Parasocial interactions with real and virtual influencers: The role of perceived similarity and human-likeness

Digitally created online celebrities (so-called virtual influencers) have appeared on various social media and video streaming platforms. While the scientific community has recently started to take an interest in this new phenomenon, it still remains mostly unclear how online audiences engage with-and relate to-these artificial digital creations. To address the identified research gap, we conducted a preregistered experiment (N = 179), comparing viewers' parasocial interactions (PSIs) with either a human or a virtual influencer. Based on natural stimuli, we find that viewers' parasocial response does not differ significantly between the two groups. However, by focusing on several theoretically relevant mediator variables, we uncover two opposing effects at play: While a significant direct effect signifies stronger PSIs with the virtual influencer, participants also attribute this persona with less mental human-likeness and similarity to themselves-which ultimately suppresses the observed advantage. Potential explanations for our results are discussed.

Automated summary

This study compares viewers' parasocial interactions (PSIs) with human influencers and virtual influencers, and finds no significant difference in viewers' response between the two groups. However, by examining several mediator variables, the study uncovers two opposing effects: while there is a significant direct effect indicating stronger PSIs with virtual influencers, participants also perceive these virtual personas as less mentally human-like and similar to themselves, thus suppressing the observed advantage.