Keep it #Unreal
Exploring Instagram Users’ Engagement With Virtual Influencers in Tourism Contexts
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21652801 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Li Xie-Carson (0000-0002-5487-9116, UQ Business School, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia, corresponding author), Pierre Benckendorff (0000-0002-2794-8534, UQ Business School, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia), Karen Hughes (0000-0002-3631-6870, UQ Business School, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia) |
| Year | 2024 |
| Volume | 48 |
| Issue | 6 |
| Pages | 1006-1019 |
| Publication date | 2024-08-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Research (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1096-3480 • E-ISSN: 1557-7554 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1177/10963480231180940 |
| OpenAlex | W4382982232 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 23 |
| References cited | 46 |
As an emerging category of non-human influencers, virtual influencers (VIs) have received increasing attention on social media. While VIs generate high user engagement, the underlying factors that drive social media engagement are poorly understood. Informed by communication theory, this study aims to explore Instagram users’ perceptions of VIs and the key source and content factors that prompt user engagement in tourism contexts. An initial netnographic observation of Instagram posts was followed by five online focus group interviews using a photo elicitation technique. The results indicated that Instagram users had mixed feelings towards VIs; however, most were receptive to VI marketing provided that ethical concerns had been addressed. Key source and content factors that stimulate user engagement with VIs are integrated into a proposed framework. The findings will assist tourism practitioners and content creators to design VI marketing campaigns that incorporate and leverage important influencer and post-related features
Business · Customer engagement · Feeling · Focus group · Influencer marketing · Internet privacy · Netnography · Political science · Relationship marketing · Social media · Tourism · User engagement · User-generated content · World Wide Web · Computer Science · Digital Marketing and Social Media · Gender, Feminism, and Media · Impact of Technology on Adolescents · Psychology · Social Psychology · Marketing
Airbnb on TikTok
Virtual human on social media
Navigating the age of AI influence
Engaging With Ethnic Minority Tourism for Tourist Hedonic and Eudaimonic Well‐Being
What Makes Tourism Short Video Engaging? A Machine Learning Perspective
Artificial humanity
Ethics in influencer marketing
Explication of the Virtual Influencer Ecosystem
Food-influencer vs peer voices
The Power of Storytelling in the Digital Age
From Conceptualization to Implementation
Influencer Marketing and Tourist Behaviour
From Digital Strategies to Loyal Stays
Can Virtual Humans Truly Substitute Humans? The Impact of Virtual Human Appearance Realism and Social Roles on Tourists' Word‐of‐Mouth Intention
Customers’ Mixed Emotions Research in Tourism and Hospitality
A systematic literature review of virtual idol from the perspective of the business role ecosystem
The role of virtual influencers in environmental messaging
Can emotional AI better stimulate intention? The impact of virtual influencer types on tourists’ travel intention
The decline of trust
Virtual influencer and cultural heritage destination
Eco-influencers
Travel Influencer Marketing
What Triggers Customer Curiosity? Exploring the Role of Branded Content Experience Design on Customer Response
Focus Groups
Netnography Unlimited
Focus Group Methodology
Emoji rhetoric
Construction and Validation of a Scale to Measure Celebrity Endorsers' Perceived Expertise, Trustworthiness, and Attractiveness
The Uncanny Valley [From the Field]
Social Media in Tourism and Hospitality
Customer Engagement With Tourism Brands
Personal Influence
Effects of Social Media Engagement and Advertising on Firm Value of Tourism and Hospitality Companies
Gender effects in influencer marketing
Celebrity vs. Influencer endorsements in advertising
Focus Groups as Qualitative Research
Technology in tourism-from information communication technologies to eTourism and smart tourism towards ambient intelligence tourism
Almost human? A comparative case study on the social media presence of virtual influencers
Strategic Communication through Social Media Influencers
Getting the picture
Barriers affecting organisational adoption of higher order customer engagement in tourism service interactions
The role of Instagram in the Unesco's creative city of gastronomy
All hype or the real deal? Investigating user engagement with virtual influencers in tourism
Internet Use and Civic Engagement
| Unique citing works | 23 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 11,5 |
| Citation span | 2024 - 2026 (3) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 21 |