Edinburgh Napier University

  Virtual influencers (VIs) are an emerging category of social media influencer. Through a sequential mixed-method research design, this research employs the theoretical lens of symbolic interactionism to explain how social media users construct meaning for the identity of VIs and how this guides their interactions and engagement on social media. Study 1 explores the construction of meaning by analysis of 372 VI posts and 49,866 social media comments using netnography. Study 2 explores the relationship between key concepts (i.e., anthropomorphism, shared reality, digital escapism, and positive affect) using an online survey collected from 209 followers of VIs. This study shows that consumers negotiate the reality of VIs in the comments section with an emphasis on anthropomorphizing. Furthermore, the results of structural equation model suggest that followers’ perceptions of VIs’ moral and cognitive anthropomorphism influences perceived shared reality, which ultimately results in positive affect and social media user engagement.