Virtual Influencers

Social media influencers – individuals who create persona-focused personal brands to engage audiences – have become economic and social capital powerhouses. Influencer marketing was estimated to be worth over $13 billion in 2022, with 75% of brands reporting that they now allocate funding for influencer marketing. With even government agencies…

A new study has found that virtual influencers are perceived as less authentic across all product types. The findings by University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications (UFCJC) doctoral student Fanjue Liu and UFCJC Media Production, Management and Technology Associate Professor Yu-Hao Lee are featured in “Virtually Authentic: Examining…

A new study shows that issue congruency may be a factor that determines whether players behave consistently or engage in moral licensing and moral cleansing after committing a moral or immoral behavior in a video game. The findings by Yu-Hao Lee, University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications (UFCJC)…

As advancements in technology reshape the advertising world, the use of virtual influencers is on the rise. Virtual influencers are computer-generated image (CGI) characters on social media that post and interact with followers, just like humans. Some brands are using these virtual influencers as endorsers in place of human influencers.…

Doctoral student Yoo Jin Chung is in her final year of doctoral program in advertising, working on a dissertation that explores social media users parasocial relationship with virtual influencers. She was interviewed on Sept. 7, 2021 about her research on AI-enabled virtual influencers on social media, and how social media users…