虚拟影响者：定义及未来研究方向

IF 9.8 1区管理学 Q1 BUSINESS

Journal of Business Research Pub Date : 2025-08-18 DOI:10.1016/j.jbusres.2025.115647

Alice Audrezet , Bernadett Koles , Julie Guidry Moulard , Nisreen Ameen , Brad McKenna

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引用次数: 0

摘要

这篇社论介绍了特刊“虚拟影响者：营销和消费者研究的新前沿”，全面概述了虚拟影响者在塑造当代营销实践中的新兴作用。虚拟网红，即通过人工智能和计算机生成的图像创建的数字人物，由于其可扩展性、适应性和可感知的安全性，越来越多地被品牌所采用。该社论定义了虚拟影响者，综合了来自16篇投稿论文的见解，并确定了三个主题领域：人类和虚拟影响者之间的比较，虚拟影响者特征对消费者参与的影响，以及虚拟影响者更广泛的社会和伦理影响。本文还强调了未来的研究方向，包括自主虚拟网红的兴起、跨媒体虚拟网红的扩展以及它们在促进包容性和社会变革中的作用。通过连接营销、技术和社会，这篇社论将虚拟影响者定位为不断发展的影响力经济中转型的关键推动者，呼吁继续进行跨学科研究，以塑造他们负责任的发展。

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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Virtual influencers: Definition and future research directions

This editorial introduces the special issue ‘Virtual Influencers: A New Frontier in Marketing and Consumer Research,’ providing a comprehensive overview of the emerging role of virtual influencers in shaping contemporary marketing practices. Virtual influencers, digital personas created through AI and computer-generated imagery, are increasingly adopted by brands due to their scalability, adaptability, and perceived safety. The editorial defines virtual influencers, synthesizes insights from 16 contributing papers, and identifies three thematic areas: comparisons between human and virtual influencers, the influence of virtual influencer characteristics on consumer engagement, and the broader societal and ethical implications of virtual influencers. It also highlights future research directions, including the rise of autonomous virtual influencers, cross-media virtual influencer expansion, and their role in promoting inclusivity and social change. By bridging marketing, technology, and society, this editorial positions virtual influencers as critical agents of transformation in the evolving influence economy, calling for continued interdisciplinary research to shape their responsible development.

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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.