The negative social roles of virtual conversational agents in consumer interactions

Purpose Current marketing literature claims that consumers can establish relationships with virtual conversational agents (VCAs) that can be referred to as interpersonal ones. Despite the risks that these relationships can entail, the investigation of negative VCA social roles is still underdeveloped. This study aims to address this gap. Design/methodology/approach The authors launched a qualitative survey in which participants were asked to write about a prototypical episode regarding a negative relationship with a VCA. Findings A typology of five negative VCA social roles emerged: Dealer, Diminishing partner, Stalker, Enemy and Annoying acquaintance. Practical implications Understanding how consumers interact in negative relationships with VCAs can give policymakers and practitioners a clearer idea of the risks that consumers are exposed to during these interactions, foreshadowing possible negative effects and helping them to find a way to prevent them. Originality/value This work proposes a deep analysis of the dark side of consumer–VCA relationships that has previously been understudied, especially in terms of VCA social roles.