From anthropomorphism to prosocial intention: a PLS-SEM and fsQCA study of virtual influencers

Description

Lan Su, Xiaolong Pan, and Xinyao Duan study how virtual influencers turn human-like charm into good intentions. Brands and campaigns hire virtual activists more and more, yet how lifelike design produces goodwill was unmapped. Their 2026 survey asked 209 people who knew virtual activist content and modeled the paths with partial least squares, cross-checked by fuzzy-set analysis.

Making the influencer more human raised parasocial interaction, the one-sided friendship viewers feel, and warmed attitudes toward the influencer. Parasocial interaction fed attitudes, green self-identity, and a wish to do good. Attitudes and green self-identity each carried part of the effect toward doing good. The fuzzy-set results found several recipes for high intention, all built on green self-identity, while the recipes for low intention took another path. The authors frame activist anthropomorphism as open to design, offering guidance for building credible virtual advocates.

Catalog record

Source: https://europepmc.org/article/MED/PMC13457704