Introduction: In the digital age, hyper-realistic virtual influencers have emerged as a new form of communication and marketing on social media. Created with artificial intelligence, these characters pose a unique challenge for trust building among users. This study aims to analyse the narratives of hyper-realistic virtual influencers and observe their effect on the trust of internet users. These constructs form the conceptual model to be measured.

Methodology: A conclusive descriptive design was employed, incorporating mixed methods. These included an online survey administered to 577 users, as well as a content analysis of 124,620 Instagram interactions via web scraping.

Results: The findings confirm that the classification system used for human influencers cannot be applied to virtual influencers (VIs) since the latter lack human characteristics. However, hyper-realistic VIs can be distinguished from other types of influencers. Nevertheless, VIs have yet to establish credibility and trust with their audience.

Conclusions: Although humanised virtual influencers provoke positive interactions due to their hyperrealism, they do not inspire trust among internet users. To develop VIs and enable them to participate in social networks, the content they post on these platforms must be observed and their interactions with humans carefully monitored.

---

Keywords:
Virtual influencer,
hyperrealism,
anthropomorphism,
humanity,
social media,
influencer marketing,
trust,
Instagram.

03_RSN_16(35)_73_the rise_web

Abidin, C., & Ots, M. (2016). Influencers tell all. Unravelling authenticity and credibility in a Brand Scandal, 153-161. https://bit.ly/3Zx9xDe

Almaqbali, I. S., Al Khufairi, F. M., Khan, M. S., Bhat, A. Z., & Ahmed, I. (2019). Web scrapping: Data extraction from websites. Journal of Student Research. https://doi.org/10.47611/jsr.vi.942

Arsenyan, J., & Mirowska, A. (2021). Almost human? A comparative case study on the social media presence of virtual influencers. International Journal of Human-Computer Studies, 155, 102694. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhcs.2021.102694

Bagozzi, R. P., & Yi, Y. (1988). On the evaluation of structural equation models. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 16(1), 74-94. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/bf02723327

Bahar, V. S., & Hasan, M. (2024). #Fakefamous: How do influencers use disinformation to establish long-term credibility on social media? Information Technology & People. https://doi.org/10.1108/ITP-05-2023-0421

Baker, S. A., & Rojek, C. (2020). The Belle Gibson scandal: The rise of lifestyle gurus as microcelebrities in low-trust societies. Journal of Sociology, 56(3), 388-404. https://doi.org/10.1177/1440783319846188

Barker, C., & Jane, E. A. (2016). Cultural studies: Theory and practice (5th edition). Sage Publications. http://digital.casalini.it/9781473968332

Byrne, B. M. (2013). Structural equation modeling with EQS: Basic concepts, applications, and programming (2nd ed.). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203807644

Carmines, E. G., & Zeller, R. A. (1979). Reliability and validity assessment. Sage publications. https://bit.ly/4l7HkLq

Carrillo-Durán, M. V., García García, M., & Corzo Cortés, L. (2024). Influencers virtuales de apariencia humana como forma de comunicación online: El caso de Lil Miquela y Lu do Magalu en Instagram [Virtual influencers with human appearance as a way to communicate online: The case of Lil Miquela and Lu do Magalu on Instagram]. Revista de Comunicación, 23(1), 119-140. https://doi.org/10.26441/rc23.1-2024-3453

Carter, N., Bryant-Lukosius, D., DiCenso, A., Blythe, J., & Neville, A. J. (2014). The use of triangulation in qualitative research. Oncology Nursing Forum, 41(5), 545-547). https://doi.org/10.1188/14.ONF.545-547

Chaulagain, R. S., Pandey, S., Basnet, S. R., & Shakya, S. (2017). Cloud based web scraping for big data applications. 2017 IEEE International Conference on Smart Cloud (SmartCloud), (pp. 138-143). https://doi.org/10.1109/SmartCloud.2017.28

Choudhry, A., Han, J., Xu, X., & Huang, Y. (2022). “I felt a little crazy following a’Doll’” Investigating real influence of virtual influencers on their followers. Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction, 6(GROUP), 1-28. https://doi.org/10.1145/3492862

Conde, R., & Casais, B. (2023). Micro, macro and mega-influencers on Instagram: The power of persuasion via the parasocial relationship. Journal of Business Research, 158, 113708. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2023.113708

Currás, R. (2007). Comunicación de la responsabilidad social corporativa: imagen e identificación con la empresa como antecedentes del comportamiento del consumidor [Communicating Corporate Social Responsability: Company image and identification as antecedents of consumer behaviour]   (Doctoral dissertation). http://roderic.uv.es/handle/10550/38448

Da Silva Oliveira, A. B., & Chimenti, P. (2021). “Humanized robots”: A proposition of categories to understand virtual influencers. Australasian Journal of Information Systems, 25. https://doi.org/10.3127/ajis.v25i0.3223

Dondapati, A., & Dehury, R. K. (2024). Virtual vs. human influencers: The battle for consumer hearts and minds. Computers in Human Behavior: Artificial Humans, 2(1), 100059. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chbah.2024.100059

Flanagin, A. J., & Metzger, M. J. (2000). Perceptions of internet information credibility. Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 44(4), 569-590. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077699000077003

Fornell, C., & Larcker, D. F. (1981). Evaluating structural equation models with unobservable variables and measurement error. Journal of Marketing Research, 18(1), 39-50. https://doi.org/10.1177/002224378101800104

Fornell, C., & Larcker, D. F. (1981). Structural equation models with unobservable variables and measurement error: Algebra and statistics. Journal of Marketing Research, 18(3), 382-388. https://doi.org/10.2307/3150980

Fowler, K., & Thomas, V. L. (2023). Influencer marketing: A scoping review and a look ahead. Journal of Marketing Management, 39(11-12), 933-964. https://doi.org/10.1080/0267257X.2022.2157038

Garro, M. J., & Zamora, M. V. (2023). Influencers: Un análisis del fenómeno social a partir del Derecho de Consumo y la Protección de Datos Personales [Influencers: An analysis of the social phenomenon from the perspective of consumer rights and personal data protection]. Derecho en Sociedad, 17(1), 123-143. https://bit.ly/4mvoKi4

Giannopoulos, A. A., & Mavragani, E. P. (2011). Traveling through the web: A first step toward a comparative analysis of European national tourism websites. Journal of Hospitality Marketing & Management, 20(7), 718-739. https://doi.org/10.1080/19368623.2011.577706

Gräve, J. F. (2019). What KPIs are key? Evaluating performance metrics for social media influencers. Social Media + Society, 5(3), 2056305119865475. https://doi.org/10.1177/205630511986547

Guo, Z., Yang, H., & Yang, W. (2025). A new social media programme for brands? A study of the relationship between virtual influencers and brand followers. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 84, 104241. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2025.104241

Haikel-Elsabeh, M. (2023). Virtual influencers versus real influencers advertising in the metaverse, understanding the perceptions, and interactions with users. Journal of Current Issues & Research in Advertising, 44(3), 252-273. https://doi.org/10.1080/10641734.2023.2218420

Hair, J. F., Black, W. C., Babin, B. J., & Anderson, R. E. (2019). Multivariate data analysis (8th ed.). Cengage Learning. https://www.cengage.com

Hair, J. F., Black, W. C., Babin, B. J., Anderson, R. E., & Tatham, R. L. (2005). Multivariate data analysis (vol. 7.). Prentice Hall. https://dl.acm.org/doi/abs/10.5555/207590

Hu, L. T., & Bentler, P. M. (1999). Cutoff criteria for fit indexes in covariance structure analysis: Conventional criteria versus new alternatives. Structural Equation Modeling: A Multidisciplinary Journal, 6(1), 1-55. https://doi.org/10.1080/10705519909540118

Hudders, L., De Jans, S., & Cauberghe, V. (2021). The role of social media influencers in shaping consumer trust and purchase intentions: A systematic review of the literature. Journal of Advertising, 50(3), 305-320. https://doi.org/10.33545/26648792.2024.v6.i2c.220

Influencer Marketing Hub (2025, April 25th). The state of influencers marketing benchmark report 2025. https://bit.ly/3FtcQVf

Ju, N., Kim, T., & Im, H. (2024). Fake human but real influencer: the interplay of authenticity and humanlikeness in Virtual Influencer communication? Fashion and Textiles, 11(1), 16. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40691-024-00380-0

Kaplan, A. M., & Haenlein, M. (2010). Users of the world, unite! The challenges and opportunities of social media. Business Horizons, 53(1), 59-68. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bushor.2009.09.003

Khder, M. A. (2021). Web scraping or web crawling: State of art, techniques, approaches and application. International Journal of Advances in Soft Computing & Its Applications, 13(3). https://doi.org/10.15849/IJASCA.211128.11

Kietzmann, J. H., Hermkens, K., McCarthy, I. P., & Silvestre, B. S. (2011). Social media? Get serious! Understanding the functional building blocks of social media. Business Horizons, 54(3), 241-251. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bushor.2011.01.005

Kim, E., Shoenberger, H., Kim, D., Thorson, E., & Zihang, E. (2024). Novelty vs. trust in virtual influencers: Exploring the effectiveness of human-like virtual influencers and anime-like virtual influencers. International Journal of Advertising, 1-31. https://doi.org/10.1080/02650487.2024.2386916

Kline, R. B. (2023). Principles and practice of structural equation modeling. Guilford Press. https://bit.ly/44ZeDMl

Kozinets, R. V., de Valck, K., Wojnicki, A., & Wilner, S. J. S. (2010). Networked narratives: Understanding word-of-mouth marketing in online communities, Journal of Marketing, 74(2), 71-89. https://doi.org/10.1509/jm.74.2.71

Krotov, V., & Tennyson, M. (2018). Scraping financial data from the web using the R language. Journal of Emerging Technologies in Accounting, Forthcoming, 15(1), 169-181. https://doi.org/10.2308/jeta-52063

Kumar, A., & Gupta, S. (2021). The rise of virtual influencers in social media marketing: A new perspective on influencer marketing strategies. Journal of Marketing Management, 37(5- 6), 647-670.

Kuo, Y. H., & Le, S. B. H. (2025). Authenticity meets aesthetics: Physical attractiveness as the equalizer for virtual and human influencers. Asia Pacific Management Review, 30(2), 100359. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apmrv.2025.100359

Levkov, N., Santa, M., & Kitanovikj, B. (2024). Exploring opportunities and challenges in promoting interethnic tolerance as a social good through virtual influencers. Global Knowledge, Memory and Communication. https://doi.org/10.1108/GKMC-01-2024-0033

Liu, F., & Lee, Y. H. (2024). Virtually responsible? Attribution of responsibility toward human vs. virtual influencers and the mediating role of mind perception. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 77, 103685. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2023.103685

McQuarrie, E. F., Miller, J., & Phillips, B. J. (2013). The megaphone effect: Taste and audience in fashion blogging, Journal of Consumer Research, 40(1), 136-158. https://doi.org/10.1086/669042

Nacipucha, N. A. S., Estrada, J. M. C., & Beltran, F. I. V. (2020). El marketing de influencias y su efecto en la conducta de compra del consumidor millenial [Influence marketing and its effects on the buying behaviour of millennial consumers]. Suma de Negocios, 11(25), 99-107. https://doi.org/10.14349/sumneg/2020.v11.n25.a1

Nunnally, J. C., & Bernstein, I. H. (1994). Psychometric theory. McGraw- Hill. https://bit.ly/4kjyhaI

Pérez-Sánchez, M., Casanoves-Boix, J., & Morales, B. D. (2024). Human-like virtual influencers: Human perceptions and attitudes towards an emerging phenomenon. European Public & Social Innovation Review, 9, 1-19. https://doi.org/10.31637/epsir-2024-657

Ramos, J. (2019). Marketing de influencers [Influencer marketing]. XinXii. https://bit.ly/4my9Es3

Rodríguez, M. N., & Ruiz, M. A. (2008). Atenuación de la asimetría y de la curtosis de las puntuaciones observadas mediante transformaciones de variables: Incidencia sobre la estructura factorial [Attenuation of asymmetry and kurtosis of scores observed through variable transformations: Impact on the factorial structure]. Psicológica, 29(2), 205-227. https://tinyurl.com/mv2ek87r

Rojek, C. (2001). Celebrity. Reaktion Books. https://bit.ly/4dBYRJq

Sanz-Marcos, P., Melendez González-Haba, G., Castillo-Díaz, A., & Vergara, E. (2024). La investigación científica sobre el uso de influencers en la gestión de las marcas: estado de la cuestión [Scientific research on the use of influencers in brand management: A state of the art]. Revista ICONO 14. Revista científica de Comunicación y Tecnologías Emergentes, 22(1), e2125. https://doi.org/10.7195/ri14.v22i1.2125

Senft, T. M. (2008). Camgirls: Celebrity and community in the age of social networks. Peter Lang. https://bit.ly/4dBnk1F

Sirisuriya, D. S. C. M. (2015). A comparative study on web scraping, in Proceedings of 8th International Research Conference of KDU. General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University, pp. 135-140. http://ir.kdu.ac.lk/handle/345/1051.

Statista (2025). Number of Internet and social media users worldwide as of February 2025. https://www.statista.com/statistics/617136/digital-population-worldwide/

Steiger, J. H. (1990). Structural model evaluation and modification: An interval estimation approach. Multivariate Behavioral Research, 25(2), 173-180. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327906mbr2502_4

Ullman, D., & Malle, B. F. (2019). Measuring gains and losses in human-robot trust: Evidence for differentiable components of trust. In Proceedings of the 14th ACM/IEEE International Conference on Human-Robot Interaction, 618-619. https://doi.org/10.1109/HRI.2019.8673154

Zhang, K., Sun, X., & Li, G.  (2025).   Virtual influencer and cultural heritage destination: Endorsement effectiveness of virtual versus human influencers. Annals of Tourism Research, 110, 103873. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.annals.2024.103873

Zeljko, D., Jakovic, B., & Strugar, I. (2018). New methods of online advertising: Social media influencers. Annals of DAAAM & Proceedings, 29. https://doi.org/10.2507/29th.daaam.proceedings.006

Dimensions

PlumX