Mind over matter
How anthropomorphism of virtual influencers affects online user engagement
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21452406 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Huijia Zhu (Southwest Jiaotong University), Dun Liu (0000-0002-1768-4598, Southwest Jiaotong University, corresponding author), Rongping Shen (Southwest Jiaotong University) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Pages | 1-15 |
| Publication date | 2026-04-13 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Behaviour and Information Technology (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0144-929X • E-ISSN: 1362-3001 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/0144929x.2026.2657450 |
| OpenAlex | W7154150574 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 69 |
With the increasing application of virtual robots in contemporary digital society, virtual influencers have appeared and rapidly gained popularity among young generations. To continuously expand social influence, virtual influencers are motivated to produce fashionable, life-sharing, thoughtful content like real human influencers. However, it remains unclear whether virtual influencers will change the interaction patterns of social media users. Consequently, this study utilises secondary data from the Instagram platform to conduct an empirical analysis, exploring the relationship between two types of anthropomorphism (physical and mental) that virtual influencers exhibit in their posts and online user engagement. The results show that mental anthropomorphism is positively connected with emotional and target cognitive engagement, while physical anthropomorphism is positively associated with behavioural engagement. In addition, perceived eeriness significantly mediates the effects of anthropomorphism type on both emotional and target cognitive engagement. The findings provide important managerial insights for designers and researchers of virtual influencers
Context (archaeology) · Influencer marketing · Set (abstract data type) · Social media · User engagement · Virtual world · Digital Communication and Language · Impact of Technology on Adolescents · Media Influence and Health
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| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |