Virtual Authenticity: A Study on the Media Affordance of Human-like Virtual Influencer

Abstract

The development of digital technologies has led to the emergence of hyper-realistic virtual humans with high levels of realism. These hyper-realistic virtual influencers, equipped with personalized identities and specific social roles, have actively participated in diverse scenarios of human social life. Through in-depth interviews with 36 followers of hyper-realistic virtual influencers, this study investigates the unique affordances of hyper-realistic virtual influencers, distinguishing them from human influencers and anime virtual idols. The findings reveal that "virtual authenticity" serves as the foundation of these affordances, enabling the establishment of relationships with followers to be relatively easy but making the deepening of such relationships challenging. While hyper-realistic virtual influencers become objects of gaze, control, and attachment, they also face challenges such as being treated as disposable, engaging audiences only at a superficial level, and fostering limited trust. The relationships between hyper-realistic virtual influencers and their audiences lack sufficient stickiness, depth, and closeness, highlighting critical issues that require urgent attention in their operation and application. Hyper-realistic virtual influencers, while becoming objects of gaze, control, and attachment, simultaneously face the dilemma of audiences being easily disengaged, experiencing only superficial immersion, and maintaining limited trust. These challenges reflect shortcomings in the stickiness, depth, and closeness of the relationships between virtual influencers and their followers, highlighting critical issues that need to be addressed in the management and application of hyper-realistic virtual influencers.