Is it real or not? construction of meaning and identity in virtual influencer marketing

IF 10.5 1区管理学 Q1 BUSINESS

Journal of Business Research Pub Date : 2025-04-09 DOI:10.1016/j.jbusres.2025.115362

Jamie Thompson , Reika Igarashi , Agata Krowinska , Ashleigh Logan-McFarlane

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Virtual influencers (VIs) are an emerging type of social media influencer. Through a sequential mixed-method research design, this research employs the theoretical lens of symbolic interactionism to explain how social media users construct meaning for the identity of VIs and how this guides their interactions and engagement with VIs. Study 1 explores the construction of meaning by analysis of 573 posts and 57,086 social media comments. Based on the symbolic interactionism and shared reality theories, Study 2 tests the relationship between key concepts (i.e., anthropomorphism, shared reality, digital escapism, and positive affect) using an online survey collected from 209 VI followers. This study shows that consumers negotiate the reality of VIs in the comments section with an emphasis on anthropomorphizing. Furthermore, the results of structural equation modelling suggest that followers’ perceptions of VIs’ moral and cognitive anthropomorphism influence perceived shared reality, which ultimately results in positive affect and VI engagement.

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这是真的还是假的？虚拟网红营销中意义与身份的建构

虚拟影响者（VIs）是一种新兴的社交媒体影响者。通过顺序混合方法研究设计，本研究采用符号互动主义的理论视角来解释社交媒体用户如何构建VIs身份的意义，以及这如何指导他们与VIs的互动和参与。研究1通过分析573篇帖子和57,086条社交媒体评论来探索意义的构建。研究2基于符号互动主义和共享现实理论，通过对209名虚拟现实关注者的在线调查，检验了拟人化、共享现实、数字逃避主义和积极情感等关键概念之间的关系。本研究表明，消费者在评论部分协商VIs的现实，并强调拟人化。此外，结构方程模型的结果表明，追随者对虚拟人物道德和认知拟人化的感知影响感知的共享现实，最终导致积极情感和虚拟人物参与。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Journal of Business Research BUSINESS-

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.