IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/zbw/itsb24/302466.html

Navigating Illusions: Unraveling Confirmation Bias using Cognitive Dissonance in Virtual Influencers on Social Media Platforms

Author

Listed:
  • Uysal, Busye
  • Estrella, Ronny

Abstract

While policymakers are beginning to address AI-generated content on social media, there remains a notable gap in regulatory approaches towards Virtual Influencers. The capability of Virtual Influencers to autonomously upload content presents significant challenges, especially in distinguishing between human and AI-generated content, which in turn affects user trust. To tackle this issue, this study proposes the implementation of disclosure flags specifically for content created by Virtual Influencers. This research involved a questionnaire administered to 189 Instagram users to explore how disclosure flags influence their perceptions and acceptance of Virtual Influencer's content. The findings reveal that although disclosure flags increase awareness, they do little to foster critical engagement with the content. The study emphasizes the importance of professional oversight and user-driven content moderation through disclosure flags to maintain the integrity of digital content. These insights are crucial for policymakers and platform designers working towards a transparent digital environment. The evident lack of transparency around Virtual Influencers highlights the urgent need for clearer regulatory frameworks. Therefore, this research advocates for comprehensive strategies that integrate these flags with broader educational and regulatory measures to enhance digital literacy and critical engagement among users.

Suggested Citation

  • Uysal, Busye & Estrella, Ronny, 2024. "Navigating Illusions: Unraveling Confirmation Bias using Cognitive Dissonance in Virtual Influencers on Social Media Platforms," 24th ITS Biennial Conference, Seoul 2024. New bottles for new wine: digital transformation demands new policies and strategies 302466, International Telecommunications Society (ITS).
    • Handle: RePEc:zbw:itsb24:302466
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.econstor.eu/bitstream/10419/302466/1/ITS-Seoul-2024-paper-025.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Koles, Bernadett & Audrezet, Alice & Moulard, Julie Guidry & Ameen, Nisreen & McKenna, Brad, 2024. "The authentic virtual influencer: Authenticity manifestations in the metaverse," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 170(C).
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Fayyaz, Muhammad Shahzeb & Abbasi, Amir Zaib & Kumar, Sanjeev & Qureshi, Ammar & Hussain, Khalil & Muhammad, Lakhi, 2025. "Integrating digital influencer persuasion model and theory of planned behavior: The mediating role of consumer involvement in endorsed brands," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 85(C).
    2. You, Leping & Liu, Fanjue, 2024. "From virtual voices to real impact: Authenticity, altruism, and egoism in social advocacy by human and virtual influencers," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 207(C).
    3. Rizzo, Cristian & Baima, Gabriele & Janovská, Kamila & Bresciani, Stefano, 2025. "Navigating the uncertainty path of virtual influencers: Empirical evidence through a cultural lens," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 210(C).
    4. Li, Ji & Li, Yuanhui & Wang, Xuan, 2026. "The interaction effect of virtual streamer anthropomorphism and price expectation discrepancy on purchase intention: The mediating role of inferred intentions," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 90(C).
    5. Benevento, Elisabetta & Aloini, Davide & Roma, Paolo & Bellino, Davide, 2025. "The impact of influencers on brand social network growth: Insights from new product launch events on Twitter," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 189(C).
    6. Xia, Hui & Yang, Yuqing & Wang, Xinchun, 2025. "Too pretty to resist? Exploring the impact of virtual influencers’ beauty level on consumer reactions," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 87(C).
    7. P. Pushparaj & Bijay Prasad Kushwaha & Sanjeev Prashar, 2025. "A systematic literature review of virtual influencers in marketing using bibliometric analysis," International Review on Public and Nonprofit Marketing, Springer;International Association of Public and Non-Profit Marketing, vol. 22(3), pages 631-662, September.
    8. Michaelidou, Nina & Kostopoulos, Ioannis & Lowe, Emily, 2026. "The dawn of ‘deinfluencing’ as a vehicle for moral responsibility and anti-consumption," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 202(C).
    9. Gleim, Mark R. & McCullough, Heath & Gabler, Colin & Ferrell, Linda & Ferrell, O.C., 2025. "Examining the customer experience in the metaverse retail revolution," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 186(C).
    10. Liu, Fanjue, 2026. "Who and how to pair with a virtual influencer? The impact of co-endorser type, perceived distance, and gender congruence on consumer responses in virtual influencer collaborations," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 89(PA).
    11. Ke Xue & Xiaotian Lu & Boyuan Wang, 2025. "Trend of owning the intangible: the mediating role of psychological ownership in cultural consumption within blockchain ecosystems," Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 12(1), pages 1-14, December.
    12. Nadeem, Waqar & Ashraf, Abdul Rehman & Shahid, Shadma, 2025. "What drives metaverse retail environments (non)usage? A behavioral reasoning theory perspective," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 212(C).
    13. Liu, Fanjue & Wang, Rang, 2025. "Fostering Parasocial Relationships with Virtual Influencers in the Uncanny Valley: Anthropomorphism, Autonomy, and a Multigroup Comparison," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 186(C).
    14. Katie L. Leggett & Minna Lammi & Juri Mykkänen, 2026. "The virtualisation of the influencer economy: Development of a conceptual model," Electronic Markets, Springer;IIM University of St. Gallen, vol. 36(1), pages 1-19, December.
    15. Laghari, Amjad Hussain & Ping, Han & Memon, Shabana & Makhdoom, Zohaib Hussain, 2025. "Human vs. virtual influencers in Crisis: How attribution and crisis response shape brand trust," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 87(C).
    16. Yao, Ruiqi & Qi, Guijie & Wu, Zhiqiang & Sun, Hua & Sheng, Dongfang, 2024. "Digital human calls you dear: How do customers respond to virtual streamers’ social-oriented language in e-commerce livestreaming? A stereotyping perspective," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 79(C).
    17. Audrezet, Alice & Koles, Bernadett & Moulard, Julie Guidry & Ameen, Nisreen & McKenna, Brad, 2025. "Virtual influencers: Definition and future research directions," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 200(C).
    18. Yang, Defeng & Zhang, Jiaen & Sun, Yu & Huang, Zan, 2024. "Showing usage behavior or not? The effect of virtual influencers’ product usage behavior on consumers," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 79(C).
    19. Hajdas, Monika & Radomska, Joanna & Szpulak, Aleksandra & Kawa, Arkadiusz, 2025. "The trade-offs of metaverse value creation. Real-Time-Delphi-based scenario analysis by 2040," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 83(C).
    20. Lintong Han & Jiaming Fang & Chunya Xie & Miyan Liao & Yangting Zhang, 2026. "Breaking CSR Skepticism: How Virtual Streamer Disclosure Influences Consumer Purchases in Livestreaming," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 204(4), pages 907-931, April.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    NEP fields

    This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:zbw:itsb24:302466. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.itsworld.org/ .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.