). Virtual Influencers Versus Real Connections: Exploring the Phenomenon of Virtual Influencers. Journal of Advertising, 1-19. http://libraries.lau.edu.lb/research/laur/terms-of-use/articles.php https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00913367.2024.2393711 |
| dc.language.none.fl_str_mv | en |
| dc.relation.none.fl_str_mv | Journal of Advertising |
| dc.rights.*.fl_str_mv | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
| dc.title.none.fl_str_mv | Virtual Influencers Versus Real Connections: Exploring the Phenomenon of Virtual Influencers |
| dc.type.none.fl_str_mv | Article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion info:eu-repo/semantics/article |
| description | While growing is interest in the use of social media influencers in digital marketing campaigns, little is known about virtual influencers and their impact on consumers and brands. Virtual influencers are becoming efficient advertising tools. Instead of being simple promoters, however, customers develop complex relationships with virtual influencers. This study seeks to uncover how social comparisons and parasocial relationships manifest within the virtual influencer phenomenon through the lived experiences of their followers. The findings indicate that perceiving virtual influencers’ human-like traits induces some form of social comparison among followers that triggers several responses, such as jealousy, scorn, motivation/determination, and gratitude. Resutls also show that anthropomorphism plays a crucial role in the development of strong relationships between virtual influencers and their followers. Followers experience a paradoxical multidirectionality of parasocial relationships, whereby a co-occurrence of actual multidimensionality (community-based interactions between followers) and a strengthened perceived, but not actual, multidimensional interaction with virtual influencers has been observed. Drawing on followers’ experiences, this study extends Husserl’s lifeworld concept to digital lifeworlds, in which virtual influencers are embedded. This study contributes to influencer marketing by conceptualizing comparisons between humans and virtual influencers and how humans develop parasocial relationships with them. |
| eu_rights_str_mv | openAccess |
| format | article |
| id | LAURepo_df76e67c26a24fc2cda5649bd23ec862 |
| identifier_str_mv | 0091-3367 Mrad, M., Ramadan, Z., Tóth, Z., Nasr, L., & Karimi, S. (2024). Virtual Influencers Versus Real Connections: Exploring the Phenomenon of Virtual Influencers. Journal of Advertising, 1-19. |
| language_invalid_str_mv | en |
| network_acronym_str | LAURepo |
| network_name_str | Lebanese American University repository |
| oai_identifier_str | oai:laur.lau.edu.lb:10725/16136 |
| publishDate | 2024 |
| repository.mail.fl_str_mv | |
| repository.name.fl_str_mv | |
| repository_id_str | |
| spelling | Virtual Influencers Versus Real Connections: Exploring the Phenomenon of Virtual InfluencersMrad, MonaRamadan, ZahyTóth, ZsófiaNasr, LinaKarimi, SaharWhile growing is interest in the use of social media influencers in digital marketing campaigns, little is known about virtual influencers and their impact on consumers and brands. Virtual influencers are becoming efficient advertising tools. Instead of being simple promoters, however, customers develop complex relationships with virtual influencers. This study seeks to uncover how social comparisons and parasocial relationships manifest within the virtual influencer phenomenon through the lived experiences of their followers. The findings indicate that perceiving virtual influencers’ human-like traits induces some form of social comparison among followers that triggers several responses, such as jealousy, scorn, motivation/determination, and gratitude. Resutls also show that anthropomorphism plays a crucial role in the development of strong relationships between virtual influencers and their followers. Followers experience a paradoxical multidirectionality of parasocial relationships, whereby a co-occurrence of actual multidimensionality (community-based interactions between followers) and a strengthened perceived, but not actual, multidimensional interaction with virtual influencers has been observed. Drawing on followers’ experiences, this study extends Husserl’s lifeworld concept to digital lifeworlds, in which virtual influencers are embedded. This study contributes to influencer marketing by conceptualizing comparisons between humans and virtual influencers and how humans develop parasocial relationships with them.Published2024-09-17T06:22:09Z2024-09-17T06:22:09Z20242024-09-13Articleinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersioninfo:eu-repo/semantics/article0091-3367http://hdl.handle.net/10725/16136https://doi.org/10.1080/00913367.2024.2393711Mrad, M., Ramadan, Z., Tóth, Z., Nasr, L., & Karimi, S. (2024). Virtual Influencers Versus Real Connections: Exploring the Phenomenon of Virtual Influencers. Journal of Advertising, 1-19.http://libraries.lau.edu.lb/research/laur/terms-of-use/articles.phphttps://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00913367.2024.2393711enJournal of Advertisinginfo:eu-repo/semantics/openAccessoai:laur.lau.edu.lb:10725/161362024-09-17T07:14:52Z |
| spellingShingle | Virtual Influencers Versus Real Connections: Exploring the Phenomenon of Virtual Influencers Mrad, Mona |
| status_str | publishedVersion |
| title | Virtual Influencers Versus Real Connections: Exploring the Phenomenon of Virtual Influencers |
| title_full | Virtual Influencers Versus Real Connections: Exploring the Phenomenon of Virtual Influencers |
| title_fullStr | Virtual Influencers Versus Real Connections: Exploring the Phenomenon of Virtual Influencers |
| title_full_unstemmed | Virtual Influencers Versus Real Connections: Exploring the Phenomenon of Virtual Influencers |
| title_short | Virtual Influencers Versus Real Connections: Exploring the Phenomenon of Virtual Influencers |
| title_sort | Virtual Influencers Versus Real Connections: Exploring the Phenomenon of Virtual Influencers |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/10725/16136 https://doi.org/10.1080/00913367.2024.2393711 http://libraries.lau.edu.lb/research/laur/terms-of-use/articles.php https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00913367.2024.2393711 |