EXPLORING THE SOUL OF ALGORITHMS: A DEEP DIVE INTO THE RISE OF VIRTUAL IN-FLUENCERS IN INDONESIA
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.23969/paradigmapolistaat.v8i2.39681Abstract
The emergence of digital technologies initiated never-before-seen changes in the field of marketing, such as the introduction of virtual influencers. Cutting-edge computer animation techniques produce these personalities and are carefully crafted to interact with and sway the opinions of people online. This study intends to analyze the emerging virtual influencer phenomenon that is gradually unfolding in Indonesia’s digital economy, giving particular attention to its evolution, effects, and specific strategies employed in contemporary marketing communication. The purpose is to chart the evolution of virtual influencers in Indonesia and assess their effectiveness as novel digital marketing tools. The approach taken in this study is qualitative descriptive to capture the virtual influencer phenomenon holistically in the context of Indonesia's digital landscape. The results of this study are expected to provide insights and recommendations for digital marketing actors, companies, practitioners, and researchers in designing effective marketing campaigns by utilizing virtual influencers. Computer-generated influencers, also referred to as virtual influencers, have heavy followings which are substantial in number. They are expanding the phenomenon of influencer marketing. These characters are very proficient in endorsing various products and services on different digital platforms, making them valuable marketing assets.
Downloads
References
Abednego, F., Kuswoyo, C., Lu, C., Wijaya, G. E., Fakultas, J. M., Universitas, B., & Mara-natha, K. (2021). ANALISIS PEMILIHAN SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCER PADA INSTA-GRAM TERHADAP PER-ILAKU KONSUMEN (STUDI KUALITATIF PADA GEN-ERASI Y DAN GENERASI Z DI BANDUNG). Jurnal Riset Bisnis, 5(1), 57–73.
Ahn, R. J., Cho, S. Y., & Sun-ny Tsai, W. (2022). Demystify-ing Computer-Generated Im-agery (CGI) Influencers: The Effect of Perceived Anthropo-morphism and Social Presence on Brand Outcomes. Journal of Interactive Advertising, 22(3), 327–335. https://doi.org/10.1080/15252019.2022.2111242
Arsenyan, J., & Mirowska, A. (2021). Almost human? A comparative case study on the social media presence of virtu-al influencers. International Journal of Human-Computer Studies, 155, 102694. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhcs.2021.102694
Bashirzadeh, Y., Mai, R., & Faure, C. (2022). How rich is too rich? Visual design ele-ments in digital marketing communications. International Journal of Research in Market-ing, 39(1), 58–76. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijresmar.2021.06.008
Baudrillard, J. (1994). Simula-cra and Simulation. The Mich-igan University Press.
Benabdelouahed, R., & Dakouan, C. (2020). The Use of Artificial Intelligence in So-cial Media: Opportunities and Perspectives. Expert Journal of Marketing, 8(1), 82–87.
Burke, K. E., Ivory, J. D., Tedesco, J. C., & Myers, M. C. (2017). Social Butterflies: How Social Media Influencers are the New Celebrity Endorsement [Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University]. https://vtechworks.lib.vt.edu/items/e2846197-a1c6-4ee4-9081-2d48d6c34042
Campbell, C., Sands, S., Ferra-ro, C., Tsao, H.-Y. (Jody), & Mavrommatis, A. (2020). From data to action: How marketers can leverage AI. Business Ho-rizons, 63(2), 227–243. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bushor.2019.12.002
Conti, M., Gathani, J., & Tri-comi, P. P. (2022). Virtual In-fluencers in Online Social Me-dia. IEEE Communications Magazine, 60(8), 86–91. https://doi.org/10.1109/MCOM.001.2100786
Davenport, T. H., & Ronanki, R. (2018). Artificial Intelli-gence for the Real World. Har-vard Business Review, 96(1), 108–116.
Escobar-Rodríguez, T., & Bonsón-Fernández, R. (2017). Analysing online purchase in-tention in Spain: fashion e-commerce. Information Sys-tems and E-Business Manage-ment, 15(3), 599–622. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10257-016-0319-6
Freberg, K., Graham, K., McGaughey, K., & Freberg, L. A. (2011). Who are the social media influencers? A study of public perceptions of person-ality. Public Relations Review, 37(1), 90–92. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pubrev.2010.11.001
Glucksman, M. (2017). Rise of Social Media Influencer Mar-keting on Lifestyle Branding: A Case Study of Lucie Fink. Elon Journal of Undergraduate Re-search in Communications, 8(2), 77–87. https://eloncdn.blob.core.windows.net/eu3/sites/153/2017/12/08_Lifestyle_Branding_Glucksman.pdf
Grand View Research. (2024). Virtual Influencer Market Size & Trends. GrandViewRe-search. https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/virtual-influencer-market-report
Haleem, A., Javaid, M., Asim Qadri, M., Pratap Singh, R., & Suman, R. (2022). Artificial intelligence (AI) applications for marketing: A literature-based study. In International Journal of Intelligent Networks (Vol. 3, pp. 119–132). KeAi Communications Co. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijin.2022.08.005
Hendler, J., & Mulvehill, A. M. (2016). Social Machines: The Coming Collision of Artificial Intelligence, Social Network-ing, and Humanity. Apress.
Huang, H.-L., Cheng, L.-K., Sun, P.-C., & Chou, S.-J. (2021). The Effects of Per-ceived Identity Threat and Re-alistic Threat on the Negative Attitudes and Usage Intentions Toward Hotel Service Robots: The Moderating Effect of the Robot’s Anthropomorphism. International Journal of Social Robotics, 13(7), 1599–1611. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12369-021-00752-2
Kannan, P. K., & Li, H. “Al-ice.” (2017). Digital marketing: A framework, review and re-search agenda. International Journal of Research in Market-ing, 34(1), 22–45. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijresmar.2016.11.006
Khamis, S., Ang, L., & Well-ing, R. (2017). Self-branding, ‘micro-celebrity’ and the rise of Social Media Influencers. Celebrity Studies, 8(2), 191–208. https://doi.org/10.1080/19392397.2016.1218292
Lamberton, C., & Stephen, A. T. (2016). A Thematic Explora-tion of Digital, Social Media, and Mobile Marketing: Re-search Evolution from 2000 to 2015 and an Agenda for Future Inquiry. Journal of Marketing, 80(6), 146–172. https://doi.org/10.1509/jm.15.0415
Li, J., & Jin, J. (2024). Struc-tural optimization of new me-dia communication culture in-dustry on the impact of digital innovation on marine econom-ic growth. Journal of Sea Re-search, 199. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.seares.2024.102491
Li, X., Su, S., Zhang, Y., & Zhu, X. (2023). Carbon emis-sion prediction and carbon peak path analysis in Fujian Province. Resour Dev Market, 39(2), 139–147.
Lund, B. D., Wang, T., Reddy Mannuru, N., Nie, B., Shimray, S., & Wang, Z. (2023). ChatGPT and a New Academic Reality: AI-Written Research Papers and the Ethics of the Large Language Models in Scholarly Publishing. Journal of the Association for Infor-mation Science and Technolo-gy, 570–581. https://ssrn.com/abstract=4389887
Maulana, M. L., Harjono, B., Abdurrahman, U. K., & Pek-alongan, W. (2024). POLITIK DAN AI: GAYA KOMU-NIKASI KAMPANYE POLI-TIK CAPRES PRABOWO-GIBRAN POLITICS AND AI: COMMUNICATION STYLE OF PRESIDENTIAL CANDI-DATE PRABOWO-GIBRAN’S POLITICAL CAMPAIGN. Jurnal Komunikasi Dan Media, 04(02), 159–169.
McKinsey. (2023, April 10). What is influencer marketing? McKinsey. What is influencer marketing?
Mende, M., Scott, M. L., van Doorn, J., Grewal, D., & Shanks, I. (2019). Service Ro-bots Rising: How Humanoid Robots Influence Service Ex-periences and Elicit Compensa-tory Consumer Responses. Journal of Marketing Re-search, 56(4), 535–556. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022243718822827
Meng, L. (Monroe), Bie, Y., Yang, M., & Wang, Y. (2024). Watching it motivates me to become stronger: Virtual influ-encers’ impact on consumer self-improvement product preferences. Journal of Busi-ness Research, 178. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2024.114654
Mention, A.-L., Barlatier, P.-J., & Josserand, E. (2019). Using social media to leverage and develop dynamic capabilities for innovation. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 144, 242–250. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2019.03.003
Miao, F., Kozlenkova, I. V., Wang, H., Xie, T., & Palmatier, R. W. (2022). An Emerging Theory of Avatar Marketing. Journal of Marketing, 86(1), 67–90. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022242921996646
Mingkwan, S. (2022). AN EX-PLORATORY STUDY OF VIR-TUAL INFLUENCERS IN THAILAND SANGDUEAN MINGKWAN A THEMATIC PAPER SUBMITTED IN PAR-TIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF MANAGEMENT COLLEGE OF MANAGEMENT MAHIDOL UNIVERSITY 2022 COPY-RIGHT OF MAHIDOL UNI-VERSITY AN EXPLORATORY STUDY OF VIRTUAL INFLU-ENCERS IN THAILAND. Mahi-dol.
Moustakas, E., Lamba, N., Mahmoud, D., & Ranganathan, C. (2020). Blurring lines be-tween fiction and reality: Per-spectives of experts on market-ing effectiveness of virtual in-fluencers. 2020 International Conference on Cyber Security and Protection of Digital Ser-vices (Cyber Security), 1–6. https://doi.org/10.1109/CyberSecurity49315.2020.9138861
Müller, B. C. N., Gao, X., Nijs-sen, S. R. R., & Damen, T. G. E. (2021). I, Robot: How Hu-man Appearance and Mind At-tribution Relate to the Per-ceived Danger of Robots. In-ternational Journal of Social Robotics, 13(4), 691–701. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12369-020-00663-8
Muntinga, D. G., Moorman, M., & Smit, E. G. (2011). In-troducing COBRAs: Exploring Motivations for Brand-Related Social Media Use. Internation-al Journal of Advertising, 30(1), 13–46. https://doi.org/10.2501/IJA-30-1-013-046
Nielsen. (2022, May). Building better connections: Using in-fluencers to grow your brand. Nielsen. https://www.nielsen.com/id/insights/2022/building-better-connections/
Oktavianingtyas, I., Seran, A., & Sigit, R. R. (2021). Jean Baudrillard dan Pokok Pemikirannya. PROPAGANDA, 1(2), 113–121. https://doi.org/10.37010/prop.v1i2.258
Ribeiro, T., & Reis, J. L. (2020). Artificial intelligence applied to digital marketing. Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing, 1160 AISC, 158–169. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-45691-7_15
Rustine, M. (2023). Potensi Penggunaan Influencer Virtual Indonesia Bagi Pemasaran Pa-riwisata Indonesia. Jurnal ALTASIA, 5(2). https://doi.org/10.37253/altasia.v5i2.7875
Sadiku, M. N. O., Ashaolu, T. J., Ajayi-Majebi, A., & Musa, S. M. (2021). Artificial Intelli-gence in Social Media. Interna-tional Journal Of Scientific Ad-vances, 2(1). https://doi.org/10.51542/ijscia.v2i1.4
Sands, S., Campbell, C. L., Plangger, K., & Ferraro, C. (2022). Unreal influence: lev-eraging AI in influencer mar-keting. European Journal of Marketing, 56(6), 1721–1747. https://doi.org/10.1108/EJM-12-2019-0949
Sands, S., Ferraro, C., Demsar, V., & Chandler, G. (2022). False idols: Unpacking the op-portunities 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
Schouten, A. P., Janssen, L., & Verspaget, M. (2020). Celebrity vs. Influencer endorsements in advertising: the role of identifi-cation, credibility, and Product-Endorser fit. International Journal of Advertising, 39(2), 258–281. https://doi.org/10.1080/02650487.2019.1634898
Senft, T. M. (2013). Microce-lebrity and the Branded Self. In A Companion to New Media Dynamics (pp. 346–354). Wiley. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118321607.ch22
Senyapar, D. H. N. (2024). A Comprehensive Analysis of Influencer Types in Digital Marketing. International Jour-nal of Management and Ad-ministration, 8(15), 75–100. https://doi.org/10.29064/ijma.1417291
Sihabudin, M. M. R., Helwa Nur Alfa Laila, Kharisma Kha-ris, Rismayanti, & Riska Siti Fatimah. (2023). Strategi Posi-tioning “Gemoy” Prabowo Subianto melalui Media Digital. HUMANUS : Jurnal Sosiohu-maniora Nusantara, 1(1), 146–154. https://doi.org/10.62180/dt1m2889
Sommarberg, M., & Mäkinen, S. J. (2019). A method for an-ticipating the disruptive nature of digitalization in the ma-chine-building industry. Tech-nological Forecasting and So-cial Change, 146, 808–819. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2018.07.044
Sridhar, S., & Fang, E. (2019). New vistas for marketing strat-egy: digital, data-rich, and de-veloping market (D3) environ-ments. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 47(6), 977–985. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11747-019-00698-y
Stein, J.-P., Linda Breves, P., & Anders, N. (2024). Parasocial interactions with real and virtu-al influencers: The role of per-ceived similarity and human-likeness. New Media & Society, 26(6), 3433–3453. https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448221102900
Thomas, V. L., & Fowler, K. (2021). Close Encounters of the AI Kind: Use of AI Influ-encers As Brand Endorsers. Journal of Advertising, 50(1), 11–25. https://doi.org/10.1080/00913367.2020.1810595
Tjepkema, L. (2018, October 19). Why AI is Vital for Market-ing with Lindsay Tjepkema. Magnificent. https://www.magnificent.com/magnificent-stuff/why-ai-is-vital-for-marketing-with-lindsay-tjepkema
van Rijn, J. (2024, September). The Ultimate Mobile Email Sta-tistics Overview. Emailmonday. https://www.emailmonday.com/mobile-email-usage-statistics/
Verhoef, P. C., Broekhuizen, T., Bart, Y., Bhattacharya, A., Qi Dong, J., Fabian, N., & Haenlein, M. (2021). Digital transformation: A multidisci-plinary reflection and research agenda. Journal of Business Research, 122, 889–901. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2019.09.022
Wang, W., Cao, D., & Ameen, N. (2023). Understanding cus-tomer satisfaction of augment-ed reality in retail: a human value orientation and consump-tion value perspective. Infor-mation Technology & People, 36(6), 2211–2233. https://doi.org/10.1108/ITP-04-2021-0293
Wibawa, R. C., Pratiwi, C. P., Wahyono, E., Hidayat, D., & Adiasari, W. (2022). Virtual Influencers : Is The Persona Trustworthy? Jurnal Mana-jemen Informatika (JAMIKA), 12(1), 51–62. https://doi.org/10.34010/jamika.v12i1.6706
Wu, C.-W., Botella-Carrubi, D., & Blanco-González-Tejero, C. (2024). The empirical study of digital marketing strategy and performance in small and me-dium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 200, 123142. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2023.123142
Yadav, M. S., & Pavlou, P. A. (2014). Marketing in Comput-er-Mediated Environments: Re-search Synthesis and New Di-rections. Journal of Marketing, 78(1), 20–40. https://doi.org/10.1509/jm.12.0020
Zega, T. O., & Batubara, A. K. (2024). Pengaruh Artificial In-telligence (AI) terhadap Digital Literasi Mahasiswa Ilmu Per-pustakaan Angkatan 2021 UIN Sumatera Utara, Medan. Reli-gion Education Social Laa Roiba Journal, 6, 3371. https://doi.org/10.47476/reslaj.v6i6.2838
Zhou, Y., Tian, B., Mo, T., & Fei, Z. (2020). Consumers Complain More Fiercely Through Small-Screen Devices: The Role of Spatial Crowding Perception. Journal of Service Research, 23(3), 353–367. https://doi.org/10.1177/1094670520904408
Zilles, C. (2019, February 13). Taking Advantage Of AI In So-cial Media Marketing. So-cialmediaHQ.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Betty Tresnawaty, Muhammad Rif’at Al-Razi, Maylanny Christin
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Paradikma Polistaat: Jurnal Ilmu Sosial dan Ilmu politik is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License
In order to be accepted and published by Paradigma POLISTAAT: Jurnal Ilmu Sosial dan Ilmu politik, author(s) submitting the article manuscript should complete all the review stages. By submitting the manuscript the author(s) agreed to these following terms:
1. The copyright of received articles shall be assigned to Paradigma POLISTAAT: Jurnal Ilmu Sosial dan Ilmu politikas the publisher of the journal. The intended copyright includes the right to publish articles in various forms (including reprints). Paradigma POLISTAAT: Jurnal Ilmu Sosial dan Ilmu politikmaintain the publishing rights to the published articles.
2. Authors are permitted to disseminate published article by sharing the link/DOI of the article at Paradigma POLISTAAT: Jurnal Ilmu Sosial dan Ilmu politik. authors are allowed to use their articles for any legal purposes deemed necessary without written permission fromParadigma POLISTAAT: Jurnal Ilmu Sosial dan Ilmu politik with an acknowledgement of initial publication to this journal.
3. Users/public use of this website will be licensed to CC BY-SA (Attribution & ShareAlike).
