Study: Human Qualities of Virtual Influencers Can Affect Trustworthiness in Parasocial Relationships
A new study has found that consumers rely on distinct criteria at different relationship stages to evaluate the trustworthiness of virtual influencers.
The findings by University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications (UFCJC) graduate student Fanjue Liu and Rang Wang, UFCJC Ph.D. 2021, Huazhong University of Science and Technology assistant professor, are featured in “Fostering Parasocial Relationships with Virtual Influencers in the Uncanny Valley: Anthropomorphism, Autonomy, and a Multigroup Comparison” published in the Journal of Business Research on Oct. 21, 2024.
In this study, the authors integrated the uncanny valley theory, which describes a feeling of unease or discomfort experienced when encountering an object that is almost human, with the parasocial relationship theory, which focuses on one-sided relationships that people form with media personalities.
According to the authors, “In this study we construct and validate a model to delineate how the anthropomorphism of virtual influencers—characterized by humanness, attractiveness, and eeriness—affects the strength of parasocial relationships. Using survey data from 826 Instagram users, we reveal that this process is mediated by trustworthiness and wishful identification, with autonomy serving as a moderator that interacts with these anthropomorphism characteristics.”
They also examined variations in relationship development between existing followers and prospective followers, revealing that these two groups utilize distinct criteria to establish parasocial relationships with virtual influencers.
Posted: October 23, 2024
Category: AI at CJC News, Alumni News, College News
Tagged as: Anthropomorphism, Fanjue Liu, Parasocial Relationship Theory, Rang Wang, Uncanny Valley Theory, Virtual Influencers
