THE INFLUENCE OF VIRTUAL INFLUENCERS IN ENGAGING USERS ON SOCIAL MEDIA

The aim of this article is to understand how Virtual Influencers (VIs) engage and influence users in social media. The powerful influence of VIs on online members generates identification and varying degrees of adhesion to social media. Users' personal involvement, their engagement and the group effect create a real bond between the VI and the users in the online community. This bond may continue to strengthen over time, or may alternatively be weakened. Based on social influence theory (Kapitan and Silvera, 2016; Sokolova and Kefi, 2020) and drawing on a literature review, we will examine the various factors that encourage participation, develop VI influence, and foster engagement. The aim is to propose a conceptual model that sheds light on these dynamics. The methodology deployed, the subject of a future article, will be quantitative. It will be based on a self-administered questionnaire distributed via the social network Instagram to followers of the VI Lil Miquela. This virtual influencer was selected due to her popularity, the cultural diversity of her audience, and her dynamic representation of various renowned brands. Data will be collected from 400 valid responses using the partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) approach. The expected results will derive from the theory mobilized to explain the factors of influence for involving and engaging users of VI communities. This research will fill a gap in the literature on the analysis of the influence and engagement of VIs on their followers in a dedicated social network.

BENBRAHIM, LAMIA; DAHAB, DOUNIA

Revue Marocaine de Recherche en Management et Marketing (2024)

Vol. 16 N° 1 (2024)

DOI: 10.48376/IMIST.PRSM/remarem-v16i1.50342

Import OAI-PMH · Identifiant source : oai:revues.imist.ma:article/50342