Virtual influencers in social media versus the metaverse: Mind Perception, blame judgements and brand trust

IF 9.8 1区 管理学 Q1 BUSINESS
Sian Joel-Edgar , Soumyadeb Chowdhury , Peter Nagy , Shuang Ren
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引用次数: 0

Abstract

The rise of virtual influencers (VIs) in digital marketing channels, such as social media platforms and the metaverse, raises critical, under-researched questions about blame attribution to these digital entities and its subsequent impact on brand trust. Our research addresses this gap by applying the theoretical lens of mind perception to two studies using an experimental causal chain design approach. Study 1 revealed that consumers attribute higher mind perception to a human VI and consequently place more blame on them in negative scenarios compared to AI-powered VI. Additionally, we found that perceived mind perception was unaffected by the digital channel (social media versus metaverse). Study 2 demonstrated that brand trust diminishes more significantly when an AI-powered VI is blamed compared to a human VI. These insights contribute to understanding the psychological mechanism of blame judgement towards VIs, and highlight the importance for brands to consider the repercussions of using AI-powered VI.
社交媒体中的虚拟影响者与虚拟世界:心灵感知、指责判断和品牌信任
虚拟影响者(VIs)在数字营销渠道(如社交媒体平台和虚拟世界)中的崛起,引发了对这些数字实体的指责归因及其对品牌信任的后续影响的关键问题,但研究不足。我们的研究通过使用实验因果链设计方法将心理感知的理论镜头应用于两项研究来解决这一差距。研究1显示,消费者将更高的心理感知归因于人类VI,因此与人工智能驱动的VI相比,他们在消极场景中更多地归咎于他们。此外,我们发现感知到的心理感知不受数字渠道(社交媒体与虚拟世界)的影响。研究2表明,与人类VI相比,当人工智能VI受到指责时,品牌信任的下降更为显著。这些见解有助于理解对VI的指责判断的心理机制,并强调了品牌考虑使用人工智能VI的影响的重要性。
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来源期刊
CiteScore
20.30
自引率
10.60%
发文量
956
期刊介绍: The Journal of Business Research aims to publish research that is rigorous, relevant, and potentially impactful. It examines a wide variety of business decision contexts, processes, and activities, developing insights that are meaningful for theory, practice, and/or society at large. The research is intended to generate meaningful debates in academia and practice, that are thought provoking and have the potential to make a difference to conceptual thinking and/or practice. The Journal is published for a broad range of stakeholders, including scholars, researchers, executives, and policy makers. It aids the application of its research to practical situations and theoretical findings to the reality of the business world as well as to society. The Journal is abstracted and indexed in several databases, including Social Sciences Citation Index, ANBAR, Current Contents, Management Contents, Management Literature in Brief, PsycINFO, Information Service, RePEc, Academic Journal Guide, ABI/Inform, INSPEC, etc.
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