Keep it #Unreal: Exploring Instagram Users’ Engagement With Virtual Influencers in Tourism Contexts

As an emerging category of non-human influencers, virtual influencers (VIs) have received increasing attention on social media. While VIs generate high user engagement, the underlying factors that drive social media engagement are poorly understood. Informed by communication theory, this study aims to explore Instagram users’ perceptions of VIs and the key source and content factors that prompt user engagement in tourism contexts. An initial netnographic observation of Instagram posts was followed by five online focus group interviews using a photo elicitation technique. The results indicated that Instagram users had mixed feelings towards VIs; however, most were receptive to VI marketing provided that ethical concerns had been addressed. Key source and content factors that stimulate user engagement with VIs are integrated into a proposed framework. The findings will assist tourism practitioners and content creators to design VI marketing campaigns that incorporate and leverage important influencer and post-related features.