Exploring the impact of background inconsistency on consumers’ negative feelings toward virtual influencers

Abstract This study examines how background image (reality vs. virtuality) influences consumers’ perceptions of uncanniness toward virtual influencers (VIs) in social media advertisements. A between-subjects experiment (background image: reality vs. virtuality) was conducted to examine the effect of reality background image on uncanniness toward the VI, with a focus on the mediating role of perceived VI-background inconsistency. A total of 193 South Korean female Instagram users participated. The results indicated that consumers find VIs placed in reality (vs. virtuality) background images more uncanny because they experience inconsistency between the reality background and the virtual model. Moreover, this effect was negatively moderated by individuals’ categorization uncertainty about the VI’s non-human identity. The reality background image had a greater positive influence on the perceived uncanniness toward the VI via inconsistency when consumers could recognize the VI as a computer-generated non-human; the background image had no differential effects on inconsistency when consumers were less certain about the VI’s non-human identity.