Virtual influencers, parasocial relationships, and social media marketing

PhD candidate Ehsan Dabiran recently sat down with us for a Q&A about his program of research, which grew out of his interest in social media marketing and big data analytics.

What attracted you to Sprott’s PhD in Management program?

I’ve always had a passion for research and I love challenging myself. After completing my MBA, I worked as a trade marketing specialist in a large dairy company, where I witnessed the impact and importance of information systems and marketing. This experience motivated me to pursue a PhD to help advance this domain.

My specific research interests led me to Sprott. During my MBA, I piloted a start-up company within the context of social media, and I knew I wanted to continue exploring the social media landscape in my PhD. When I saw that Samira Farivar (Assistant Professor, Information Systems) was doing research on social media and big data analytics – both areas of interest to me – I realized that Sprott was the best fit and that I’d learn a lot there.

Your research focuses on digital or virtual influencers. Could you define what you mean when you talk about a virtual influencer?

Traditional social media influencers are human influencers—real individuals with large numbers of followers on social media. Virtual influencers also attract large numbers of followers, but they are computer-generated characters. These virtual influencers mimic attributes of humans, to greater or lesser extents, and are increasingly being hired by companies to support their marketing campaigns.

You also talk about parasocial relationships. What is a parasocial relationship?

A parasocial relationship is a one-way relationship that a person has with a media personality. Think of a popular singer, for example. That singer may have millions of fans who like them and establish an emotional bond with them, but they don’t actually know any of those fans personally. The relationship is real in terms of the fans’ connection to the singer, but not vice versa. You see the same thing with children and, say, cartoon characters or toys. The children become invested in these things in a very real way, but the attachment only goes one way.

Can parasocial relationships develop between human followers and virtual influencers?

The short answer is yes. In our first study, we found that some of the same mechanisms between followers and human influencers work in the context of virtual influencers as well. These include parasocial relationships and also a perception of credibility. I presented our early work on Virtual Influencer Marketing at the ECIS-2022 conference, and the final paper is being reviewed by a leading journal.

Our second study, conducted through text analysis, showed that these characters, despite being virtual entities, elicit emotional attachments from their audience. For instance, in the case of a highly humanlike influencer named Miquela, followers consistently admire her beauty and show their emotions by posting comments such as “I know you are not real, but I love you.” For these followers, the line between human and virtual influencers is not a focal point. As we reported in our ECIS-2023 research-in-progress paper, Engaging with Virtual Influencers, the virtual influencer and what she represents are sufficient to foster emotional attachments.

Based on your research, what ingredients would you consider to be essential to the creation of a successful virtual influencer?

Designing a successful virtual influencer is a complex process. One of the most critical decisions lies in determining the level of the influencer’s anthropomorphism or human-likeness. Options range from human-like characters to animal-like or even object-like personas. Each type presents its own advantages and challenges. It’s also essential to identify the target audience and to create content that will engage the target audience. Finally, fostering credibility and emotional attachment will help ensure the influencer’s long-term impact.

How will your research impact real social media users?

It will clarify people’s reactions to virtual influencers, which will help virtual influencer designers create effective characters and help companies and marketing managers decide not only which virtual influencer to choose, but also how to use them most effectively in their campaigns to connect with their audience and drive desired outcomes. In a broader sense, for everyday social media users, it means they might encounter virtual influencers who feel more genuine and relatable, potentially enhancing their overall social media experience.

Are there other people who might also benefit from your work?

Virtual influencers are primarily recognized for endorsing marketing campaigns, political agendas, and social messages, but as a subset of avatar research, my work also adds to what we know about avatar use, which is on the rise. Within the education sector, for example, I recently encountered a computer-generated YouTube character designed to boost learner engagement. Although not exactly a virtual influencer, it reminded me that my research resonates within a broad domain that encompasses a wide variety of avatars.