VIRTUAL INFLUENCERS: ARE THEY THE SAME? A SYSTEMATIC LITERATURE REVIEW

The burgeoning phenomenon of virtual influencers presents conflicting approaches to the taxonomy of virtual influencers, and lacks a unified conceptual framework. This paper presents a systematic review of the literature on the meaning of virtual influencers. It begins by examining and comparing multifaceted definitions, and presents five main characteristics of virtual influencers, based on various definitions by previous authors. The study proposes a comprehensive typology of virtual influencers, based on four key dimensions: design, ownership, sponsorship disclosure, and follower size. Through systematic analysis, comparison and the synthesis of existing literature, the paper clarifies the current state of knowledge, and identifies critical future research directions within each typological dimension.