Unveiling the Key Attributes of Virtual Influencers : A TISM Approach
Authors
-
Lalrengpuii
Assistant Professor (Corresponding Author), Department of Management, Kristu Jayanti (Deemed to be University), Bengaluru - 562 149, Karnataka
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5495-9394
-
Manish Kumar Srivastava
Professor, School of Business and Management, Christ University, Bengaluru - 560 077, Karnataka
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4746-2686
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17010/ijom/2026/v56/i10/175737Keywords:
anthropomorphism, PRISMA, source credibility, systematic literature review, TISM.Publishing Chronology: Paper Submission Date : November 5, 2025 ; Paper sent back for Revision : August 16, 2026 ; Paper Acceptance Date : September 10, 2026 ; Paper Published Online : October 15, 2026.
Abstract
Purpose : This study systematically examined the principal attributes of virtual influencers and developed a hierarchical model outlining the relationships among these key attributes.
Methodology : A PRISMA framework was used to provide an applied level of rigor regarding the identification and screening of studies for this systematic review based on the defined inclusion and exclusion criteria. Total interpretive structural modeling (TISM), informed by a focus group of seven academic experts and three experienced followers was used to examine how the attributes of virtual influencers interacted with and mutually influenced one another, thereby enhancing the understanding of virtual influencers when considering their overall effectiveness.
Findings : The findings revealed that expertise functions as the most foundational attribute, exerting a predominantly indirect influence that cascades through similarity, authenticity, emotional expression, and anthropomorphism. Source realness, which has no antecedents, acts as a separate driver at an intermediate level, influencing anthropomorphism, uniqueness, trustworthiness, attractiveness, and autonomy. Together they shape autonomy, trustworthiness, and attractiveness as the framework’s key outcome attributes, with autonomy and trustworthiness, as well as similarity and authenticity, emerging as mutually reinforcing pairs.
Practical Implications : The contribution of this study was both theoretical and practical through the development of the relationships described in the model, as it offered marketers and researchers a way to strategically conceive and employ virtual influencers in their digital marketing campaigns.
Originality : This study contributed to the literature by being among the first to apply TISM to virtual influencer marketing, offering a novel hierarchical and structural perspective on attribute interrelationships that extends beyond prior source-credibility-based approaches.
Downloads
References
1) Aggarwal, P., Chauhan, K., & Chaturvedi, V. (2025). The moderating role of perceived risk in social media marketing's impact on customer engagement, e-WOM, and online repurchase intention in e-commerce: Integrating ELM and SOR models. Prabandhan: Indian Journal of Management, 18(3), 8–29. https://doi.org/10.17010/pijom/2025/v18i3/174229
2) Agnihotri, D., Chaturvedi, P., & Tripathi, V. (2024). “Virtual bonds and actual transactions”: Investigating the impact of virtual influencers' credibility on buying behavior through virtual engagement. Journal of Communication Management, 29(1), 35–52. https://doi.org/10.1108/jcom-02-2024-0035
3) Agrawal, C., Duggal, T., Shukla, V., & Dohroo, M. (2023). Analyzing the correlation between social media influencers and customers' intention to buy in the luxury market. Indian Journal of Marketing, 53(9), 28–45. https://doi.org/10.17010/ijom/2023/v53/i9/173140
4) Biswas, W. (2023). Rewriting and redefining the aspects of marketing with metaverse: A brief insight. Indian Journal of Marketing, 53(3), 57–64. https://doi.org/10.17010/ijom/2023/v53/i3/172057
5) Brindha, G., Vidya, M., & Reshma, M. (2025). AI-driven omnichannel marketing and customer experience: A bibliometric overview. Indian Journal of Marketing, 55(11), 69–92. https://doi.org/10.17010/ijom/2025/v55/i11/175822
6) Chaihanchanchai, P., Anantachart, S., & Ruangthanakorn, N. (2024). Unlocking the persuasive power of virtual influencer on brand trust and purchase intention: A parallel mediation of source credibility. Journal of Marketing Communications, 32(1), 17–39. https://doi.org/10.1080/13527266.2023.2301390
7) Chiu, C. L., & Ho, H. (2023). Impact of celebrity, micro-celebrity, and virtual influencers on Chinese Gen Z's purchase intention through social media. SAGE Open, 13(1). https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440231164034
8) Conti, M., Gathani, J., & Tricomi, P. P. (2022). Virtual influencers in online social media. IEEE Communications Magazine, 60(8), 86–91. https://doi.org/10.1109/mcom.001.2100786
9) Dabiran, E., Farivar, S., Wang, F., & Grant, G. (2024). Virtually human: Anthropomorphism in virtual influencer marketing. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 79, 103797. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2024.103797
10) Davlembayeva, D., Chari, S., & Papagiannidis, S. (2024). Virtual influencers in consumer behaviour: A social influence theory perspective. British Journal of Management, 36(1), 202–222. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8551.12839
11) De Boissieu, E., & Baudier, P. (2023). The perceived credibility of human-like social robots: Virtual influencers in a luxury and multicultural context. Journal of Organizational Change Management, 36(7), 1163–1179. https://doi.org/10.1108/jocm-05-2023-0182
12) De Brito Silva, M. J., De Oliveira Ramos Delfino, L., Cerqueira, K. A., & De Oliveira Campos, P. (2022). Avatar marketing: A study on the engagement and authenticity of virtual influencers on Instagram. Social Network Analysis and Mining, 12, 130. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13278-022-00966-w
13) Deng, F., & Jiang, X. (2023). Effects of human versus virtual human influencers on the appearance anxiety of social media users. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 71, 103233. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2022.103233
14) Donthu, N., Kumar, S., Mukherjee, D., Pandey, N., & Lim, W. M. (2021). How to conduct a bibliometric analysis: An overview and guidelines. Journal of Business Research, 133, 285–296. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2021.04.070
15) Franke, C., Groeppel-Klein, A., & Müller, K. (2024). Consumers' responses to virtual influencers as advertising endorsers: Novel and effective or uncanny and deceiving? Journal of Advertising, 52(4), 523–539. https://doi.org/10.1080/00913367.2022.2154721
16) Gambetti, R. C., & Kozinets, R. V. (2024). From killer bunnies to talking cupcakes: Theorizing the diverse universe of virtual influencers. European Journal of Marketing, 58(13), 205–251. https://doi.org/10.1108/ejm-12-2022-0948
17) Gerlich, M. (2023). The power of virtual influencers: Impact on consumer behaviour and attitudes in the age of AI. Administrative Sciences, 13(8), 178. https://doi.org/10.3390/admsci13080178
18) Gerrath, M. H. E. E., Olya, H., Shah, Z., & Li, H. (2024). Virtual influencers and pro-environmental causes: The roles of message warmth and trust in experts. Journal of Business Research, 175, 114520. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2024.114520
19) Giri, A., & Biswas, W. (2025). Prompt-to-purchase: Leveraging generative AI to revolutionize E-Tail (electronic – retail) customer engagement. Indian Journal of Marketing, 55(12), 59–70. https://doi.org/10.17010/ijom/2025/v55/i12/175246
20) Goel, P., & Garg, A. (2025). Virtual personalities, real bonds: Anthropomorphised virtual influencers' impact on trust and engagement. Journal of Consumer Marketing, 42(4), 431–447. https://doi.org/10.1108/jcm-05-2024-6915
21) Guru, S., Bhatt, N., & Agrawal, N. (2021). Prioritization of dimensions of online trust using analytical hierarchy approach. Indian Journal of Marketing, 51(5–7), 81–92. https://doi.org/10.17010/ijom/2021/v51/i5-7/163886
22) Gutuleac, R., Baima, G., Rizzo, C., & Bresciani, S. (2024). Virtual influencers overcome the uncanny valley? The moderating role of social cues. Psychology & Marketing, 41(7), 1419–1431. https://doi.org/10.1002/mar.21989
23) Ham, J., Li, S., Looi, J., & Eastin, M. S. (2024). Virtual humans as social actors: Investigating user perceptions of virtual humans' emotional expression on social media. Computers in Human Behavior, 155, Article 108161. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2024.108161
24) Ham, J., Li, S., Shah, P., & Eastin, M. S. (2023). The “mixed” reality of virtual brand endorsers: Understanding the effect of brand engagement and social cues on technological perceptions and advertising effectiveness. Journal of Interactive Advertising, 23(2), 98–113. https://doi.org/10.1080/15252019.2023.2185557
25) Haque, M. M., Hasan, R., & Kumar, A. (2025). Consumers' decision-making and role of social media influencers in the UK hotel industry. Indian Journal of Marketing, 55(10), 69–87. https://doi.org/10.17010/ijom/2025/v55/i10/175614
26) Hedhli, K. E., Zourrig, H., Khateeb, A. A., & Alnawas, I. (2023). Stereotyping human-like virtual influencers in retailing: Does warmth prevail over competence? Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 75, Article 103459. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2023.103459
27) Jhawar, A., Kumar, P., & Varshney, S. (2023). The emergence of virtual influencers: A shift in the influencer marketing paradigm. Young Consumers, 24(4), 468–484. https://doi.org/10.1108/yc-05-2022-1529
28) Jiang, K., Qin, M., Deng, D., & Zhou, D. (2024). Smile or not smile: The effect of virtual influencers' emotional expression on brand authenticity, purchase intention and follow intention. Journal of Consumer Behaviour, 24(2), 962–981. https://doi.org/10.1002/cb.2451
29) Jiang, K., Zheng, J., & Luo, S. (2023). Green power of virtual influencer: The role of virtual influencer image, emotional appeal, and product involvement. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 77, 103660. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2023.103660
30) 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, 16. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40691-024-00380-0
31) Jun, J. W., & Kim, J. (2026). Effects of familiarity and fit on virtual human emotions and attitudes. Indian Journal of Marketing, 56(5), 9–24. https://doi.org/10.17010/ijom/2026/v56/i5/175350
32) Kholkina, V., Chesnokova, E., & Zelenskaya, E. (2025). Virtual or human? The impact of the influencer type on Gen Z consumer outcomes. Journal of Product & Brand Management, 34(1), 104–118. https://doi.org/10.1108/jpbm-12-2023-4885
33) Kim, E., Shoenberger, H., Kim, D., Thorson, E., & Zihang, E. (2024a). Novelty vs. trust in virtual influencers: Exploring the effectiveness of human-like virtual influencers and anime-like virtual influencers. International Journal of Advertising, 44(3), 453–483. https://doi.org/10.1080/02650487.2024.2386916
34) Kim, E., Xie, Q., Hong, J., & Kim, H. M. (2024b). Prosocial campaigns with virtual influencers: Stories, messages, and beyond. International Journal of Human-Computer Interaction, 41(11), 6956–6967. https://doi.org/10.1080/10447318.2024.2387399
35) Kim, H., & Park, M. (2023). Virtual influencers' attractiveness effect on purchase intention: A moderated mediation model of the Product–Endorser fit with the brand. Computers in Human Behavior, 143, Article 107703. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2023.107703
36) Kim, M., & Baek, T. H. (2023). Are virtual influencers friends or foes? Uncovering the perceived creepiness and authenticity of virtual influencers in social media marketing in the United States. International Journal of Human-Computer Interaction, 40(18), 5042–5055. https://doi.org/10.1080/10447318.2023.2233125
37) Koles, B., Audrezet, A., Moulard, J. G., Ameen, N., & McKenna, B. (2024). The authentic virtual influencer: Authenticity manifestations in the metaverse. Journal of Business Research, 170, Article 114325. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2023.114325
38) Kulshrestha, D., Bawa, S. S., Madaan, G., Singh, A., & Kunal, K. (2026). The mediating role of generative AI in transformative marketing for sustainable development. Indian Journal of Marketing, 56(2), 27–43. https://doi.org/10.17010/ijom/2026/v56/i2/175697
39) Kumari, A., & Laheri, V. K. (2025). Understanding consumer behavior through AI-powered recommender systems: A systematic review and bibliometric perspective. Indian Journal of Marketing, 55(8), 9–32. https://doi.org/10.17010/ijom/2025/v55/i8/175207
40) Lee, C. T., & Shen, Y. (2025). Artificial humanity: A multi-method exploration of user responses to AI influencer affordances in short video platform. Telematics and Informatics, 98, Article 102245. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tele.2025.102245
41) Lee, J., & Kim, H. (2025). The moderating role of homophily and need for uniqueness in the relationship between anthropomorphism of virtual influencer and intention to imitate and word of mouth. International Journal of Human-Computer Interaction, 41(17), 10911–10922. https://doi.org/10.1080/10447318.2024.2439571
42) Lee, J. A., & Eastin, M. S. (2021). Perceived authenticity of social media influencers: Scale development and validation. Journal of Research in Interactive Marketing, 15(4), 822–841. https://doi.org/10.1108/jrim-12-2020-0253
43) Li, J., & Ma, Y. (2023). Virtual influencers in advertisements: Examining the role of authenticity and identification. Journal of Interactive Advertising, 24(1), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1080/15252019.2023.2270478
44) Li, S., Ham, J., & Eastin, M. S. (2023). Social media users' affective, attitudinal, and behavioral responses to virtual human emotions. Telematics and Informatics, 87, 102084. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tele.2023.102084
45) Lim, R. E., & Lee, S. Y. (2023). “You are a virtual influencer!”: Understanding the impact of origin disclosure and emotional narratives on parasocial relationships and virtual influencer credibility. Computers in Human Behavior, 148, Article 107897. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2023.107897
46) Lin, Q., Ng, S. I., Basha, N. K., Luo, X., & Li, Y. (2024). Impact of virtual influencers on customer engagement of Generation Z consumers: A presence perspective. Young Consumers, 26(6), 851–868. https://doi.org/10.1108/yc-01-2024-1958
47) 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
48) Liu, F., & Wang, R. (2024). Fostering parasocial relationships with virtual influencers in the uncanny valley: Anthropomorphism, autonomy, and a multigroup comparison. Journal of Business Research, 186, 115024. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2024.115024
49) Liu, X., Wan, L. C., & Mattila, A. S. (2025). Virtual influencers going head-to-head with human influencers: The impact of influencer type on trust perceptions of endorsement. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 37(5), 1574–1602. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijchm-06-2024-0886
50) Lou, C., Kiew, S. T. J., Chen, T., Lee, T. Y. M., Ong, J. E. C., & Phua, Z. (2022). Authentically fake? How consumers respond to the influence of virtual influencers. Journal of Advertising, 52(4), 540–557. https://doi.org/10.1080/00913367.2022.2149641
51) MacGregor, B., & Morrison, D. E. (1995). From focus groups to editing groups: A new method of reception analysis. Media, Culture & Society, 17(1), 141–150. https://doi.org/10.1177/016344395017001009
52) Mahajan, S., Gupta, M., & Chauhan, V. (2025). How may “AI” help you? Analyzing the role of AI-backed chatbot interactions in customer services. Indian Journal of Marketing, 55(4), 69–88. https://doi.org/10.17010/ijom/2025/v55/i4/174929
53) Marti-Ochoa, J., Martin-Fuentes, E., & Ferrer-Rosell, B. (2025). AI-driven virtual travel influencers and ethical consumerism: Analysing engagement with Sena Zaro's Instagram content. Young Consumers, 26(5), 728–743. https://doi.org/10.1108/yc-08-2024-2204
54) Melnychuk, H., Arasli, H., & Nevzat, R. (2024). How to engage and attract virtual influencers' followers: A new non-human approach in the age of influencer marketing. Marketing Intelligence & Planning, 42(3), 393–417. https://doi.org/10.1108/mip-06-2023-0251
55) Meng, L., Bie, Y., Yang, M., & Wang, Y. (2024). The effect of human versus virtual influencers: The roles of destination types and self-referencing processes. Tourism Management, 106, Article 104978. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2024.104978
56) Mirowska, A., & Arsenyan, J. (2023). Sweet escape: The role of empathy in social media engagement with human versus virtual influencers. International Journal of Human-Computer Studies, 174, Article 103008. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhcs.2023.103008
57) Morgan, D. L. (2022). Robert Merton and the history of focus groups: Standing on the shoulders of a giant? The American Sociologist, 53(3), 364–373. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12108-021-09500-5
58) Moustakas, E., Lamba, N., Mahmoud, D., & Ranganathan, C. (2020). Blurring lines between fiction and reality: Perspectives of experts on marketing effectiveness of virtual influencers. In 2020 International Conference on Cyber Security and Protection of Digital Services (Cyber Security) (pp. 1–6). IEEE. https://doi.org/10.1109/CyberSecurity49315.2020.9138861
59) Mrad, M., Ramadan, Z., Tóth, Z., Nasr, L., & Karimi, S. (2025). Virtual influencers versus real connections: Exploring the phenomenon of virtual influencers. Journal of Advertising, 54(1), 1–19. https://doi.org/10.1080/00913367.2024.2393711
60) Muniz, F., Stewart, K., & Magalhães, L. (2024). Are they humans or are they robots? The effect of virtual influencer disclosure on brand trust. Journal of Consumer Behaviour, 23(3), 1234–1250. https://doi.org/10.1002/cb.2271
61) Na, Y., Kim, Y., & Lee, D. (2023). Investigating the effect of self-congruity on attitudes toward virtual influencers: Mediating the effect of emotional attachment. International Journal of Human-Computer Interaction, 40(18), 5534–5547. https://doi.org/10.1080/10447318.2023.2238365
62) Nasr, L. I., Mousavi, S., & Michaelidou, N. (2024). Self‐comparing with virtual influencers: Effects on followers' wellbeing. Psychology & Marketing, 42(3), 780–798. https://doi.org/10.1002/mar.22151
63) Nukhu, R., Singh, S., Chittiprolu, V., & Ali, A. (2025). Do users anthropomorphize AI-based virtual influencers? Unravelling Reddit user perceptions via text mining. International Journal of Human-Computer Interaction, 41(14), 8975–8988. https://doi.org/10.1080/10447318.2024.2416017
64) Park, S., Wei, X., & Lee, H. (2023). Revisiting the elaboration likelihood model in the context of a virtual influencer: A comparison between high- and low-involvement products. Journal of Consumer Behaviour, 23(4), 1638–1652. https://doi.org/10.1002/cb.2290
65) Qaim, S. M., & Gupta, V. P. (2026). Do social media influencers shape Gen Z consumers' purchase intentions toward electric vehicles? An empirical study in Delhi-NCR. Indian Journal of Marketing, 56(7), 64–87. https://doi.org/10.17010/ijom/2026/v56/i7/175686
66) Qu, Y., & Baek, E. (2023). Let virtual creatures stay virtual: Tactics to increase trust in virtual influencers. Journal of Research in Interactive Marketing, 18(1), 91–108. https://doi.org/10.1108/jrim-09-2022-0280
67) Quach, S., Cheah, I., & Thaichon, P. (2024). The power of flattery: Enhancing prosocial behavior through virtual influencers. Psychology & Marketing, 41(7), 1629–1648. https://doi.org/10.1002/mar.22001
68) Robinson, B. (2020). Towards an ontology and ethics of virtual influencers. Australasian Journal of Information Systems, 24. https://doi.org/10.3127/ajis.v24i0.2807
69) Rungruangjit, W., Mongkol, K., Piriyakul, I., & Charoenpornpanichkul, K. (2024). The power of human-like virtual-influencer-generated content: Impact on consumers' willingness to follow and purchase intentions. Computers in Human Behavior Reports, 16, Article 100523. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chbr.2024.100523
70) Sands, S., Ferraro, C., Demsar, V., & Chandler, G. (2022). False idols: Unpacking the opportunities and challenges of falsity in the context of virtual influencers. Business Horizons, 65(6), 777–788. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bushor.2022.08.002
71) Shen, Z. (2024). Shall brands create their own virtual influencers? A comprehensive study of 33 virtual influencers on Instagram. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, 11, 177. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-024-02698-y
72) Singh, A., & Sahu, G. P. (2025). Enablers of multi-currency wallet adoption: A TISM-fuzzy MICMAC approach. Indian Journal of Marketing, 55(5), 66–87. https://doi.org/10.17010/ijom/2025/v55/i5/175020
73) Singh, B., & Dagur, A. (2022). Understanding influence of social media marketing of masstige fashion brands on Generation Z female Indian consumers. Indian Journal of Marketing, 52(5), 8–24. https://doi.org/10.17010/ijom/2022/v52/i5/169414
74) Sobhan, S., Oishi, O. V., Hossain, M. M., Sultana, M., & Hossain, M. J. (2026). Tourists' willingness to use AI-enabled chatbots: Extending the technology acceptance model. Indian Journal of Marketing, 56(3), 65–85. https://doi.org/10.17010/ijom/2026/v56/i3/175245
75) Stein, J.-P., Breves, P. L., & Anders, N. (2022). Parasocial interactions with real and virtual influencers: The role of perceived similarity and human-likeness. New Media & Society, 26(6), 3433–3453. https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448221102900
76) Suh, S. Y. (2025). The impact of human-likeness on users' perceptions of virtual influencers as advertising endorsers. Communication Research Reports, 42(1), 58–67. https://doi.org/10.1080/08824096.2025.2455691
77) Sushil, S. (2012). Interpreting the interpretive structural model. Global Journal of Flexible Systems Management, 13, 87–106. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40171-012-0008-3
78) Tanwar, A. S., Chaudhry, H., & Srivastava, M. K. (2021). Influencer marketing as a tool of digital consumer engagement: A systematic literature review. Indian Journal of Marketing, 51(10), 27–42. https://doi.org/10.17010/ijom/2021/v51/i10/166439
79) Um, N. (2023). Predictors affecting effects of virtual influencer advertising among college students. Sustainability, 15(8), 6388. https://doi.org/10.3390/su15086388
80) Uppal, A., Banerjee, S., Agarwal, V., & Chadha, P. (2026). Smart immersion in marketing: A study of technology convergence and purchase intention. Indian Journal of Marketing, 56(4), 10–29. https://doi.org/10.17010/ijom/2026/v56/i4/175975
81) Vinoi, N., Shankar, A., Alzeiby, E. A., Gupta, P., & Agarwal, V. (2025). Unveiling customer intentions: Exploring factors driving engagement with hospitality virtual influencers. Journal of Hospitality Marketing & Management, 34(3), 325–354. https://doi.org/10.1080/19368623.2024.2429505
82) Volles, B. K., Park, J., Van Kerckhove, A., & Geuens, M. (2024). How and when do virtual influencers positively affect consumer responses to endorsed brands? Journal of Business Research, 183, Article 114863. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2024.114863
83) Wan, A., & Jiang, M. (2023). Can virtual influencers replace human influencers in live-streaming e-commerce? An exploratory study from practitioners' and consumers' perspectives. Journal of Current Issues & Research in Advertising, 44(3), 332–372. https://doi.org/10.1080/10641734.2023.2224416
84) Wan, C., Lee, D., & Ng, P. (2024). The role of anthropomorphism and racial homophily of virtual influencers in encouraging low‐ versus high‐cost pro‐environmental behaviors. Psychology & Marketing, 41(8), 1833–1853. https://doi.org/10.1002/mar.22013
85) Wang, L., Li, Y.-Q., Ruan, W.-Q., & Zhang, S.-N. (2025). The congruence effect in tourism activity marketing: The difference between virtual influencers and human influencers. Current Issues in Tourism, 28(21), 3522–3540. https://doi.org/10.1080/13683500.2024.2400180
86) Warfield, J. N. (1974). Developing interconnection matrices in structural modeling. IEEE Transactions on Systems, Man, and Cybernetics, SMC-4(1), 81–87. https://doi.org/10.1109/tsmc.1974.5408524
87) Xie-Carson, L., Magor, T., Benckendorff, P., & Hughes, K. (2023). All hype or the real deal? Investigating user engagement with virtual influencers in tourism. Tourism Management, 99, Article 104779. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2023.104779
88) Yan, J., Kong, H., Jiang, S., & Zhang, M. (2025). The impact of virtual influencer advertising on consumer response: A moderated chain mediation model based on mind perception and parasocial interaction. Asia Pacific Journal of Tourism Research, 30(10), 1367–1386. https://doi.org/10.1080/10941665.2024.2350404
89) Yang, J., Chuenterawong, P., Lee, H., & Chock, T. M. (2023a). Anthropomorphism in CSR endorsement: A comparative study on humanlike vs. cartoonlike virtual influencers' climate change messaging. Journal of Promotion Management, 29(5), 705–734. https://doi.org/10.1080/10496491.2022.2163041
90) Yang, J., Chuenterawong, P., Lee, H., Tian, Y., & Chock, T. M. (2023b). Human versus virtual influencer: The effect of humanness and interactivity on persuasive CSR messaging. Journal of Interactive Advertising, 23(3), 275–292. https://doi.org/10.1080/15252019.2023.2189036
91) Yoo, J. W., Park, J., & Park, H. (2025). How can I trust you if you're fake? Understanding human-like virtual influencer credibility and the role of textual social cues. Journal of Research in Interactive Marketing, 19(4), 730–748. https://doi.org/10.1108/jrim-02-2024-0092
92) You, L., & Liu, F. (2024). From virtual voices to real impact: Authenticity, altruism, and egoism in social advocacy by human and virtual influencers. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 207, Article 123650. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2024.123650
93) Yu, J., Dickinger, A., So, K. K. F., & Egger, R. (2024). Artificial intelligence-generated virtual influencer: Examining the effects of emotional display on user engagement. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 76, Article 103560. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2023.103560
94) Zhang, L., Zhang, J., Wang, D., & Mu, J. (2025). Development and validation of an AI virtual streamer scale for live-streaming e-commerce. International Journal of Human-Computer Interaction, 41(14), 8525–8538. https://doi.org/10.1080/10447318.2024.2411088
95) Zheng, X., Miao, M., Zhang, L., & Huang, L. (2024). Standing out or fitting in? How perceived autonomy affects virtual influencer marketing outcomes. Journal of Business Research, 185, Article 114917. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2024.114917
96) Zourrig, H., Park, J., & Becheur, I. (2025). How does humanoid virtual influencers' appearance convey social presence? The underlying process and path to purchase intention. International Journal of Consumer Studies, 49, e70013. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijcs.70013
97) Zupic, I., & Čater, T. (2015). Bibliometric methods in management and organization. Organizational Research Methods, 18(3), 429–472. https://doi.org/10.1177/1094428114562629
