Constructing Authenticity in Artificial Personas: How Disclosure Shapes Audience Trust in Virtual Influencer Marketing
Year: 2026
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Virtual influencers—computer-generated personas that maintain active social media accounts, endorse brands, and interact with followers as though they were human—have become an increasingly visible presence in digital marketing, despite lacking the lived experience traditionally associated with authenticity. This study examines how virtual influencers construct perceived authenticity and, specifically, how transparency about their artificial identity shapes audience trust. Drawing on Goffman's dramaturgical theory, Baudrillard's concept of simulation, the Source Credibility Model, Parasocial Interaction Theory, Uses and Gratifications Theory, and Social Presence Theory, the study surveyed 213 social media users using a structured, Likert-scale questionnaire. Data were analyzed with descriptive statistics, Cronbach's Alpha reliability testing, Pearson correlation, and linear regression in SPSS. Results reveal a significant positive relationship between Influencer Disclosure and Perceived Influencer Trust (r = .562, p lt; .001), with disclosure explaining approximately 31.6 percent of the variance in trust (R² = .316, F(1,198) = 45.78, p lt; .001). Content quality, storytelling, emotional relatability, transparency, and visual appeal were each positively and significantly correlated with trust (r = .33–.40, p lt; .001). Despite these associations, most respondents still favoured and trusted human influencers more, and many remained uncertain about the transparency and emotional genuineness of virtual influencers. The findings suggest that authenticity in digital spaces is not contingent on being human but on honest, consistent, and transparent communication, offering practical guidance for brands deploying virtual influencers and theoretical implications for how authenticity is understood in mediated culture.
Institutions: Lahore College for Women University, University of Lahore
Language: English
Subfield: Marketing
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W7220181161